Indy on course to double revenue this year | Male experts still dominate TV news
And RT has used AI to give Vladimir Putin's speeches an English language voice for the first time
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Research on TV news gender representation shows a situation which is improving (but also has a long way to go).
The annual survey reveals that male experts outnumber women by two to one on leading TV news bulletins (compared to a four-to-one ratio a decade ago).
According to the 2022 census, women outnumber men in the UK by just over a million so we clearly have some way to go towards creating TV news which reflects its viewers.
Today we also talk to the leadership team of The Independent about what is driving the title's revenue and profit growth. And we reveal that the business is on course to hit £53m in turnover this year and £4.5m profit (doubling both in a five-year period).
It's a happy story about a once heavily loss-making print newspaper which has made the painful transition to long-term digital growth and profitability whilst also remaining free. We reveal how they have done it and what their plans are for the future.
Meanwhile, newspaper ownership wars continue in the UK. Frying pans and fires come into mind when it comes to the Telegraph as Dovid Efune has emerged as the frontrunner to buy the title.
He's a little-known figure in the UK but evidently has some powerful (as yet unknown backers). We do know that the he is an outspoken supporter of Israel and the Netanyahu regime so his ownership could well lead to a shift in the title's coverage of Middle East matters if he is successful.
It's a peculiarity of UK national newspaper publishing that there is absolutely nothing to stop titles from being as biased as they like in news coverage provided it is accurate and within the bounds of media law.
The Guardian-owning Scott Trust met yesterday to discuss plans to sell The Observer to Tortoise Media. Staff remain far from convinced that the deal is good news and leading UK cultural figures (from Armando Iannucci to Delia Smith) are continuing to add their names to an open letter to the Trust opposing the deal.
And could this be a use of AI too far? Russian state broadcaster RT has used the technology let Vladimir Putin deliver speeches in English for the first time. He sounds friendlier than I had imagined, but I suspect that is the idea.
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New from Press Gazette
The Independent set to double profit and revenue over last five years
CEO Christian Broughton and chairman John Paton explain The Independent's five key growth areas.
Male experts dominate broadcast news (but far less than a decade ago)
Men still outnumber women in terms of broadcast newsreaders and quoted experts.
RT uses AI to broadcast Vladimir Putin speeches in English
Putin Speaks project offers counter to Western Putin translations.
News in brief
Press reform group Hacked Off has relaunched its website and updated its branding thanks to funding from the founders of Admiral Insurance via the Waterloo Foundation.
Satirist and producer Armando Iannucci, TV presenter and cookbook writer Delia Smith and playwright James Graham have added their names to an open letter opposing the sale of The Observer to Tortoise Media. (Press Gazette)
The media forced Downing Street chief of staff Sue Gray out, according to Alison Phillips writing in the New Statesman: "…the sheer volume of stories that painted Gray as a power-crazed dictator causing havoc in government". (New Statesman)
BBC news presenter Clive Myrie failed to declare an additional £65k of outside earnings after already topping the BBC's journalist league table for moonlighting, The Sunday Times reports.
Previously on Press Gazette
Sir Harry Evans on chasing the devil and journalism diversity
Reach CEO Jim Mullen: If government advertises with us, we’ll employ more reporters
Leading cultural figures attack Observer sale as staff pave way for strike action
Paywalled podcasts: How New York Times is adding audio to subscriptions bundle
FT Weekend editor Janine Gibson: ‘This interview is a disaster’
Press Gazette live
Entries are now closed for the British Journalism Awards 2024.
But tickets are now available for the awards dinner, which is being held at the Hilton Bankside on 12 December hosted by Jeremy Vine.
Ticket sales information here.
