Jay Rayner leaves Observer for FT | Battle on for National World ownership
Plus Essex Police drop Allison Pearson action and Muslim news site 5Pillars quits Impress, citing the regulator's "incompatibility with Islamic norms"
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Howdy readers from New York where Press Gazette has just held our second big annual conference for US media leaders.
We will bring you some longer write-ups next week - including insights from the likes of Time CEO Jessica Sibley and Dotdash Meredith chief innovation officer Jonathan Meredith.
But in the meantime here are a few snippets:
Business is looking up - publishers seem to be feeling a lot happier than they were at the same event this time last year
There was much less grumbling about Google - in fact search traffic appears to be holding up, Google Discover referrals are growing (if volatile) and readers who come via search show an okay propensity to convert into subscribers
Facebook is as dead as disco for many publishers, who see no point wasting time servicing a platform which has no interest in its users ever leaving it
There seems to be growing optimism that publishers won't get fooled again as generative AI-powered search rolls out and that they can collectively agree terms of trade which are more advantageous than the online content free-for-all which has done so much damage to journalism to date.
In other news:
Food critic Jay Rayner has jumped ship from The Observer amid uncertainty around the title's future.
And former Observer editor Paul Webster has spoken out for the first time about the proposed sale of the title to Tortoise Media, writing a lengthy denunciation of it on Twitter.
Webster stepped down last week and said he is utterly unconvinced by Tortoise Media’s plans for the title and urged the Scott Trust to reject the deal when it meets next week.
The Observer will find another food critic I am sure, but I've seen internal engagement stats which suggest Rayner's work is among the most deeply read on The Guardian site.
Readers of Press Gazette will be unsurprised that Essex Police has halted its misguided investigation into a misguided post on X by Telegraph journalist Allison Pearson.
Our legal writer David Banks wrote this week that there was close to zero prospect of Pearson being convicted of breaching the Public Order Act - which raises the question of why Essex Police wasted its valuable time paying her a visit at all?
And the UK's third largest regional newspaper group, National World, is facing a battle for control as major shareholder Media Concierge launched a bid for the group.
Have a great weekend when you get there and, for now, cheerio from New York.
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On Press Gazette
Jay Rayner. Picture: Financial Times
Jay Rayner leaves Observer as departing editor slams planned sale
Jay Rayner, one of The Observer’s most prominent writers, is leaving the newsbrand as controversy surrounds its proposed sale to Tortoise Media.
Battle for future of National World as shareholder launches takeover bid
Media Concierge had abstained in a vote chief executive David Montgomery’s continued leadership of the business at the company’s last annual general meeting in May, Press Gazette understands.
Muslim news site 5Pillars quits regulator for religious reasons
Impress ruled on Thursday that a May episode of 5Pillar's podcast Blood Brothers breached its standards code because the host had allowed a guest, the former deputy leader of Britain First, to "espouse antisemitic conspiracy theories without pushback or challenge".
Update: Essex Police drops ‘misguided and chilling’ action against Allison Pearson
“We’re sometimes faced with allegations of crime where people have strong opposing views.”
News in brief
Current affairs magazine Prospect has this morning become the latest publisher to sign a partnership with Prorata, a generative AI platform that plans to share revenue with news outlets each time their content is used to answer a user query. (Press Gazette)
Comcast has confirmed it plans to cleave off networks including MSNBC and CNBC (but not NBC) into a new entity named SpinCo. A spokesperson for Comcast told Press Gazette "today’s announcement does not impact Sky", which the company bought in 2018. (The New York Times)
Former Newcastle United and England footballer Kieron Dyer has received an apology and an undisclosed sum after Mirror publisher MGN Limited admitted to targeting him with unlawful voicemail interception and private investigator use between 2003 and 2005. (The Guardian)
Metro has relaunched its website with a new-look, mobile-first layout designed "to supercharge search traffic". Editor Deborah Arthurs said the redesign was built around the fact more than 90% of its audience now arrives via mobile. (Metro.co.uk)
Dow Jones Newswires has launched an AI-enabled Korean language service. DJN general manager Joe Cappitelli said the launch "opens up new opportunities to broaden Dow Jones Newswires’ footprint and business opportunities in non-English speaking regions" with AI translations.
The BBC has agreed a one-year licensing deal with Goalhanger podcasts that will see The Rest is Football and The Rest is History launch on BBC Sounds next week. The deal includes an opportunity to extend, and episodes will remain on Sounds for three years. (BBC)
This week on Press Gazette:
Guardian strike: Staff agree 48-hour walkout over Observer sale to Tortoise
Google Discover has become Reach’s ‘biggest referrer of traffic’
Guardian US editor Betsy Reed: ‘We want to offer readers joy and hope’
How top New Zealand news publisher unlocked growth by splitting in two
How publishers can use branded content to grow advertising revenue (promoted)
News agency behind UK’s biggest headlines expands into US (promoted)
Essex Police action against Allison Pearson is misguided and chills press freedom
Podcast 78: Generative AI in the newsroom at The Telegraph
Telegraph Media Group director of technology Dylan Jacques talks to us about the title’s ambitious plans to roll out a new generative-AI powered feature every month for 12 months.
It has already rolled out AI-written summaries and various internal tools which are helping journalists use AI to improve content, increase reader engagement and so sell more subscriptions.