GB News immigration discussion broke impartiality rules | Top publishers on Youtube
And The Countryman magazine folds a few years short of its centenary
Good morning and welcome to your daily media news briefing on Tuesday 24 October.
We have two stories concerning GB News today: firstly, its Youtube channel passed one million subscribers last month and one billion views last week.
It’s claiming to be the fastest-growing UK news publisher on Youtube ever, although the team at TalkTV’s Piers Morgan Uncensored may have a quibble with that…
Bron Maher has used this milestone as a reason to revisit and update our ranking of the biggest English-language news publishers on Youtube. Others who will be pleased with their growth in the past 16 months include USA Today and The Telegraph.
Meanwhile, though, the bad news for GB News is another Ofcom ruling against it: the regulator found that guest presenter Martin Daubney failed to inject enough alternative views into his discussion about immigration with fellow ex-Brexit Party MEP Richard Tice.
Ofcom did simultaneously deliver a blow to critics of GB News’ tactic of having Conservative politicians interview other Conservative politicians, however, deciding not to investigate Lee Anderson’s sit-down with Suella Braverman.
And finally yet another story of print struggling: The Countryman magazine has closed after 96 years due to rising costs that have made production “unviable”. It’s such a shame it didn’t quite make it to the big centenary.
New from Press Gazette
GB News immigration discussion broke due impartiality rules, Ofcom says
Ofcom said the programme, on 16 June, contained “limited alternative views” which were “dismissed” by the two former Brexit Party MEPs.
Biggest news publishers on Youtube: GB News and Piers Morgan Uncensored pass 1m subscribers
In the past 16 months, seven publishers crossed the one million subscriber mark to enter Press Gazette’s ranking for the first time.
The Countryman magazine folds after 96 years citing ‘unviable’ conditions
“Following the Covid lockdowns, print and paper costs have soared by 70% and postage has leapt by 26%, and there has been a steep decline in advertising revenue.”
News in brief
Palestinian journalist Roshdi Sarraj was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Tel Al Hawa neighbourhood of Gaza City, according to Radio France. Sarraj's death brings the number of journalist fatalities in the conflict to 23. (Press Gazette)
The New York Times has published a note on its coverage of the explosion at Gaza’s Al-Ahli hospital after leading with a claim Israeli airstrike was to blame. It said editors "should have taken more care with the initial presentation, and been more explicit about what information could be verified". (NYT)
Publisher-built ad platform Ozone has today launched the capability for its clients to apply the Smart Bidstream technology to their iOS and Android app ad inventory. Ozone said it will help publishers "generate more value from their deeply-engaged, high dwell audiences".
Julian Assange told International Federation of Journalists president Dominique Pradalié this weekend that he is hopeful this week's visit to Washington DC by Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese "might lead to a route by which his persecution can be brought to an end". (IFJ)
Podcast 58: How the Daily Mail become a hit on Tiktok
Mail Online head of social video Phil Harvey, who joined the publisher in March, told Press Gazette how and why their Tiktok strategy has transformed this year and why it is worth the investment.
He also revealed which British politician and their dog has become an unlikely Tiktok star for the Daily Mail.
Previously on Press Gazette
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