Broadsheets prop up News Corp tabloids | Mail asks if Harry is paying witnesses
And police forces have been told to become more open with journalists after online misinformation fuelled UK riots
Good morning and welcome to your daily Press Gazette news briefing on Friday 9 May brought to you in association with INMA - a leading provider of global best practice for news media companies. Register now for INMA's World Congress of News Media in New York May 19-23.
The latest News Corp results show business is booming for its former broadsheet titles while the tabloids struggle.
The New York Post has never been a majorly profitable title for News Corp but The Sun was once a cash cow.
The News Corp earnings release for its third quarter highlights falling online advertising revenue from The Sun as an issue, driven by a sharp fall in website traffic due to Google and Facebook algorithm changes.
The latest figures help explain why The Sun has launched a £1.99 per month premium content paywall and why it is pushing so hard to find new video revenue on Youtube (where it now has more than 6 million followers).
Meanwhile, subscriptions continue to show healthy growth at News Corp’s more upmarket titles.
The Times and Sunday Times now have some 629,000 digital subscribers, while The Wall Street Journal and Barron's Group boast 5.5 million paying online readers.
How long can it be before Mirror publisher Reach follows The Sun and Daily Mail down the route of charging for some online content?
Today we also report on the findings of the HM Inspectorate of Constabulary report into the Southport riots which were fuelled by misinformation on social media. The police must be more open with journalists, the report said, and platforms must take down harmful content more quickly.
It is now up to Ofcom to flex its new Online Safety Act muscles and force X and Facebook to stop disseminating illegal and harmful content.
The Nicola Bulley case in January 2023 highlighted why the police need to bring journalists back into their circle of trust and brief the media to stop unhelpful speculation. Perhaps now the overly secretive UK police culture will finally start to change.
We also report on an interesting development in the Prince Harry versus the Daily Mail privacy battle (Harry’s final and, potentially biggest, legal showdown with the tabloid press).
The Mail has asked Prince Harry's lawyers to disclose all details of payments and other inducements made to witnesses. If such payments have been made they sound every bit as dodgy as the tabloid shenanigans Harry is seeking to expose.
Thanks for reading and have a great weekend when you get there.
From our sponsor
In a year defined by transformation and redefined by the new American administration, the INMA conference theme “How to Turn Ecosystem Chaos Into Media Opportunity” will drive discussions in New York.
We’ll give you strategies for how to confront the evolving power structures, information ecosystems, competitive landscapes, alliances, processes, and products that are reshaping the media industry.
Over five impactful days, INMA’s one-of-a-kind World Congress will feature dynamic sessions, keynotes, and panel discussions at the New York Times’ TimesCenter, offering a unique opportunity to inspire and recalibrate your media strategies in light of today’s fast-moving environment.
On Press Gazette
Premium news subscriptions offset falling tabloid web audience for News Corp
Dow Jones was star performer as News Corp grew revenue to $2bn in third quarter 2025.
Police told to do better to fill information void like one that fuelled Southport riots
Policing boss says forces need to be "more open when dealing with mainstream media".
Mail publisher asks Prince Harry’s lawyers for ‘payment for evidence’ documents
A limited number of documents had been disclosed which showed that “payments were made or offered” to “procure evidence and invoices” but “there is good reason to believe that incentives have been offered or paid by the research team more widely.”
News in brief
Sunday Times reporter Will Lloyd returns to the New Statesman as deputy editor in Tom McTague’s first hire as editor in chief. (Press Gazette)
The Guardian has relaunched its app and redesigned its website homepage. The new-look app features a new “My Guardian” tab which allows readers to have a more personalised feed of stories. (Press Gazette)
Two Los Angeles news organisations have cut staff in the past week: the LA Times and LAist, the latter of which said it is already facing financial issues but it will lose further money with the end of federal funding for public media. (Press Gazette)
Apple is "actively looking at" integrating AI-powered search into its Safari web browser, an executive has said. Eddy Cue said that searches on Safari dipped for the first time last month, which he attributed to increased adoption of AI for search. (Bloomberg)
Substack says it added more than a million subscribers between November and March, which helped it "generate positive cash flow" in Q1. The company's CEO told the FT the company was nonetheless “focusing on growth, not profitability”. (Financial Times)
Goal and Mundial owner Footballco has bought women's football brand SoccerGrlProbs which it said will act as the US extension of its flagship women's brand Indivisa. (Sports Business Journal)
Evening Standard chief digital officer Jack Riley is moving to The Observer as chief customer officer overseeing subscriptions, marketing, data and product management. (InPublishing)
Becky Emmett, who has led streaming for ITVX at ITV News since July, has been named deputy editor at Channel 4 News where she has previously worked as head of home news and programme editor. She will start this summer.
The Guardian has appointed Bethan McKernan (pictured below) as Wales correspondent, the first person in over a decade to be dedicated to Welsh news for the title. She has previously helped to lead The Guardian’s reporting from the Middle East for ten years.
Also on Press Gazette
OpenAI content boss on Google ‘ten blue links’ and arrival of ChatGPT search
‘Search is going off a cliff’: CNN, BBC and Economist chiefs on future of news
Impartial Reporter stems print decline and grows digital sales as it turns 200
Latest podcast: Alison Phillips on crime, tabloids and positive news
Former Mirror editor Alison Phillips talks to Press Gazette's Dominic Ponsford as she launches a new weekly podcast called Crime Scene with former Metropolitan Police chief Bernard Hogan-Howe.