Highbury drops journalism course | Reuters security adviser killed in Ukraine
Plus EU-Israel trade halt urged over journalist killings, latest data for top 50 news websites in US, and news diary for the week
Welcome to your daily newsletter from Press Gazette on Tuesday, 27 August. Press Gazette’s Future of Media Technology Conference, the UK’s biggest and best event in the UK for media leaders, is on 12 September in London. Secure your spot for the conference here.
The closure of the journalism course at Highbury College after 60 years will be seen as another sign of industry decline. It isn't.
Instead, Highbury has become a victim of a competitive journalism training landscape which has seen unglamorous FE colleges miss out to universities offering journalism degrees.
Data from the National Council for the Training of Journalists shows student numbers on courses it recognises have stayed fairly steady - above 1,000 per year over the last five years.
The shame is that fast-track courses at FE colleges like Highbury in Portsmouth and Harlow in Essex offer a much cheaper way into the industry (£5,000 and 20 weeks versus £27,750 for a degree).
And many of the students who take journalism degrees may have to follow them up with NCTJ-accredited postgraduate courses anyway because they have not acquired the practical skills they need to get a job.
Today we also report on a call from a broad coalition of 60 press groups urging Israel to stop the killings of journalists and attacks on media freedom. They ask the EU to suspend its trading agreement with Israel unless it stops attacks on the media.
We have sad news from Ukraine where a security adviser for Reuters has been killed and two journalists for the agency injured.
Our latest top 50 news websites ranking for the US shows publishers enjoying a bumper July.
And the news diary for the week ahead leads with the start of the Paralympics in Paris.
Future of Media Technology Conference
Press Gazette’s Future of Media Technology Conference on 12 September in London. Other media conferences are available but this really has become the biggest and best event in the UK for media leaders.
Our speakers include:
DMG Media CEO Rich Caccappolo
Guardian chief supporter officer Liz Wynn
Politico deputy editor in chief Kate Day
News UK chief operating officer David Dinsmore
Harmsworth Media chair Nina Wright
Reach plc’s Paul Rowland
Global head of SEO Steve Wilson-Beales
Former head of news partnerships at Google Madhav Chinnappa
Head of technology at Haymarket Media Group Payal Sharma Sood
Times head of digital Edward Roussel
Mail Digital Publishing product director Simon Regan-Edwards
Telegraph chief commercial officer Karen Eccles
New from Press Gazette
Portsmouth college ditches journalism training after 60 years
The closure does not appear to be part of wider decline in journalism education but rather due to the changing landscape of the sector with more degree-level courses on offer.
EU urged to cancel trade agreement with Israel over journalist killings
The letter also accuses the Israel Defence Forces of deliberately targeting and killing at least five journalists, with another ten deaths under investigation.
Top 50 news websites in the US: All but two sites see growth in bumper July for news
All of the top-ten most-visited news sites in the US saw traffic growth when compared with June, according to figures from digital intelligence platform Similarweb.
News diary 26 August – 1 September: Paralympics open, SpaceX’s civilian spacewalk
A look ahead at the key events leading the news agenda this week, from the team at Foresight News.
News in brief
A British security adviser for Reuters has been killed in an airstrike in Ukraine on Saturday 24 August 2024. (Press Gazette)
The Guardian is expected to report a loss of £39m in its latest results for the year to the end of March, The Times reports. The accounts are usually published by the middle of August but have yet to appear. (The Times)
Alison Phillips, who stepped down as Mirror editor in January, has joined PR and communications agency MHP as a senior adviser. (Press Gazette)
Google has agreed to a deal in California which will see it spend around $100m over five years supporting journalism in order to stave off forced payments to publishers under the California Journalism Preservation Act. (CNN)
Local news group National World has expanded distribution of its TV channel, ‘Shots!’ It is now available on Freely, a platform which allows you to watch live TV over the internet. It also has an improved Freeview listing on channel 262.
The print edition of tech magazine Sound & Vision, owned by AVTech Media Ltd, is closing after the October/November issue though its website will continue to publish. Editor Mark Henninger said it was "about more than just adapting – it’s about thriving". (The Guardian)
Sky News has announced its US election lineup: Mark Austin and Yalda Hakim will lead overnight coverage from Washington. The News Agents co-host Lewis Goodall will present data analysis. Sky's US reporting team and presenters Anna Botting and Gillian Joseph are also on the roster.
The Financial Times has made its iOS app compatible with Apple Carplay, meaning people - even those without paid subscriptions - can listen to the ten most popular FT stories in their region every day, as well as the ten most recent podcasts, while in the car.
Sun editor Victoria Newton says of the fact the Met Police didn't reveal Huw Edwards had been arrested or charged: “It’s a democratic country, but this felt like something out of North Korea”. She also asked: “To those who think we shouldn’t have run our original story, I ask what should we have done with the information that came to us? Bury it in a drawer in the 'too difficult' box?" (The New Statesman)
Russia has accused British CNN journalist Nick Paton Walsh of crossing the border illegally and filming while reporting on the Ukrainian incursion. Two Ukrainian journalists face similar cases and Russia said they will all be put on a wanted list. CNN said its team was “escorted by the Ukrainian military to view territory it had recently occupied. This is protected activity in accordance with… the Geneva Convention and international law”. (Politico)
Previously on Press Gazette
Us Weekly editor on future of celebrity journalism: Kate Middleton speculation was ‘seminal moment’
Twitter alternative? News publishers see potential in Bluesky
Top 50 news websites in the world: Readers flock to top US newsbrands in July
Weekly Evening Standard to be distributed on Thursdays as ‘The London Standard’
Who’s suing AI and who’s signing: Conde Nast latest to sign ‘multi-year partnership’ with OpenAI
Independent local publisher The Lincolnite closes with nine jobs lost
Press Gazette live
Our flagship event the Future of Media Technology Conference and Awards takes place on 12 September on the Hilton Bankside hotel in London. It provides publishers with a masterclass on the big technology themes impacting our business and is also an unrivalled networking opportunity.
Full agenda and booking details here.