Pink News versus Twitter whistleblower | Guardian moves into e-commerce
And FT chief executive John Ridding on how the title went from red to black
Good morning and welcome to your Press Gazette Future of Media newsletter on Thursday 5 September.
Press Gazette’s Future of Media Technology Conference, the UK’s biggest and best event for media leaders, is on 12 September in London. Secure your ticket here.
Newsrooms are traditionally demanding places to work. And we all want to have a job with challenges.
But sometimes the balance can tip into creating an unhealthy atmosphere.
What publisher does not have some disgruntled employees? But when we started investigating the Pink News Whistleblowers account on Twitter/X we realised there was too much bad feeling among former staffers at the LGBTQ+ media brand for us to look the other way.
We are huge fans of Pink News at Press Gazette which has blazed a trail commercially and culturally for 20 years. But the concerns raised by various sources seem to be more serious than the gripes common at all workplaces and should provide cause for reflection for the senior team.
Just over a decade ago The Guardian launched a short-lived retail venture when it opened a coffee shop in Shoreditch.
Now, as the title looks to make up for an expected cash shortfall in the last financial year of £39m, it is moving into retail again - this time the world of e-commerce.
Cue jokes about The Guardian making money from affiliate links for muesli, sandals and tofu. But titles as diverse as Which?, The Independent and Mail Online have found there is good money to be had by leveraging trusted journalism into commission from links to shopping sites.
This move comes after the title expanded its paid-for content offering with the launch of recipes app Feast. More is expected on The Guardian’s shifting commercial strategy when it releases its delayed financial results for the year to the end of March 2024 this month.
Also from this week’s FT Strategies conference, we’ve reported on FT chief executive John Ridding providing fascinating insight into the three moments that changed everything for the Nikkei-owned newspaper brand and how it plans to continue its recent run of revenue growth.
Future of Media Technology 2024 - 12 September in London
Press Gazette’s Future of Media Technology Conference takes place 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 Live network editorial director 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
On Press Gazette
Former staff voice support for Pink News ‘whistleblower’ account threatened with lawsuit
'Whistleblower' Twitter account has disappeared - but ill feeling among some former staffers remains.
Guardian moves into e-commerce amid revenue shortfall for 2023/2024
Guardian CFO Keith Underwood insists there is still "huge amount of value" in publishers' core markets.
FT CEO John Ridding on ‘three moments’ that changed everything – and what’s next
Ridding says business is in "very strong position" but it was a "bumpy journey to get there".
Press Gazette highlights
UK journalist’s detention for nearly 24 hours under terror law condemned
PR and betting companies have articles indexed in Google Top Stories
Video now ‘focus of everything’ at The Sun as weekly political show returns
Google AI Overviews rollout hits news publisher search visibility