Kate sorry for editing picture | Regional ABCs | Mirror Dan Wootton payout
Plus an interview with C4 News' Secunder Kermani and your news diary for the week ahead
Welcome to your daily newsletter from Press Gazette on Monday, 11 March, brought to you today in association with the Association of Online Publishers. The AOP Digital Publishing Awards 2024 are open for entries.
Local newspapers are on the frontline of print circulation decline, according to the latest figures from ABC.
The 54 local daily newspapers audited by ABC saw sales drop by an average of 19% and the 401 non-dailies declined by an average of 16%.
Reach-owned Manchester Evening News now sells over 7,000 copies a day. The MEN is the second most-read UK regional newspaper online, with a monthly audience of 11m according to Isos iris data.
But the challenge remains how to make this online audience pay its way, as 75% of revenue for Reach still comes from print.
Today we also have an interview with Channel 4 foreign correspondent Secunder Kermani who echoes the views of many colleagues with his plea to let independent journalists into Gaza so they can relieve local journalists, more than 90 of whom have lost their lives covering the current conflict.
Swedish Radio CEO Cilla Benkö writes about the deteriorating picture for journalist safety around the world ten years after the murder of Swedish-British journalist Nils Horner in Afghanistan.
The Mirror has followed The Guardian by issuing an apology and making a payout to former GB News presenter Dan Wootton after reporting on the fact he was under police investigation.
Your news diary for the week ahead includes the start of Ramadan today and the Russian presidential result on Sunday. Sunday. The Culture Secretary will respond to the CMA and Ofcom's findings on Redbird IMI's Telegraph takeover. But that could be delayed by an attempt in the Lords to block the deal with an amendment to the Digital Markets Bill.
We also have the latest on a digitally manipulated picture of the Princess of Wales and her three children which was released to mark Mothers' Day. Five news agencies have withdrawn the picture, which ran foul of editorial guidelines, and Kate has now apologised for editing it. A cautionary tale in these privacy-conscious days, when publishers increasingly rely on 'handout' pictures of the rich and famous.
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New from Press Gazette
Five news agencies withdraw ‘manipulated’ Kate family photo
It comes days after a paparazzi photo of Kate, who has not been seen in public since December and who had abdominal surgery in January, was published by celebrity news website TMZ but not used by UK publishers apparently out of respect for her privacy.
Regional ABCs: Print decline for UK dailes averaged 19% in second half of 2023
The 401 non-dailies audited by ABC meanwhile saw their January to December circulations decline by an average of 16% compared to 2022, according to Press Gazette’s analysis.
Secunder Kermani: ‘Let us go into Gaza, we’re not beholden to anyone’
“Ultimately until we get there ourselves as well, I won’t feel satisfied that we’re doing the job that we should be doing and I know that all of my other colleagues across the industry feel the same.”
Dan Wootton: Daily Mirror follows Guardian with privacy payout and apology
“We accept that we were wrong to have published the article and apologise unreservedly to Mr Wootton for any upset the article may have caused.”
Nils Horner deserves justice ten years after murder – as do journalists killed in Gaza
“Nils Horner deserves justice, just like all the journalists who, like him, are murdered in the line of duty.”
News diary 11-17 March: Telegraph sale investigation deadline, Europe votes on AI Act
A look ahead at the key events leading the news agenda this week, from the team at Foresight News.
News in brief
The Telegraph has been cleared by IPSO after reporting a claim that Hamas beheaded babies on 7 October. The Sun had already been cleared by the regulator for its reporting on the story at the end of last month. (Press Gazette)
Press regulator Impress has launched an investigation into British Muslim publication 5Pillars and a potential breach of the Standards Code in an episode of its Blood Brothers podcast which had far-right activist Mark Collett as a guest. (Impress)
The Met Police officer accused of murdering Chris Kaba has been named as Martyn Blake after media organisations successfully challenged a legal application to protect his identity. Only Blake’s name and date of birth can be published, not his address or picture. (BBC News)
The NCTJ has celebrated a rise in the proportion of women enrolling on its sports journalism courses. In 2021/2022 7% of students registering were women, which rose to 14% in 2022/23 and 20% in 2023/24. It is now targeting reaching 25%. (NCTJ)
Jeff Zucker has told The News Agents podcast that opposition to the Redbird IMI deal for The Telegraph comes from a "fundamental misunderstanding of really what this deal is" and that they "have a very good business plan in place to help” both the paper and The Spectator. Zucker used the same interview to accuse Spectator chair Andrew Neil of hypocrisy. (The News Agents)
Thomson Reuters chief executive Steve Hasker says the news and information business has $8bn cash ready to make acquisitions and investments in artificial intelligence, and that it additionally plans on spending more than $100m a year developing its own AI tech. (Financial Times)
Bluesky has introduced hashtags and the ability to mute words. It comes as the Twitter/X competitor also announces it has hired former Twitter trust and safety chief Aaron Rodericks to lead Bluesky's own moderation team. (Press release)
The Oscar for best feature documentary has gone to AP and PBS Frontline for 20 Days in Mariupol. The film is available to watch on Channel 4 on demand and follows Mstyslav Chernov, Evgeniy Maloletka and Vasilisa Stepanenko reporting on the Russian siege of the city. (AP)
Latest podcast
Podcast 66: Online advertising – how publishers can survive a tsunami of change
Online advertising used to support investigative journalism at digital-native brands such as Buzzfeed News and Vice. In the space of just a few years everything has changed, and thousands of journalists have lost their jobs as a result.
Press Gazette editor-in-chief Dominic Ponsford talks to former Business Insider editor-in-chief Jim Edwards about what is going on and how publishers should adapt to an online publishing ecosystem which is being rocked by a tsunami of disruptive change.
This week on Press Gazette
Top 50 UK news websites: Money Saving Expert and Telegraph see double-digit growth in January
News industry urges police to ‘break cycle of abuse’ against women in journalism
Who’s suing AI and who’s signing: Publisher deals vs lawsuits with generative AI companies
Why FT Group is investing £30m in new media and information companies
From administration to break-even: City AM after THG takeover
ICO calls for views on allowing UK publishers to tell readers: ‘consent or pay’
Press Gazette live
Our next event (fully booked) is a Media 100 breakfast with Independent chief executive Christian Broughton at The Gherkin in London on 14 March. See our full calendar of awards and events for news, media and publishing in the year ahead and find out how to get involved.