Independent website overtakes Guardian in UK top 50 | Sunak backs press freedom
Plus interim Daily Mirror editor Caroline Waterston confirmed in role permanently and new open justice board revealed.
Welcome to your daily newsletter from Press Gazette on Wednesday 1 May.
The surprise keynote speaker at the Society of Editors conference yesterday was Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who got some laughs in the room for describing himself as a “defence junkie and a devoted Swiftie” and relating that to The Sun’s comprehensive span of coverage.
A more serious moment was hearing him pay tribute to Evan Gershkovich stuck behind bars in Russia and to Pouria Zeraati, the Iranian-British journalist recently stabbed on the street in London.
At the same conference, the Lady Chief Justice announced the formation of a new board looking at ways to boost transparency in our courts and open justice – again, important principles that currently come up against all too many obstacles.
It was also interesting to hear her discuss the potential “careful expansion” of broadcasting from courtrooms.
More from the Society of Editors conference (and other events we’ve attended over the past week) to come soon – continue to watch this space.
Also yesterday Reach announced Caroline Waterston is staying on permanently as Mirror editor-in-chief after being appointed on an interim basis three months ago when Alison Phillips left the business.
Coincidentally our final story for the day is our updated ranking of the top 50 news websites in the UK – in which The Independent overtakes both the Mirror and The Guardian to take fourth spot by audience size in March.
New from Press Gazette
Rishi Sunak: OK if I clash with the media as ‘I know how important your role is’
“When the media holds governments accountable, exposes corruption, and gives new voices a platform it strengthens democracy and enriches society. It builds a habit of freedom.”
Top 50 UK news websites: The Independent leapfrogs Mirror and Guardian into fourth place
The Independent’s monthly audience was up to 21 million, meaning it has leapfrogged the Mirror (20.7 million) and The Guardian (20.8 million) to reach fourth place for the first time since Press Gazette started using Ipsos iris data for this ranking.
Caroline Waterston officially becomes Mirror editor after Alison Phillips departure
In her most recent previous role Waterston led Reach’s magazine and supplements team, including OK! magazine’s digital transformation and its e-commerce OK! Beauty Box initiative which launched in 2020 and now has more than 12,000 subscribers.
New transparency board to ‘modernise’ open justice
“Its aim is to examine and modernise our approach to open justice, not least to ensure that we take proper account of wider societal changes, as well as those being effected by the courts.”
News in brief
Redbird IMI has confirmed it will sell its option to buy The Telegraph after the Government intervened to bar foreign state ownership of UK media assets. (Financial Times)
Eight US daily newspapers have brought a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft demanding compensation for the use of their content in the training of AI tools. (Press Gazette)
STV journalists are striking today, in their second one-day walkout, after rejecting the broadcaster's latest pay offer. (NUJ)
Newsletter platform Beehiiv has raised $33m to "expand its business as well as the technical capabilities of its platform". (Techcrunch)
High-profile Intercept journalist Ken Klippenstein is leaving the site, claiming it "has been taken over by suits who have abandoned its founding mission of fearless and adversarial journalism". He says he will "pursue a new kind of journalism" on Substack. (Klippenstein’s Substack)
Yahoo is reportedly getting rid of its editorial and social media teams in Singapore, affecting 17 people. The company is apparently changing its editorial strategy to focus on syndicated content and no longer create original content in Singapore. (The Edge Singapore)
Fox News has reportedly pulled a six-part “mock trial” series about Hunter Biden from its digital streaming service Fox Nation after he made a defamation threat about it. (The Daily Beast)
The BBC has announced the launch of a BBC Verify unit in the US, based in Washington DC, to counter disinformation ahead of the presidential election. Its work this year will be led by analysis editor Ros Atkins. (BBC Studios)
The Athletic has appointed Laura Williamson editor-in-chief for the UK and Europe and David Jordan its head of global soccer. (NYT Co)
The Athletic is also reportedly set to increase its ad prices for the second time since it began selling adverts in 2022. The move comes as the sports title approaches three million newsletter subscribers. (Digiday)
Previously on Press Gazette
Who’s suing AI and who’s signing: Publisher deals vs lawsuits with generative AI companies
Reader’s Digest UK closes due to ‘unforgiving’ magazine landscape
Editor of IMI-owned The National: Wrong to call us UAE ‘mouthpiece’
Local media brand SoGlos moves editor to CEO as it eyes Bristol expansion
Up to 15 journalists cut in latest round of sport redundancies at Mail titles
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