Publishers vs big tech: Mail and Mirror CEOs speak out
Plus your news diary for the week ahead
Welcome to your daily newsletter from Press Gazette on Monday, 23 September, brought to you today in association with Tickaroo - the liveblogging software trusted by more than 200 newsrooms worldwide. Register today for their webinar on September 25th, “Building Audience Trust and Engagement in an Election Year.”
The chief executives of the UK's two biggest commercial news publishers have both spoken out about the need for new regulation to curb the excesses of big tech in the media space.
DMG Media chief executive Rich Caccappolo and Reach CEO Jim Mullen, in separate speeches, have banged the drum for action to curb what they see as the unfair exploitation of dominant market positions by Google and others.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is currently hard at work putting the Digital Markets Act into effect. This will see Google, Meta, Apple and probably Tiktok given "strategic market status" in the UK with the CMA given new powers to police their relationship with the news industry.
Caccappolo is hopeful that this new regulation, coupled with the fall-out of Google's anti-trust trials, could lead to big benefits for commercial news publishers.
Mullen said that pressure on ad-funded journalism caused by the actions of tech giants has put democracy at risk.
Neither CEO speaks out very often and Press Gazette's exclusive reports of their comments are well worth a read.
Press Gazette launched our "Duopoly" campaign calling for a fairer deal which would "stop Google and Facebook destroying journalism" seven years ago. After similar battles in Australia and Canada, the fight for the future of quality news content in the digital age now comes to the UK and will play out over the next 12 months.
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New from Press Gazette
Daily Mail CEO on Google lawsuits, AI and why future of news is bright
“It’s not just payment for content – and by the way, whatever the payment for content is, it’s not going to be enough to save us. The way that the payments get allocated needs to be decided, whether it’s number of journalists, number of stories… and the ramifications to that have to be understood."
Reach CEO Jim Mullen says regulation needed to save free online news
“If platforms are regulated to pay the providers for the content they so freely offer, if they are regulated so that the advertising market is not so heavily distorted in their favour and that reliable trustworthy news is prioritised in their feeds, then there is hope.”
News diary 23 – 29 September: Labour conference, UN high-level meetings
A look ahead at the key events leading the news agenda this week, from the team at Foresight News.
News in brief
"If I win The Telegraph, I would be mad to turn away Boris Johnson", ex-chancellor Nadhim Zahawi has told Arabian Business. He also said the title is "not struggling like some organisations; it’s a very healthy business. It would be an honour and privilege". (Arabian Business)
Weeks after X was shuttered in Brazil over Elon Musk's refusal to appoint a legal representative for the company there, the platform appears to have reversed course and made the appointment. (Financial Times)
An Economist Impact cancer conference has reportedly been cancelled at the last minute after some speakers pulled out over sponsored content the Economist sub-brand has produced with Philip Morris International and Japan Tobacco International. (The Guardian)
The Israeli military has raided Al Jazeera's offices in Ramallah in the West Bank and ordered the bureau to close for an initial period of 45 days. (BBC News)
Perplexity is reportedly aiming to roll out its ad bidding system before the end of the year and has held talks with "a small number of top companies" including Nike and Marriott. Press Gazette wrote previously about Perplexity's plans for a publisher revenue sharing scheme. (Financial Times)
Guardian editor Katharine Viner has written that in the year since the newsbrand launched its European edition contributions from readers in Europe have increased 45%. (The Guardian)
Byline Times and Desmog say they had their tickets to the Reform UK party conference in Birmingham over the past weekend revoked. (Byline Times)
USA Today has promoted its executive editor for politics, Caren Bohan, to become its new editor-in-chief. (USA Today)
Ex-Wales Online Welsh affairs editor Will Hayward has left Reach and taken his newsletter about Welsh politics and issues with him, setting out on his own on Substack. (Substack)
News Corp-controlled REA Group has raised its offer for Rightmove to £6.1bn after being rebuffed twice. REA's chief executive said: "We live in a world of intensifying competition and this... would bring together two highly complementary digital property businesses for investment and growth". (The Guardian)
Novara Media has removed a video, apologised and made a "sizeable charitable donation" after making false claims about a "pro-Israel mega donor" to Labour that led to him and his family receiving anti-Semitic abuse. (Novara Media)
Previously on Press Gazette
James Harding says plan to buy Observer is boost to ‘liberal journalism’
Who owns Tortoise Media? The billionaire backers behind Observer bid
Nottingham Post vindicated over characterisation of police ‘non-disclosable’ briefing
TBIJ, Open Democracy and Bristol Cable join press regulator Impress
Newspaper ABCs: Daily Star Sunday circulation falls below City AM
Google killing publisher voucher codes overnight part of wider trend, says Mail exec
Press Gazette live
The event is open to all journalists producing work targeted at a UK audience. The criteria stipulate that reports must bring important new information to light, show journalistic skill and rigour and make a difference for the better.
The awards pit the smallest local newspapers and independent podcasters against the biggest international news organisations. The great leveller is the quality of the story being told.
It is interesting to note that UK Government is not interested in corruption in Northern Ireland. Cases not lodged in the High Court, threats even you are out of jurisdiction, it goes on and on.