Google core update hits publishers again | Reach referral traffic down a third
Plus Alex Crawford accuses government of press freedom hypocrisy, BBC looks to cut prime time news in Scotland and your news diary for the week ahead
Welcome to your daily newsletter from Press Gazette on Tuesday 7 May.
The latest Google core update was a whopper and it has seen most news publishers lose out again.
Press Gazette analysis of data from Sistrix reveals that out of 70 leading news websites, 55 have seen their prominence in Google search results decline following the latest update, which rolled out in March.
This latest update follows Google search and Discover changes at the end of 2023 which led to steep reductions in traffic for many news publishers.
Google is the internet for many people. The platform has around a 90% share of the search engine market in the UK and US (although AI-powered Microsoft Bing is starting to make inroads).
The tech giant says it is just cleaning up junk content results from search. But news publishers are feeling sandbagged yet again by a monopolistic tech platform which gets to decide whether they live or die via secret processes which are rolled out without consultation or warning.
Reach, which reported a 33% traffic decline in the first quarter of 2024, said news has been given a downgrade in priority by Google and Facebook.
Sky News special correspondent Alex Crawford has warned that the ban on journalists entering Gaza means the UK government is only paying lip service to press freedom. Her words at the Reporters Without Borders 2024 Press Freedom Index launch were given more resonance over the long weekend as Israel moved to close down Al Jazeera offices and block its broadcasts and website in the country.
The BBC is hoping to halve peak-time news coverage on BBC Scotland as it shifts resources to podcasts and online reporting.
And we have your news diary for the week ahead, which features a rare trip to Europe by Chinese President Xi Jinping, a less rare trip to the UK by Prince Harry and the Eurovision Song Contest grand final.
New from Press Gazette
First Google core update of 2024 brings bad news for most news publishers
Unlike the previous core update of late 2023, which particularly hit publishers with a traditional focus on scale often built with the aid of SEO-explainer-style articles, this update has negatively impacted both newer and more traditional news names.
Reach page views down by a third after Facebook and Google changes
Overall in the three months to 31 March, Reach said revenue was down by 6.7% compared to the same period in 2023, with digital revenue down 8.5% while print was down 6%.
Alex Crawford slams Government’s ’empty’ press freedom promises ‘without action’ on Gaza access
“Listening to Rishi Sunak and the Culture Secretary doing stirring speeches about how they’re defending media freedom, [how] we’re so important as journalists… those are empty words without any action. They’re really empty.”
BBC plan to cut TV news in Scotland set to be cleared by Ofcom
The BBC wants Ofcom to change the requirement in the operating licence for the BBC Scotland channel to air at least 250 hours of news in peak viewing time per year, reducing this to 125 hours. In 2022/23 BBC Scotland broadcast 278 hours of news in peak viewing time.
News diary 6 – 12 May: Xi Jinping visits Europe, Eurovision finale
A look ahead at the key events leading the news agenda this week, from the team at Foresight News.
News in brief
Erron Gordon, GB News' executive creative director and head of studios, is leaving after only four months to become the BBC's Head of Department for London. (Daily Mail)
Palestinian journalists covering Gaza have been awarded the 2024 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize as a "strong message of solidarity and recognition". (UNESCO)
Israel's cabinet voted on Sunday to close down Al Jazeera's operation in the country and ban its broadcasts. The move means its TV channel and website are blocked and its offices have been closed down. (Al Jazeera)
The 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary has been awarded to Vladimir Kara-Murza for columns he has written for The Washington Post from his prison cell in Russia. Media workers covering the war in Gaza have also been issued a citation by the award board. (Pulitzer Board)
Condé Nast has reached a tentative contract agreement with unionised employees — striking the deal hours before the Met Gala, which the union had threatened to disrupt, got underway. (The New York Times)
Previously on Press Gazette
Campaign for first UK memorial to journalists killed while doing their jobs
RSF Press Freedom Index 2024: UK and US scores hit by widespread job cuts
Trump International golf resort loses complaint against The Scotsman
Guardian to make ‘small number of voluntary redundancies’ amid ad recession
Evening Standard editor Dylan Jones: I ‘never’ read a print paper anymore
What’s next for The Atlantic after reaching profitability and 1m subscribers
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Podcast 70: The Atlantic’s winning subscription strategy with CEO Nicholas Thompson
The Atlantic has become profitable after years in the red and marked the major milestone of reaching one million subscribers, it announced in April.
CEO Nicholas Thompson joined Press Gazette to discuss the subscription strategy behind The Atlantic’s recent success, how advertising fits in, the search for an elusive third revenue stream, and what goals he might set for the business next.
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