Gabriel Pogrund on 'masochistic' investigative reporting | Ofcom rules against GB News campaign
And The Guardian's deputy editor on the title's global growth
Good morning and welcome to your daily media news briefing on Tuesday, 19 December, brought to you today in association with Bauer Academy. Delivered by Head of Journalism Andrew Greaves, Bauer Academy has launched a series of day courses aimed at those in the industry looking to upskill and take on new challenges in their role.
This morning you can read what happened when I spoke to Sunday Times Whitehall editor Gabriel Pogrund minutes after he was named journalist of the year on Thursday.
Pogrund was obviously chuffed, but took the opportunity to highlight the problems with the UK legal system that makes investigative reporting so difficult in our country. It’s particularly pertinent in the light of the legal threats made by Michelle Mone to a whole host of news organisations which are now seeing the light after she admitted to lying to the press.
On Thursday I also grabbed Guardian deputy editor Owen Gibson after his team’s News Provider of the Year win and heard about the importance of their financial supporters in their strategy, their aims of continued global growth, and the thinking behind some of their projects with “grand” ambitions.
And finally, yesterday brought the third Ofcom ruling of a due impartiality breach at GB News in as many months. The broadcaster did not take it lying down, saying it was “disappointed”, issuing a long statement and rallying MPs to share their “fury”.
This ruling was about its “Don’t Kill Cash” campaign, which Ofcom decided was on a matter of political controversy - although GB News contended there was only one reasonable side to the debate. Five more investigations are ongoing about the same campaign.
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New from Press Gazette
Investigative reporting is a ‘masochistic business’ says journalist of the year Gabriel Pogrund
“You’ve got to deal with legal threats, you’ve got to deal with things like the Official Secrets Act, libel and defamation law, and also just complexity – telling difficult stories requires a lot of patience – and it requires a lot of resource and investment. And I feel very, very proud and very fortunate to benefit from that at The Sunday Times.”
Guardian to build on ‘direct link’ between supporters and journalism with global growth
“As somebody working there at the sharp end of it every day, it is really amazing to think that it’s our readers who are really powering the journalism.”
GB News ‘disappointed’ by Ofcom impartiality ruling against ‘Don’t Kill Cash’ campaign
The broadcast regulator said GB News had breached the Broadcasting Code with coverage of the campaign, which called for legislation protecting the status of cash until at least 2050 to help vulnerable people who still rely on it even as Britain is “fast becoming a cashless society”.
Podcast 62: How publishers can sell online advertising in an awful market
The Guardian‘s senior vice president of advertising for North America, Luis Romero, spoke to Press Gazette about what he says is the toughest advertising market for news publishers since 2008.
Asked how the newspaper’s US operation going about surviving the downturn, Romero said conversations with advertisers are key – but explained times may well stay difficult for a while longer.
News in brief
The European Commission has launched formal action against X/Twitter looking at whether it may have breached its Digital Services Act "in areas linked to risk management, content moderation, dark patterns, advertising transparency and data access for researchers". (European Commission)
Labour leader Keir Starmer is not planning to revive Leveson Two into the relationship between the police and the press despite some calls for this following Prince Harry's hacking win against Mirror Group Newspapers on Friday, The Observer has reported.
A fundraiser has been set up in memory of longtime Liverpool Echo journalist Dan Kay, who died in May aged 45. It supports Fans Supporting Foodbanks after "poverty chanting" at games. Previously £5,500 was raised with the first Dan Kay Memorial Trophy. (Gofundme)
BBC News digital director Naja Nielsen on publishers' accusation the BBC is a "neighbour from hell": "I understand the sentiment. But actually, I think we’re in this challenge together." She says they are competing with everything on your phone, not each other. (Sunday Times)
Previously on Press Gazette
Israel-Hamas journalist deaths rise to 64 as veteran Al Jazeera cameraman killed
Interviewer of the year Tom Bradby: Harry ‘never asked me what questions I was going to ask’
This is Money founding team member Richard Browning dies aged 57
Prince Harry awarded £140,000 damages as judge finds Mirror phone-hacking was ‘extensive’
How Newsquest and its seven AI-assisted reporters are using ChatGPT
