PR agency sells AI tool as 'reality wars' continue | Clickbait in 2025
And we've got your news diary for the week ahead
Welcome to your daily Press Gazette media briefing on Monday, 21 July.
Yet more shocking news from the PR ‘reality wars’ today as Rob Waugh outlines an AI tool being sold by a Lithuanian-based PR agency that, it says, can write answers for journalists looking for expert comments through platforms like ResponseSource, HARO and Qwoted.
The tool searches resources like books and podcasts to come up with an appropriate sounding response. As one expert told us, at that point journalists might as well just ask ChatGPT to give them some expert comments.
Today we have also published an examination of clickbait as it stands today from journalist Mandy Gardner, who argues this online publishing phenomenon plays into the worst of our industry, creating a self-perpetuating cycle, and can lead to unethical or unsympathetic behaviour taking place.
Informa Techtarget has revealed plans to cut 10% of its global workforce just months after its merger.
And of course I can’t not mention the big news in media world: Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and his former friend Rupert Murdoch.
As Dom wrote in Friday’s newsletter, kudos to Murdoch, WSJ editor Emma Tucker and team for publishing despite it being clear Trump is on a crusade against the media and would not let a story of this nature go without a fight.
Indeed the president has suggested he’s making a wider point and that the claim is really on behalf of all Americans who will “no longer tolerate the abusive wrongdoings of the Fake News Media”.
On Press Gazette
PR agency sells AI tool which sends out automated expert comment to journalists
Journalists may as well cut out the middle man and just ask ChatGPT themselves, says PR expert.
Clickbait has become ‘self-perpetuating cycle’ drowning out genuine news
“The effectiveness of clickbait-style posts is also affecting the kind of stories news sites and newspapers write – more simplistic, emotive news is the order of the day.”
News diary 21-27 July: Trump visits Scotland, Women’s Euros final, Oasis at Wembley
A look ahead at the key events leading the news agenda this week, from the team at Foresight News.
News in brief
Informa Techtarget, created through the B2B giant's acquisition of Techtarget in December 2024, has announced plans to carry out a net reduction of 10% of its global workforce. (Press Gazette)
Dow Jones said it has "full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit" after Donald Trump filed a $10bn lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and owner Rupert Murdoch over allegations the president wrote a birthday note to Jeffrey Epstein. (BBC News)
Future has reported £744.9m in revenue for FY2025 so far. In Q3, US advertising has returned to growth at +5% YOY, UK advertising declined 8% YOY. Magazine revenues remained “resilient”, while e-commerce revenues declined in Q3. (LSE)
Government plans to allow foreign states to hold up to 15% stakeholding in a UK newspaper will be voted on in the House of Lords tomorrow, potentially paving the way for The Telegraph’s ownership limbo to end. Lib Dems have tabled a “fatal motion” against it. (The Telegraph)
National World's Shots! TV officially came off air on Thursday after new boss Malcolm Denmark called it a "vanity project" and shut it down. (Press Gazette)
US trade association News/Media Alliance says it has "successfully secured" the takedown of 12ft.io, which helped people bypass paywalls and view websites without ads, trackers or pop-ups by disguising users as a web crawler. The trade body called it "illegal circumvention technology". (The Verge)
Dow Jones Newswires has launched an AI language service in French with automated translations of breaking financial and investment news, following similar services in Korean and Japanese, as it seeks those "who prefer to read their business news in their native language or who are suddenly tapping into the US market as a place where they want to invest, or their clients are investing". (Nieman Lab)
Also on Press Gazette
Adblockers stop publishers serving ads to (or even seeing) 1bn web users
Afghan data breach super injunction ‘deeply disturbing’ for press freedom, says Lewis Goodall
The Times: From loss-making broadsheet to profit on a tiny screen
Reach in the US: 70-strong team is turning a profit with more growth planned
How social and video drive revenue for UK podcast network Crowd
World’s biggest news websites: Japan and Brazil sites top ranking
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