Mystery celeb fails in BBC disclosure bid | Welsh news deserts mapped

And details of a new £100,000 libel action against the Daily Mail

Feb 20, 2024

Welcome to your daily newsletter from Press Gazette on Monday, 19 February, brought to you today in association with the Association of Online Publishers.

The AOP Digital Publishing Awards 2024 are open for entries – so join us in celebrating the best work and initiatives from across the industry.

Look out for coverage on Press Gazette today from midday providing the latest consumer magazine ABC figures.

In the meantime, here are your headlines for today:

A mystery celeb possibly facing sexual misconduct charges has successfully stopped the BBC from naming them by arguing that it would be a breach of their privacy. But they have failed in a bid to force the BBC to hand over material to the police which they say would help their defence. We have the full story from the High Court here.

We also report on a £100,000 libel action against the Daily Mail from a prominent Labour donor who objects to the use of their image next to a headline referring to someone else. It could set a key precedent because the Mail argues that the article, read in its entirety, is not defamatory. But at first glance it could be.

And finally, we have had a stab at mapping news coverage in Wales by local authority area. Two out of the country's 22 principle local council areas have no local news at all according to our research. So that means councils, schools, police and health services are not being held to account by journalists.

Mapping local news is devilishly hard to do because so many titles exist really only as hollowed out shells, so we have tried to map coverage by published online output. If you live in Wales and can think of a way to improve our research, please let us know by replying to this email.

The AOP Digital Publishing Awards celebrate the individuals, teams, and initiatives that are driving the success of digital publishing companies across the UK, giving you the opportunity to gain industry recognition for your successes and to reward your team for their hard work.

With 26 categories celebrating individuals, teams, and publishing excellence, enter now to impress an independent jury of your industry peers and shout about your success.

Enter by March 14th for your chance to win.

Enter here

New from Press Gazette

Valleys without a voice: Welsh local media news gaps mapped

Using data from the Public Interest News Foundation and Muck Rack, and by reaching out to councils and news outlets, Press Gazette has pieced together the state of Welsh local news.

Read more

Celebrity facing sexual misconduct claims loses disclosure bid versus BBC

Lawyers for the anonymous celebrity argued that a statement the BBC provided to argue against the injunction contains information that would help the police decide whether or not to charge him over allegations of sexual misconduct.

Read more

Daily Mail faces £100K claim from Labour donor pictured next to ‘sex harassment’ headline

Green energy industrialist Dale Vince says he was “seriously defamed” by a Daily Mail article which he claims falsely suggested he was the subject of sexual harassment allegations.

Read more

News in brief

Brewdog chief executive James Watt has had more than 20 complaints he made against the BBC rejected. Reporter Mark Daly says Ofcom’s ruling is a vindication of BBC journalism and principles. (Press Gazette)

Hearst UK chief executive Katie Vanneck-Smith has completed a reshuffle of her eight-strong senior leadership team. (Press Gazette)

Ofcom has opened its 13th concurrent impartiality investigation into GB News, this time over an hour long “People’s Forum” with Rishi Sunak which aired last week. (Ofcom)

US Senator Bernie Sanders has visited the offices of local newsletter start-up the Manchester Mill, saying of the collapse of regional journalism: “There are mayors, city councils and school boards across the United States that are not held accountable - that is a disaster for democracy.” (The Mill)

The Financial Conduct Authority has moved its team handling freedom of information requests into its media relations division. Transparency campaigners have criticised the decision, worrying that it may affect the quality of disclosures. (The Times)

Latest podcast

Podcast 65: Beyond Google? Amazon and Microsoft are future says Ricky Sutton

Former online editor of the News of the World turned tech entrepreneur turned future of news soothsayer Ricky Sutton joins Dominic Ponsford on the podcast sofa.

He explains why Google’s reign as the most important tech partner for news publishers is drawing to a close, but more lucrative partnerships around AI and advertising with Microsoft and Amazon beckon.

Listen Now