Govt urged to tackle abuse of women journalists | Top 50 UK news websites for Jan
And ICO calls for submissions from publishers on whether to allow 'consent or pay' messaging over marketing consent
Welcome to your daily newsletter from Press Gazette on Friday, 8 March.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in the UK has opened up an inquiry into marketing consent which could have a major impact on the future of ad-funded journalism.
Earlier this week, Reach underlined what is at stake when it revealed in its annual results that readers who opt-in to marketing (allowing publishers to personalise advertising to them) are worth ten times more than anonymous ones.
Now publishers in the UK are mulling following the model pursued by many in Germany and giving readers a blunt choice when they arrive at website: either consent to personalised marketing or pay for access to the site.
Annoyingly, the ICO is not able to give clear guidance on whether this approach is allowed within the Data Protection Act. It has issued a call for views to inform its “emerging thinking” on this issue with any ruling - when it comes - likely to have massive ramifications for our industry.
Today we also have the latest top-50 UK news websites ranking for January. Most are still seeing sharp year-on-year falls as they feel the effects of falling referral traffic from Facebook and Google. Moneys Saving Expert and The Telegraph were the sites in the top ten with the strongest month-on-month growth.
And finally, happy International Women’s Day.
Sadly for some female journalists, who are more likely than men to be the targets of online abuse, this won’t be a happy day.
Press Gazette is backing an open letter sent to the Government’s National Committee for the Safety of Journalists which suggests a four-point plan to improve the situation for female colleagues. The level of mysogyny some face is illustrated by the fact that one journalist, BBC disinformation correspondent Marianna Spring, accounts for 80% of the online abuse flagged up against BBC staff.
Have a great weekend when you get there.
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News in brief
William Hague has joined the presenter line-up for a revamped daily Times podcast which is changing from Stories of Our Times to The Story. (Press Gazette)
BBC Scotland presenter Nick Sheridan has died aged 32 following a short illness. Head of news and current affairs Gary Smith said Sheridan "was a hugely talented journalist... and one of those rare people who light up the lives of everyone around them". (BBC)
Conde Nast CEO Roger Lynch has said losses in advertising revenue, mostly print, in 2023 were offset by growth in subscriptions, e-commerce and events and the company has mostly broken even over the past three years. (Axios)
Journalists at Reach have voted to accept a 5% pay rise offer, the NUJ says. It means the minimum salary for a senior journalist at Reach will rise to £32,760 from 1 April. (NUJ)
The NCTJ is calling for more people to fill in its Journalists at Work survey. It said this is especially important as it will not publish its usual Diversity in Journalism report this year due to concerns about the accuracy of the data. (NCTJ)
Google has begun rolling out its latest core update, which will take up to a month. It says it will prioritise "less content that feels like it was made to attract clicks, and more content that people find useful". (Google)
Media organisations are challenging legislation in Northern Ireland that criminalises naming sexual offence suspects until 25 years after their death. However a judge has turned down the NUJ's request to be part of proceedings. (NUJ)
Amnesty International has urged the Northern Ireland Policing Board to launch an inquiry into the surveillance of journalists following new allegations of intrusion against Barry McCaffrey and Trevor Birney. (BBC)
Cross-party MPs are calling for Parliament to be able to vote on whether media takeovers by foreign governments should be allowed, backing a Lords amendment to the Digital Markets Bill. (Robert Jenrick on X)
Ex-Home Secretary Suella Braverman wrote for The Telegraph to say Redbird IMI’s bid for it is an “attack on democracy”. (The Telegraph)
The Bureau of Investigative Journalism is piloting a new community-led approach to investigations starting with Trans+ Voices, looking at the experiences of transgender people in the run-up to the general election through listening events and stories. (TBIJ)
German public broadcaster DW has been pulled off air in Venezuela after its Spanish-language arm posted a clip calling the country the second-most corrupt in the world. The Committee to Protect Journalists has called on Venezuela to reinstate the channel. (CPJ)
The team behind Staffordshire local news website Lichfield Live, which is run by a community interest company, are trialling a print newspaper. Editor Ross Hawkes said they are "keen to understand whether print is feasible and sustainable in the long term". (Lichfield Live)
Latest podcast
Podcast 66: Online advertising – how publishers can survive a tsunami of change
Online advertising used to support investigative journalism at digital-native brands such as Buzzfeed News and Vice. In the space of just a few years everything has changed, and thousands of journalists have lost their jobs as a result.
Press Gazette editor-in-chief Dominic Ponsford talks to former Business Insider editor-in-chief Jim Edwards about what is going on and how publishers should adapt to an online publishing ecosystem which is being rocked by a tsunami of disruptive change.
This week on Press Gazette
Who’s suing AI and who’s signing: Publisher deals vs lawsuits with generative AI companies
Why FT Group is investing £30m in new media and information companies
From administration to break-even: City AM after THG takeover
UK publishers should be ready for Facebook to switch off news altogether
‘Internal memos of the upper class’: Gary Younge says journalism is out of touch
Dan Wootton leaves GB News, launches ‘major new free speech brand’ Outspoken
‘Responsible journalism’: Why UK publishers have not used Kate picture
News UK pulls the plug on linear TalkTV to focus on cross-platform video content
Reach results 2023: Revenue falls 5% as print outperforms digital
GB News losses up 38% to £42.4m giving channel total deficit of £76m since launch
Press Gazette live
Our next event (fully booked) is a Media 100 breakfast with Independent chief executive Christian Broughton at The Gherkin in London on 14 March. See our full calendar of awards and events for news, media and publishing in the year ahead and find out how to get involved.
Meanwhile, breach of Human Rights in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Bullying and harassment of women in both countries is rife.
It would certainly help if the folk in Northern Ireland stopped abusing this journalist.