Future returns to growth | Photojournalism dead, says Don McCullin | ABCs
And The New Yorker risks contempt of court by publishing Lucy Letby investigation in UK
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Future plc says it has returned to revenue growth in the second quarter of this year, in another sign that publishers may be turning a corner.
Much of the growth is driven though by financial products comparison website Go Compare. Advertising revenue from its network of specialist websites and magazines was down in the first half, but the picture is said to be improving.
Talking to CEO Jon Steinberg yesterday, my impression is that Future will soon follow the likes of Dotdash Meredith and sign a deal with one of the AI companies. OpenAI has grown at an explosive rate and, because its large language model is built on content, Steinberg believes it presents a great opportunity for publishers.
We also report on a rare interview with Don McCullin in which he looks back guiltily on a career which he sees as being built on the suffering of others. His war photographs are iconic, but did they change anything, he asks? His interview with Tina Brown at the Sir Harry conference is disarmingly candid and well worth a read.
I don't know if journalism has ever stopped a war, but there are plenty of examples of it moving the dial enough to at least save some lives. Marie Colvin was credited with helping to save 1,500 women and children in 1999 when she refused to leave a UN compound. Her reports were credited with shaming the UN into action, prompting it to reverse a decision and evacuate refugees who were facing impending slaughter.
The latest national newspaper ABCs show the i climbing up the rankings (albeit by falling less quickly than others) with year-on-year circulation decline of just 5%. There is a lot to enjoy about the i if you like your journalism politically neutral — it also has a great puzzles section and, at 90p per day during the week, is a bargain.
And will The New Yorker face a contempt of court charge for its coverage of the Lucy Letby case which flouts reporting restrictions? It may well depend on whether jurors in her retrial on one attempted murder charge are aware of the coverage, which has been amplified by social media. The New Yorker appears to be sailing close to the wind though by running the story in its UK print edition and app.
Jobs of the week:
The BBC is looking for a Journalist - Radio Newsroom, to be based in London.
ITV is looking for a Production Journalist to be based in Carlisle.
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New from Press Gazette
Future plc returns to growth in Q2 in latest sign publishers are turning corner
Revenue and profit were down at Future in the first half of its financial year, but trends improved in Q2.
Don McCullin says ‘photojournalism is dead’ as he reflects on career
“I don’t really want to be known for taking pictures of other people’s deaths and suffering. I’ve done it but I don’t feel morally happy about it. I went too far I think.”
National press ABCs: Circulation of the i above Sunday Express for first time
The Financial Times was, as in March, the only paid-for newspaper not to see annual decline, staying steady compared to April last year.
New Yorker defies contempt risk to publish Lucy Letby story in UK print edition
Jon Oakley, a partner in the reputation team at law firm Simkins, told Press Gazette: “There is no distinction in the law between publication in a hard copy or electronically.”
Tina Brown announces Sir Harry Evans fellowship to support budding photographer on deep-dive project
Brown said Thomson Reuters chairman David Thomson “cares very much about keeping photojournalism vibrant and alive, and about supporting, if there is such a thing, the young Don McCullins”.
News in brief
A journalist for Scottish newspaper The National was threatened with arrest and "manhandled" while trying to cover a protest outside a Glasgow arms factory. (The National)
STV News journalists voted to accept a new pay offer after a dispute that resulted in strike action. The deal represents increases of up to 6.7% with a guaranteed bonus of £300 - £500 to all staff and STV will also introduce enhanced maternity/paternity. (NUJ)
Politico has begun rolling out a registration wall, which will initially let readers access up to ten articles before asking them to share their email, employer and job title. (Adweek)
A Premier League club boss has been granted anonymity after being accused of sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl. A judge said anonymity was necessary for the "administration of justice" after considering his right to privacy and a family life. (The Sun)
The court reporting module of the NCTJ diploma saw a "further drop" in candidates in 2022/23, with 867 people sitting the exam down from 955 in 2021/22 and 1,208 in 2020/21. This "remains a concern of the law board". But overall diploma exam sittings were up. (NCTJ)
CNN is launching a US version of Have I Got News For You which will air on Saturdays from autumn. (Deadline)
The EU will add four Russian media outlets - Voice of Europe, RIA Novosti, Izvestija and Rossiyskaya Gazeta - to its sanctions list, which could mean they will lose broadcasting rights in Europe. (Reuters)
Joe Biden and Donald Trump have accepted invitations to a presidential debate to be hosted by CNN on 27 June. (The Hill)
Le Monde will start to distribute a daily compiled Le Monde in English offering via Press Reader as part of its aim to find a wider audience outside France.
Threads, Meta's competitor to X, has begun testing a Tweetdeck-like feature that allows users to receive real-time updates and to display multiple feeds side-by-side. (The Verge)
US local newspaper giant Gannett, which also owns USA Today and the UK's Newsquest chain of papers, has begun adding AI-generated article summaries to the top of stories. (The Verge)
This week on Press Gazette
WSJ editor Emma Tucker on how publishers can protect themselves from AI challenge
RAJARs Q1 2024: Hit to BBC local radio continues as LBC’s Nick Ferrari is breakfast winner
Jeff Zucker: ‘It’s going to be easier to invest in journalism outside UK’
No consultation from Apple on plans to block publisher ads and summarise
Less than half of journalists using generative AI for work, survey
How Birmingham Live became the biggest online local newsbrand in Britain
Latest podcast
Podcast 71: Daily Mail CEO Rich Caccappolo on keeping journalism free
This episode includes excerpts from an interview between Press Gazette editor-in-chief Dominic Ponsford and Rich Caccappolo, CEO of Daily Mail publisher DMG Media. It also features media consultant Matthew Scott Goldstein. They talk about how to save journalism (and democracy) on the open web by adapting to Google’s plan to switch off cookies on Chrome.
Caccappolo also provides an update on DMG Media’s legal action against Google and reveals how his company is growing overall revenue in a tough market.
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