Mediahuis joins ‘NATO for news’ group SPUR | Who What Wear's affiliate lessons
And latest global and US website data shows huge traffic losses
Good morning from the team at Press Gazette on Monday, 11 May.
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💣 I’m not one for doom and gloom but I suspect the commercial news industry has 18 months left to save itself from AI Armageddon.
Online media is changing from a world of links to one populated by directly-written answers that remove the need ever to click through to source articles.
The economic incentives that underpin expensive, original human-powered reporting are evaporating.
The multi-billion dollar AI answer industry desperately needs that reporting to continue answering user questions effectively, but so far we have yet to figure out a mechanism by which publishers can get paid for the important service they provide.
So it is great news that European news publishing heavyweight Mediahuis has joined the SPUR “NATO for news” initiative, which aims to create a shared licensing framework to protect and monetise journalism in the AI era.
Other publishers in SPUR are the FT, The Guardian, BBC, Sky News and The Telegraph. It will be interesting to see if The Telegraph stays in SPUR post takeover and whether new owners Axel Springer (no slouches in the AI department) join the crusade.
📉 The latest global and US readership data for news websites tracked by Press Gazette underline the urgency of the challenge.
Some 34 out of the top 50 websites in the US were down 10% or more year on year. The BBC fell 10% year on year, Associated Press fell 25% and Reuters fell 30%.
There are news organisations which employ thousands of journalists whose work is being stolen by AI answer engines (chief amongst them Google).
The global top 50 news websites ranking for April (also out today) tells a similar story.
A reminder: rolling out AI Mode and AI Overviews helped Google increase its advertising revenue in the UK to £21.5bn last year (according to Press Gazette’s estimate) compared to £1.6bn spent by marketers with the entire commercial news and magazine industry (in print and online).
👠 One of the fastest-growing advertising segments in the UK last year was retail media, which grew 17.5% to £3.8bn.
Fashion title Who What Wear has grown from an email newsletter to a $130m business by thinking like a retailer and building a business based on product recommendations.
UK managing editor for the title Poppy Nash shared her insights on how publishers can grow their retail advertising/affiliate revenue at last week’s PPA conference and, hearteningly, she said it comes down to editorial integrity first and foremost. Like the UK financial advice brand Money Saving Expert, affiliate links work best if the editorial advice is sincere and grounded in evidence. In fact, trust is a commodity that can see advertisers still beat a path to the door of publishers.
This is something some national publishers would do well to bear in mind. Reading a tabloid website at the weekend I saw a retail reporter recommending on the homepage that readers snap up a bargain 15% off deal that would let them buy 500g of small-batch roasted coffee beans for £33.15.
There may be journalists in the UK spending £33 on a bag of coffee but from reading the article in question I don’t think this reporter was one of them. It was a rinse and repeat press release rewrite that seemed a bit of out of touch with the economic reality for most people in the UK.
🤏 News In Brief
Latest update to our AI mishaps page: The New York Times published a quote attributed to Canadian opposition leader Pierre Poilievre that was an AI-generated summary of his views, using words he had not said. (Press Gazette)
This week’s Foresight News diary includes the Cannes Film Festival, Donald Trump visiting China and the FA Cup final. (Press Gazette)
Paid subscriptions to UK-based publishers and creators have surpassed half a million on Substack. (The Hollywood Reporter)
Channel 4 News won the News Coverage TV BAFTA for its reporting on the 12-day war between Israel and Iran. Head of foreign news Federico Escher said: "Journalism is not optional, it is a necessity... journalism is not a crime". (X)
A Reform party chairman told Ipswich.co.uk "neither we or the voters need you" after being asked to engage and build a relationship with the local news website. (Ipswich.co.uk)
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is shutting down its opinion section under its new nonprofit ownership, after the paper was saved from closure in a sale to the Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism. (Linkedin)
A Guardian reporter and his colleagues were detained and beaten with pistols by Somali authorities after covering the case of a woman who said she was being tortured in prison. (The Guardian)
Newsquest has appointed journalism trainer Miriam Phillips as its editorial AI specialist to further develop its AI assisted reporter initiative and the wider use of AI to free up journalists for high-impact reporting. (Newsquest)
👀In case you missed it:
1) Output down, page views up: Axios shifts from volume to value
Axios output in Q1 was down 22% compared to a year earlier but page views were up 30%.
2) How paywall plus philanthropy saved The Philadelphia Inquirer
Focus on digital subscriptions has put daily newspaper on sustainable footing.
3) Wall Street Journal story on Trump and Epstein took six months and 20 staff
“Bad faith” threats put public interest reporting at risk, leading journalists tell summit.
4) Beyond websites: People Inc grows digital revenue despite Google traffic collapse
US publisher’s “inversion” strategy finds revenue outside website ads and subscriptions.
5) Forbes to settle California class action claim over use of website trackers
Forbes.com agrees to set aside $10m for privacy settlement.
📻Latest podcast
The Axios shift from volume to value
Axios dropped its output by almost a quarter but increased page views by almost a third at the start of 2026.
Head of news Ben Berkowitz told Press Gazette UK editor Charlotte Tobitt about why they stopped chasing clicks and started focusing on stories that “actually matter”.
Berkowitz also shared his advice for other newsroom leaders going through a similar strategy change.