Colvin Award winner Bel Trew on Gaza | Prince Harry settles rest of MGN hacking claim
And an interview with The Times' head of investigations Paul Morgan-Bentley
Welcome to your daily newsletter from Press Gazette on Monday 12 February, brought to you today with FT Strategies in partnership with Google News Initiative - proud to share their latest report on learnings from the Audience Diversity Academy. Read Unlocking Growth through Diversity now.
Today we have inspiring interviews with two of the big winners from the British Journalism Awards.
The Independent's Bel Trew spoke about the impossible challenge of covering multiple concurrent conflicts around the world and of her respect for journalists who continue reporting from inside Gaza. At time of writing, some 85 journalists have been confirmed killed during the Israel-Hamas war - the vast majority inside Gaza.
Paul Morgan-Bentley of The Times spoke to us about his undercover investigation which revealed that British Gas contractors were forcing their way into vulnerable people's homes to fit pre-payment energy meters.
We also report on the conclusion of Prince Harry's legal action against the Mirror over allegations of phone-hacking and intrusive reporting dating back to the 1990s.
In addition to his £140,600 damages, the Mirror publisher has been ordered to make a £400,000 interim payment towards Harry's legal costs. However, three unsuccessful co-claimants - former Coronation Street actor Michael Le Vell, actress Nikki Sanderson and Fiona Wightman - have been ordered to make interim costs payments to Reach of almost £100,000 each.
Regular readers will recall that Reach CEO Jim Mullen previously welcomed the fact that all historic privacy claims issued after 31 October 2020 are now likely to be dismissed as a result of the Harry judgment - giving the publisher a degree of certainty that hacking liabilities are now capped.
Your news diary for the week ahead includes two UK parliamentary by-elections and the prospects of amendments for the Government's Rwanda Bill as it proceeds through the House of Lords.
Sponsored report
Unlocking Growth through Diversity: from Reach and Representation to Engagement and Empowerment
The Audience Diversity Academy is an FT Strategies and Google News Initiative programme helping publishers unlock their growth potential amongst younger and female audiences.
This new report shares learnings from the programme, including practical experiments and inspiration. Read now to:
Future-proof your organisational strategy - considering your target audiences, as well as your workforce
Track and measure what matters most to bolster your understanding of user needs and not only reach, but also engage your audience effectively
Enable growth by reflecting the audiences you are trying to reach through enhanced representation and empowerment in your workforce
New from Press Gazette
Marie Colvin Award winner Bel Trew pays tribute to journalists of Gaza
“I couldn’t last for six seconds in Gaza in the way that someone like [Al Jazeera Gaza bureau chief] Wael Dahdouh’s done.”
Prince Harry settles rest of Mirror group hacking claim
In December, a judge ruled that phone hacking became “widespread and habitual” at MGN titles in the late 1990s and was practised “even to some extent” during the Leveson Inquiry into press standards in 2011.
Paul Morgan-Bentley of The Times on going undercover with British Gas
Morgan-Bentley won Scoop of the Year at the British Journalism Awards in December for the investigation as well as the Online Video category at the Future of Media Awards in September for its “top-flight” packaging.
News diary 12-18 February: Indonesia elections, Jon Stewart returns to Daily Show, BAFTAs
A look ahead at the key events leading the news agenda this week, from the team at Foresight News.
News in brief
The Culture Secretary has vowed to do “everything possible” to protect press freedom amid review of The Telegraph sale to Abu Dhabi-linked investment firm Redbird IMI. (The Telegraph)
Former Times leader writer Simon Nixon has alleged right-wing free-market hypocrisy over the Telegraph sale, writing: "Redbird may be the first owner of The Telegraph in decades that genuinely cares about editorial standards, rather than pursuing a political agenda." (The Independent)
The University of South Wales is ending its journalism undergraduate course after almost 20 years. The University of Kent is also considering "phasing out" its journalism course. (Nation.cymru and Kent Online)
Court of Appeal judges have ruled against the routine redaction of civil servants' names from Government documents when they are released as part of judicial review proceedings. They said this practice is "inimical to open government". (Court of Appeal)
The BBC's complaints unit has decided not to uphold complaints about an "emergency" episode of Newscast about a Gaza hospital explosion in October. The BBC said the presenters "properly caveated" and were "appropriately cautious" around who was responsible. (Executive Complaints Unit)
Vladimir Putin told Tucker Carlson he is "ready to talk" about the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and it "does not make any sense to keep him in prison in Russia". (Axios)
Guardian editor Katharine Viner has reportedly told staff they "should worry but not panic" as the publisher prepares for a projected loss of £39m this financial year. The Scott Trust is said to see the situation as "beyond acceptable or sustainable". (The Sunday Times)
Last year was the the most profitable in Slate’s 27-year history, with revenue up 28%. (Semafor)
Latest podcast
Podcast 65: Beyond Google? Amazon and Microsoft are future says Ricky Sutton
Former online editor of the News of the World turned tech entrepreneur turned future of news soothsayer Ricky Sutton joins Dominic Ponsford on the podcast sofa.
He explains why Google’s reign as the most important tech partner for news publishers is drawing to a close, but more lucrative partnerships around AI and advertising with Microsoft and Amazon beckon.
This week’s must-reads on Press Gazette
Piers Morgan moves to Youtube in major strategy shift for TalkTV
Semafor executive editor Gina Chua explains its Microsoft-sponsored ‘Signals’ format
Bauer’s UK publishing CEO Chris Duncan to step down amid leadership restructure
Subscription giants News Corp and New York Times buck the trend of revenue decline
From changing journalism to chasing clicks: Why The Messenger failed
