News sites boom in July | Should publishers move to Bluesky?
Us Weekly editor Dan Wakeford on the changing nature of celebrity journalism and investment in print
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Karl Marx said of free speech “you cannot pluck the rose without its thorns”.
But many have been finding Twitter/X too prickly for comfort in recent months and are looking for alternatives.
Threads has the critical mass, but given that Meta hates journalism it does not feel like a smart place to invest too much effort.
We’ve taken a closer look at another X alternative which is starting to arouse interest from publishers, Bluesky. Early movers tend to achieve a lasting headstart when it comes to new social media platforms so I think it is worth a try.
But I also think we should hold our noses and keep using X because if you look closely none of the big social media platforms smell that great.
We also have an interview with Us Weekly editor Dan Wakeford who explains why Princess Kate’s cancer diagnosis was a watershed for celebrity journalism. He also talks about investment in the print edition which still sells nearly two million copies per week.
Back in the UK, we now have a clearer picture of what the future of the Evening Standard looks like. It hasn’t been an evening title for many years (appearing on the streets around lunchtime) and now the Evening is finally going from the masthead. The London Standard will come out in print on a Thursday (still free) and plans to have more of a local focus.
And our latest global top-50 ranking of English language news websites shows readers flooding to trusted publishers in July, probably helped by a bumper news agenda. US publishers saw the most growth likely due to coverage of the Trump assassination and Joe Biden’s exit from the presidential race.
Note: We are not publishing our daily newsletter on Friday or Monday, so the next edition will be Tuesday.
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New from Press Gazette
Us Weekly editor on future of celebrity journalism: Kate Middleton speculation was ‘seminal moment’
Ex-People editor Dan Wakeford joined Us Weekly in March and has led a "reinvention" of the title.
Twitter alternative? News publishers see potential in Bluesky
Press Gazette asks publishers on would-be Twitter heir Bluesky how they're faring on the platform.
Top 50 news websites in the world: Readers flock to top US newsbrands in July
US news websites see traffic surge in big month for political news.
Weekly Evening Standard to be distributed on Thursdays as ‘The London Standard’
The last edition of the Evening Standard will be distributed on Thursday 19 September.
Also on Press Gazette this week
Independent local publisher The Lincolnite closes with nine jobs lost
The Athletic outlines plan to become number one for ‘soccer’ coverage in the US
How Paris Olympics led to traffic boost for leading news publishers
Reporting neurodiversity: ‘Don’t get unqualified writers to tell our stories’
Future of Media Technology Conference
Press Gazette’s Future of Media Technology Conference on 12 September in London. Other media conferences are available but this really has become the biggest and best event in the UK for media leaders.
Our speakers include:
DMG Media CEO Rich Caccappolo
Guardian chief supporter officer Liz Wynn
Politico deputy editor in chief Kate Day
News UK chief operating officer David Dinsmore
Harmsworth Media chair Nina Wright
Reach plc’s Paul Rowland
Global head of SEO Steve Wilson-Beales
Former head of news partnerships at Google Madhav Chinnappa
Head of technology at Haymarket Media Group Payal Sharma Sood
Times head of digital Edward Roussel
Mail Digital Publishing product director Simon Regan-Edwards
Telegraph chief commercial officer Karen Eccles