The Athletic wants to be top US 'soccer' destination | The Lincolnite closes
Plus Tortoise sells three podcasts to BBC Sounds
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When the innovative digital start-ups which launched to replace local newspapers start closing, we need to start worrying.
So it is sad to report that The Lincolnite has closed, one of the first serious online-only local news publishers in the UK. It has run out of cash and declared itself insolvent.
The title had hoped to fix local news by persuading readers to pay for a mixture of curated press release content and original journalism on its My Local digital platform which was launched last year. Sadly that gambit appears to have failed and nine people have lost their jobs. Fingers crossed this is not the end of the road, and someone will buy it out of insolvency.
Vogue owner Conde Nast has become the latest publisher to sign a deal with OpenAI (see our full round-up of who is signing deals with AI companies and who is suing here).
As with other publishers who have taken OpenAI's shilling, Conde Nast will ensure its content gets shown with attribution in ChatGPT answers.
As the new Premier League season kicks off we speak to the publisher who has more reporters covering the top flight of English football than anyone else, The Athletic. The New York Times-owned publisher has outlined how it plans to use its unrivalled reporting power to become the most popular 'soccer' brand in the US ahead of the country hosting the 2026 World Cup.
Tortoise has joined The Times and started selling podcasts to appear on the BBC Sounds platform.
And we say goodbye to Diane Chanteau, a former stalwart of the Evening Standard who is remembered as a swashbuckling figure who never took no for answer. She recalled: “I was never happier than outside in a warm coat, doorstepping and making life difficult for some bastard who richly deserved it." What a great attitude for a reporter to have!
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New from Press Gazette
The Athletic outlines plan to become number one for ‘soccer’ coverage in the US
US interest spans the Premier League, Major League Soccer (MLS) and Lionel Messi at Inter Miami in particular, national games and American players at international teams like AC Milan.
Tortoise sells three investigative podcasts to BBC Sounds
BBC Sounds does deals to host independently-produced podcasts in the UK “non-exclusively and ad-free with payment based on volume of listening” with the aim of broadening its content offering.
Independent local publisher The Lincolnite closes with nine jobs lost
"The Lincolnite and My Local will remain available to view for a period of time for archiving purposes, however the business has ceased trading."
Evening Standard ‘legend’ Diane Chanteau: ‘Bold, brash, brilliant and ballsy’
“She was endlessly curious, resolutely determined, and a committed contrarian. Some might say bloody-minded. But her innate charm and infectious gap-toothed grin were enough to deflect the wrath of a news desk, especially as she invariably came up with the goods.”
News in brief
Conde Nast is the latest publisher to sign a "multi-year partnership" relating to the display of its content in OpenAI products. CEO Roger Lynch has told staff it will help to make up for revenue being lost through declining search traffic. (Press Gazette)
Time is reportedly cutting 22 roles in editorial, technology, sales, marketing and Time Studios partly blaming advertising competition and search and social algorithms. (Press Gazette)
A draft California journalism bill agreement proposes the formation of a public-private partnership with Google and news publishers to fund newsrooms and AI with $300m over five years. That includes at least $40m annually for an "AI Innovation Accelerator". (Politico)
Google is suing RT, formerly Russia Today, in the UK and US seeking a ruling that will stop the broadcaster and other channels from pursuing it in courts outside Russia. RT has opposed Youtube blocking its channel. (The Telegraph)
The Washington Post has built an AI tool called Haystacker that can help journalists sift through large datasets to find newsworthy trends. It says at some stage it may license this out to other publishers. (Axios)
A '‘journalist’ in Pakistan has reportedly been arrested after an ITV News investigation revealed his links to a 'fake news website', Channel 3 Now, that published misinformation about the suspect in the Southport stabbings. (ITV News)
Previously on Press Gazette
How Paris Olympics led to traffic boost for leading news publishers
Reporting neurodiversity: ‘Don’t get unqualified writers to tell our stories’
MI5 transcripts reveal exploits of Fleet Street’s ‘murder gang’ of reporters
Mirror political editor John Stevens leaving to join government
Advertising blocklists unfairly targeted coverage from Olympics and Euros
Dementia magazine launched as side project secures major headline sponsor
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