Trump 2.0 'much more difficult' to cover | News agency withdraws AI-created videos
Plus programmatic advertising drives growth in latest Digitalbox earnings
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It feels like there has never been a more fascinating time to cover the US presidency, but it is not all gravy for reporters.
Former White House correspondent for The New York Times Mark Landler shared some fascinating insights into the challenges around covering the second Trump presidency. They include: fewer dissenting sources than before, a higher risk of getting sued by Trump or his associates and a tougher time deciphering real policies from flights of fancy.
Anyone who has spent time on Facebook recently will know that the platform is being swamped by fake AI-generated content.
Now a news agency which prides itself on supplying publishers and platforms with verified social media material has withdrawn several videos after complaints that they were created using AI.
And the latest results from Digitalbox suggest things are looking up in the world of ad-funded journalism on the open web. Its revenue grew 30% in 2024, helped by improved yield from programmatic advertising.
CEO James Carter has forecast a resurgence in the market this year. Digitalbox operates mainly in the frothier end of the market with brands like The Tab and The Poke focused around entertainment. It remains to be seen whether Carter's optimistic outlook will extend to general news titles.
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On Press Gazette
Covering second Trump presidency ‘much more difficult’ says NYT’s Mark Landler
Landler also spoke about the revelation a day earlier that editor-in-chief of The Atlantic Jeffrey Goldberg had seemingly been accidentally added to an administration group chat, saying “by any yardstick, this is a jaw-dropping violation of security protocols”.
Programmatic advertising and Facebook payments drive growth for Digitalbox
Digitalbox also said it had doubled subscription revenue from satirical news website The Daily Mash to £200,000.
UK-based news agency withdraws faked AI-generated videos
One AI-generated video of a cat in a nest of owls has been viewed millions of times.
News in brief
The Royal Television Society opened its Programme Awards ceremony last night with a special award for journalists in Gaza after the prize was initially not given at the journalism awards amid a row over a BBC documentary about Hamas. (RTS)
The Atlantic's story about its editor getting added to a Trump administration group chat is the most-shared article of the year so far, according to Newswhip data shared with Axios.
CBS has urged the Federal Communications Commission to dismiss a complaint over its 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris before the election, saying there was no "news distortion" and it "engaged in commonplace editorial practices". (Reuters)
More than 50 former BBC World Service senior journalists and executives warned in a letter to The Times that China and Russia will step into any gaps left by the broadcaster due to funding cuts: “There could hardly be a more critical moment.” (The Times)
Fast Company and Inc. are reportedly tightening their paywalls to grow consumer revenue "in light of referral traffic challenges". (Digiday)
Also on Press Gazette:
Google news revenue research ‘self serving’, ‘pure propaganda’ say industry experts
Mail crosses 250,000 digital subscribers and appoints first global women’s editor
Unherd political editor Tom McTague named New Statesman editor
Dow Jones launches first custom news feed for enterprise client
Former CNN correspondent says she ‘lost the support’ of broadcaster after disability
Dotdash Meredith CEO Neil Vogel: ‘If you make yourself essential, you will be fine’
Acquisitions and video advertising drive National World 9% revenue growth
Latest Press Gazette podcast
Latest podcast: Generative AI could spell doomsday or a be a big pay day for publishers
Press Gazette editor-in-chief Dominic Ponsford caught up with New York-based publishing consultant Matthew Scott Goldstein (MSG) to talk about the future of news in the era of AI.
How concerned should publishers be about the threat posed to their business models by generative AI? It’s a 9.9 out of ten said MSG.
He explained why generative AI could spell the end of the road for publisher websites, but why it could also lead to a huge payday for the creators of quality content.