ITN in UK-first AI archive deal | Top 50 UK news sites | Standard in the '70s
Plus BBC broadcasters describe 'chilling out' via podcasts and an AI expert explains how to use the tech to speed up investigative journalism
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Kicking back at a recent conference with the likes of Nick Robinson (beige shacket) and Amol Rajan (black T-shirt, jeans and brown leather boots) we heard how BBC stars like to ‘chill out’ in the podcast format.
But Justin Webb (open neck shirt, cowboy boots) did admit that there was a danger of the more banter-focused style leaching back into the Today programme (see BBC complaints page, ref Justin Webb).
It's interesting to hear their various views on a growing medium which has expanded even further in recent weeks, with a new daily show from The Telegraph and Sky's Politics at Jack and Sam's going daily for the election.
Podcasts, unlike radio and TV, are not governed by Ofcom, meaning they can be as opinionated as they like and are much less constricted in the election period. The question for me is whether broadcasters risk losing their hard-won trust if they chill out too far in their unregulated streaming content.
Today we also have the latest UK top-50 news sites ranking and, ahead of the election, it shows a pretty even political split in the top ten sites. The Sun, Mail Online and Telegraph on the right are balanced by the Mirror, Guardian and Independent on the left. BBC, Sky News, Metro and Money Saving Expert make up the rest of the top ten and are all politically neutral.
The latest developments in the world of AI see ITN sign a deal to protect its vast video archive using blockchain technology, and also seek to license it. In addition we hear today how a less discussed form of AI technology, known as agentic AI, could be used to save time for investigative journalists and help them test hunches.
The main political parties have yet to announce their manifestos, but there was a first media policy announcement from Labour last night as shadow foreign secretary David Lammy promised to revive anti-SLAPP legislation.
And as the Evening Standard contemplates the future as a weekly newspaper, former news editor of the title Stuart Kuttner reflects on its 1970s heyday when it published multiple editions per day fuelled by countless scoops.
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New from Press Gazette
ITN signs deal to protect video archive from AI and license content
The deal with tech company Open Origins will see every one of ITN‘s more than a million video clips of news footage validated and secured using blockchain technology.
Memories of the 1970s Evening Standard: ‘Breathless, elitist, golden’
“Neither an editor nor a news editor could have asked for a more passionate and diligent team of reporters.”
Top 50 UK news websites in April: Independent drops back out of top five but strong growth for Metro
DMGT’s Metro was the only top ten brand to see significant growth in audience compared to March, and was the fastest-growing top ten newsbrand in the UK, with its monthly audience up 15% year-on–year to 16.4 million people.
BBC newsroom stars reveal how they like to ‘chill out’ on podcasts
“And I think that whole business of not doing stuff live leads us, actually, into a potential set of dangers presenting live. You go in all relaxed — ‘oh ho ho, let’s give this a bit of welly!’ — and then, hang on a second, it’s live! And you’ve just called so-and-so a so-and-so!”
How AI could save investigative journalists time and test their hunches
Dr Chris Brauer, chief innovation officer at AI academic research and advisory firm Symmetry, says new “agentic” AI technology can be used to statistically check the validity of a reporter’s hunch, saving time and encouraging experimental research.
News in brief
Labour has become the first party to articulate a media-specific policy pledge in the 2024 general election, saying it will ban strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) by Russian oligarchs. (Press Gazette)
The Great Central Gazette in Leicester has launched a crowdfunder to support its coverage of the general election, aiming to raise £2,000 to cover essential expenses. It has matched funding for Indie News Week from the Public Interest News Foundation. (Great Central Gazette)
Entries are open for this year's Hugh Cudlipp Student Award with a £1,000 prize. It awards "work which shows an understanding of Cudlipp’s belief that journalists should inform and also potentially entertain about important subjects". The deadline is 14 June. (London Press Club)
Reach says it has dispatched over 500,000 OK! Beauty Boxes since launching the monthly subscription in November 2020. In 2023 the business made £2.3m in revenue, year-on-year growth of 67%. Reach is focusing on ecommerce growth and plans to establish an online marketplace this summer.
Northern Ireland’s chief constable has announced an independent review to look at allegations of police surveillance of journalists. (Computer Weekly)
Washington Post chief executive Will Lewis told staff yesterday: “We are losing large amounts of money. Your audience has halved in recent years. People are not reading your stuff. I can’t sugarcoat it anymore. So I’ve had to take decisive, urgent action.” (Vanity Fair)
The Wall Street Journal is launching a major multi-million brand advertising campaign amid changes and layoffs in the newsroom. It's focused on broadening subscriber appeal to a wider set of professionals with the tagline "It's Your Business". (Axios)
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Latest podcast
Podcast 71: Daily Mail CEO Rich Caccappolo on keeping journalism free
This episode includes excerpts from an interview between Press Gazette editor-in-chief Dominic Ponsford and Rich Caccappolo, CEO of Daily Mail publisher DMG Media. It also features media consultant Matthew Scott Goldstein. They talk about how to save journalism (and democracy) on the open web by adapting to Google’s plan to switch off cookies on Chrome.
Caccappolo also provides an update on DMG Media’s legal action against Google and reveals how his company is growing overall revenue in a tough market.
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