Economist launches podcasts paywall | Sun editor's privacy warning
And a news site covering the Olympic movement has been bought out by investors
Good morning and welcome to your daily media news briefing on Wednesday, 1 November.
Putting podcasts behind paywalls is hard to do because up until recently, it was not something the audio platforms have supported.
Now The Economist, one of the most successful paywalled online publishers in the world, is putting nearly all its audio content behind its digital paywall.
The title's director of podcasts, John Prideaux, told Press Gazette how and why the publisher has come up with a way to link online subscribers to their podcast app of choice.
Today we also report on a speech made yesterday by Sun editor Victoria Newton in which she warned of the "creeping" privacy laws silencing journalism in the UK and trumpeted The Sun's reporting of allegations against Huw Edwards (which have not prompted any litigation...yet).
It is doubtful that the News of the World's 2004 revelation of David Beckham's extramarital affair would make it to publication today. Publishers would be too fearful of expensive litigation.
This cloak of privacy allows stars like Beckham to instead write their own (sometimes fictional narratives) with officially-sanctioned Netflix documentaries safe in the knowledge that journalists who seek to publish uncomfortable truths can often be shut down.
New from Press Gazette
The Economist doubles down on subscription model with podcast paywall
“You are effectively implementing a paywall on a platform you don’t own, which is more complicated from a tech point of view, but we’ve come up with solution that works pretty well.”
Sun editor Newton warns of ‘privacy law’ creep and trumpets Huw Edwards reporting
“We at The Sun will always fight hard for our right to publish, and have run stories in the face of the most heavy-handed legal threats.”
Founders leave as investors take over Insidethegames.biz sport news site
The site, whose main focus is covering the international Olympic movement, lists an 11-strong editorial team and four other staff.
News in brief
US industry body the News Media Alliance says AI developers disproportionately use news publishers' work, rather than other online content, to train their tools and argues this is in breach of copyright law, according to The New York Times.
The Guardian has accused Microsoft of damaging its reputation after news aggregator MSN published a Guardian story about a death alongside an automated AI-generated poll asking the question: "What do you think is the reason behind the woman’s death?" (The Guardian)
The funeral for James Doleman will take place on Friday 10 November at 10:30am at the Maryhill Crematorium, Tresta Road, Glasgow. (Peter Jukes)
Twitter/X owner Elon Musk and chief executive Linda Yaccarino have told staff of plans to build a news wire called XWire to rival Cision’s PR Newswire, according to Bloomberg.
Dominic Cummings has told the Covid Inquiry there were "specific concerns" around Boris Johnson's relationship with ex-Telegraph owners the Barclays and "suspicions of possible corruption" in his relationship with then-Evening Standard editor George Osborne. (The Guardian)
Johnson's former head of communications Lee Cain also told the inquiry yesterday the ex-PM prioritised the views of The Telegraph over scientific advice during the pandemic. (Byline Times)
Podcast 59: From subscriptions to membership at Elle UK
Elle UK editor Kenya Hunt talks to Press Gazette about why she hopes readers will pay £150 a year to become fashion industry insiders as members of Elle Collective.
She also talks about the future of magazines, diversity and why magazine editors have a duty to present images of female beauty responsibly.