G/O Media's Spanfeller hits back at Quartz criticism | Sites delete dubious expert stories
Plus we have closing statements in Noel Clarke's libel case against The Guardian and your news diary for the week ahead
Good morning and welcome to your daily media briefing from Press Gazette on Monday 14 April.
Private equity ownership: the “death knell” for digital media outlets or does “profit equal freedom”?
That’s pretty much the two sides of the story represented in my examination of what happened at business newsbrand Quartz, which was owned by G/O Media for the past three years until its sale ten days ago.
Co-founder Zach Seward made headlines last week when he described the Quartz of today as a “zombie brand” destroyed by G/O Media.
Well, G/O chief executive Jim Spanfeller has entered the chat and given me a defence of his company’s work on Quartz and other sites. He says the truth “couldn’t be further” from the idea that it’s a private equity-driven mercenary killing brands.
You can read the full piece here.
Also today, it’s been incredible to see the response to our piece last week about fake, sometimes AI-generated, experts being quoted in the media.
We’ve now rounded up the action being taken to amend or remove stories by national news publishers including Yahoo, Reach and The Sun. And what are the likes of ResponseSource going to do about this very real, continuing challenge? We’ve got that too.
And on Friday, the libel trial brought by actor Noel Clarke against Guardian News and Media came to an end after five weeks.
Clarke’s barrister argued that The Guardian “manifestly failed to do its job properly” while the newspaper’s representative in court said it was a “careful and thorough investigation conducted conscientiously by Guardian journalists who were aware of the potential pitfalls”. We now await the judge’s ruling.
On Press Gazette
Quartz homepage, captured on 10 April 2025
G/O Media CEO says future for Quartz ‘extremely bright’ despite newsroom being laid off
Spanfeller said when Quartz came to G/O Media: “It was a shadow of what it had been.” He claimed that one reason was they needed to change the idea of it being a “reporter-led newsroom” in which “reporters all chose what stories to write, when they wanted to write it, and how much time it should take”.
Publishers delete and amend stories based on dubious experts
The Sun has confirmed that it will be searching for and removing all articles involving one apparently fake expert who had commented on issues for the paper ranging from what the colour of one’s underwear says about your personality to the intricacies of the “Italian chandelier” sex position.
Sponsored: How advertisers and publishers can unlock branded content growth
Branded content has long offered a more engaging, more effective way for advertisers to connect with audiences. It’s storytelling that performs – delivering attention, emotional connection, and unique brand value in ways that standard display simply can’t. So why does it still represent such a small slice of advertiser budgets?
Guardian investigation into Noel Clarke was ‘careful and thorough’, court told
Philip Williams, representing Clarke, told a High Court hearing on Friday that his client was made a “scapegoat” and was an “easy target” because he was at the height of his success when the media industry “zealously sought to correct itself” following the MeToo movement.
News diary 14-20 April: Katy Perry and Lauren Sanchez go to space, Andrew Tate High Court hearing
A look ahead at the key events leading the news agenda this week, from the team at Foresight News.
News in brief
Now-Spectator editor Michael Gove has been given a peerage in Rishi Sunak's resignation honours. (BBC News)
Anna Wintour says Condé Nast is looking for a new Vanity Fair editor who has wit, courage, connections, a global perspective and “a certain fearlessness. They will need to break news and make noise — and have a little fun, too..." (The New York Times)
Current and former BBC World Service journalists have warned in written evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee that a restructure announced in February would put the service in "terminal decline". (Broadcast)
Politicians and broadcast industry figures have warned a possible spin-out of ITV Studios, and the prospect of ITV dropping its public broadcaster status after 2034, represent a “real threat to local news”. (The Telegraph)
Last week on Press Gazette
Dotdash Meredith makes major investment in ‘Tiktok-like’ People app
French policy title Contexte takes on Politico with English-language launch
Top 50 news websites in the world: New York Times overtakes BBC
Top 50 news websites in the US: The Atlantic saw 40% rise in visits amid group chat scoop
Trump’s threat to global media is more wide-ranging than just a trade war
Economist president Luke Bradley-Jones on building a moat to defend against AI
Comment: AI could see investment flow back to newsroom from the IT department
Dow Jones spikes NUJ negotiations to recognise News UK-funded ‘News Union’
Latest podcast: Jim Mullen's legacy at Reach | Value of news to Google | Sun losses, Times profits
Press Gazette's editorial team share their insights into big stories from the world of news. Charlotte Tobitt talks us through the latest News UK accounts, which show losses at The Sun shrank in the year to June 2024 while The Times reported a £60m profit.
We react to news that Jim Mullen, the divisive CEO at Reach, is stepping down. And Bron Maher looks at the arguments and counterarguments being made by publishers and Google over what news is really worth on its platforms.
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