Observer-Tortoise talks 'progress' | Lords warn of 'fractured' news landscape
And National World accuses a shareholder proposing a takeover of "irregularities"
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White smoke failed to appear above the offices of The Guardian yesterday as owners The Scott Trust met to discuss the future of The Observer.
They said negotiations are ongoing over the sale of the title which means Guardian and Observer journalists still plan to stop work for 48 hours from 4 December in protest at the conduct of the Trust.
Given the Scott Trust only exists to protect the journalism of The Guardian, being at odds to the vast majority of Guardian journalists is an awkward spot for its 12 directors to be in.
There is more boardroom intrigue at National World - the UK's third largest local media group with titles including The Scotsman, Yorkshire Post and Hastings Observer. We have details of the escalating battle between chief executive David Montgomery and major shareholder Media Concierge for control of the group.
And we have dug deeper into the House of Lords Future of News report which warns there is “a realistic possibility” the UK will see the emergence of a “two-tier media environment” in which a minority of the population is well-served by high-quality, paywalled news while the rest are left with low-quality free information.
It has called for tax breaks to encourage investment in local journalism and action to protect publishers from AI-driven copyright theft.
Publishers, meanwhile, need to hold their nerve (in my view) and maintain the focus on quality to ensure we continue to produce journalism which is worthy of special treatment from legislators.
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Guardian News and Media headquarters at 90 York Way, London. Picture: Google Street View
Scott Trust says ‘talks continue to progress’ over Observer sale to Tortoise
The 12-person board of the Trust, which is a non-profit-making company, met on Monday 25 November to discuss a bid made by Tortoise Media to acquire The Observer.
National World accuses shareholder seeking takeover of financial ‘irregularities’
Despite the acrimony, bidder Media Concierge revealed that “National World’s advisers have indicated that they would provide Media Concierge with access to limited and confirmatory due diligence”.
Warning of imminent, ‘irreparable’ fracture of news landscape without action
The committee said it did not believe any silver bullet solutions exist for these problems and that “much of the work needs to be led by industry itself”.
News in brief
Elon Musk appears to have confirmed that tweets containing links have worse visibility on X. He responded to a critic of this algorithm decision by telling them: “Just write a description in the main post and put the link in the reply. This just stops lazy linking.” (Elon Musk on X)
X still has as many daily active US users as it did in the weeks leading into the election, according to Sensor Tower data. The Wrap reports a wave of departures following the election was offset by a 27% rise in app downloads in the subsequent two weeks. (The Wrap)
PA Media Group is rebranding its sports data business PA Betting Services to Podium. The group's chief strategy officer said this is "more than just a name change — it is a signal of our intention to lead the way in sports betting data solution".
ITV Network News editor Andrew Dagnell has been promoted to ITV director of news and current affairs, succeeding Michael Jermey who is leaving at the end of the year. (ITV)
Singapore-based, English-language Asian news network CNA has expanded into the UK after a similar launch in the US in June. It positions itself to help viewers "understand Asia", reporting on global developments with Asian perspectives.
The Israeli government is to stop advertising in or communicating with leading liberal newspaper Haaretz after its publisher accused the administration of "fighting the Palestinian freedom fighters that Israel calls terrorists". The Haaretz paywall now reads: “Netanyahu wants to shut us down. Read Haaretz now.” (The Times of Israel)
CNN has renewed its US edition of Have I Got News For You for a second season. (Late Nighter)
Also on Press Gazette:
Observer sale to Tortoise: Press freedom groups seeks answers from Scott Trust
Observer writer speaks out over ‘grave threat’ to title at press freedom conference
Jay Rayner leaves Observer as departing editor slams planned sale
Reach ends year with more redundancies but reports net increase in staff
Reach journalist targeted by online abuse shares story as part of new police campaign
Jason Cowley bowing out after 16 years as New Statesman editor
Muslim news site 5Pillars quits regulator for religious reasons
Essex Police drops ‘misguided and chilling’ action against Allison Pearson
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.