Amy Seal, Author at Press Gazette https://pressgazette.co.uk/author/amsms/ The Future of Media Fri, 02 Aug 2024 15:35:10 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.1 https://pressgazette.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/cropped-Press-Gazette_favicon-32x32.jpg Amy Seal, Author at Press Gazette https://pressgazette.co.uk/author/amsms/ 32 32 Local heroes: The independent titles making news pay in London https://pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/london-local-news-independent/ Mon, 05 Aug 2024 07:00:00 +0000 https://pressgazette.co.uk/?p=230458 London local news providers City Matters, Enfield Dispatch and The Havering Daily newspapers/websites

Making local news work against the odds in Enfield, Havering and The City.

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London local news providers City Matters, Enfield Dispatch and The Havering Daily newspapers/websites

Press Gazette research has charted the retreat of legacy media publishers from London with large swathes of the UK capital now unreported.

But the good news is independent outlets are filling the gaps in some places. Press Gazette found out about three independent publishers who are making local news work in the Big Smoke.

Enfield Dispatch: A not-for-profit newspaper

James Cracknell is the editor-in-chief of Enfield Dispatch, a not-for-profit organisation that covers local affairs in the London borough of Enfield.

Its content ranges from features on local businesses to interviews with local politicians. The monthly free print title, with a distribution of 15,000, is supplement by daily online news.

But on the future prospects for the site, Cracknell tells Press Gazette: “I wouldn’t say [it is] near to closing, but it’s been difficult and it continues to be difficult right now.”

Explaing how the title was founded, he said: “We had two other newspapers, in Waltham Forest and Tottenham, and Enfield Dispatch would become our third paper.

“It was another year until we got to a place where we could launch it for Dispatch [in 2018], but we did that partly to try and fill at least part of the gap left by the previous newspaper, but also just because we believe in local media, the role that it plays in society, linking community groups together, highlighting injustice and inequality, holding power to account and all of the good things that a good newspaper should do.”

He added: “I think there’s a bit of a myth that because local newspapers have been in decline for 20 years and continue to decline, that the driver for that has been less demand for local news – I don’t think that’s the case.

“I think it’s more to do with the financial model behind local news which collapsed. You know, the old financial model which had been successful for local newspapers for 100 years or whatever – that model of local news in terms of financing it and indeed making profit from it because there were lots of profits that were able to be made by the big corporations.

“That model collapsed with the advent of the internet, social media and smartphones but also the big corporations that failed to adapt to it, so it was a failure on their part. I’m not excusing those corporations. They did make lots of mistakes in how they adapted to it, but fundamentally I believe the demand for local news is still there.”

When asked about his vision for the newspaper, he said: “What we’re trying to do is deliver what we think we believe to be good quality local news, a good quality local newspaper and a good quality local news website.

“And then in doing so, trying to figure out a way to make that work financially. And I would say that’s a work in progress because I can’t sit here and tell you I figured out how to make it work financially because we have a lot of debt.”

The reporting staff of the Enfield Dispatch comprises Cracknell himself and a share of a BBC Local Democracy Reporter who also covers news in two other London boroughs.

On the decision to remain free in print and online, Cracknell said: “I think trying to make a newspaper when you’re trying to get people to pay for it is very, very difficult. So we’ve taken that approach that we’re going be free.

“If we were to put a cover price on our newspaper, it would then suddenly exclude a lot of people from reading it. So we want people from all areas of society – we’ve got rich and poor areas in our borough – and we want everyone to be able to access the news that we produce…

“What sets us apart from the big corporate local newspapers is that we’re trying to produce as much journalism as we can with the resources that we have. Whereas [with big corporations], they are just trying to produce whatever profit that they can produce with as little journalism as possible. So we’re almost pretty much doing the opposite.”

James Cracknell
James Cracknell, editor-in-chief of Enfield Dispatch

He added: “We want to continue banging the local drum for local journalism, showing why it’s important, showing it is in demand, showing that it’s still possible to produce good local journalism and we’re just sort of living in hope that one day a government will come along – maybe next week? Maybe in four years, who knows? But a government that one day will come along that will recognise that local journalism plays a fundamental role in local democracy, democracy in general, and that it’s something worth supporting.”

The site is funded by a mixture of advertising (80%, with the majority in print) and donations.

In terms of making a profit, Cracknell said: “We’re a social enterprise and any profits we do make will be reinvested. We’ve got to a point where we are basically breaking even. It fluctuates a lot.

“The advertising is always very dependent on the health of the economy. So when the economy is struggling, advertising tends to go down. So it does go up and down a lot, but as of now, we’re month to month breaking even.”

“But the problem we have is that we accrued a lot of debt to get to where we are as a company. So we’ve now got these debts that we need to try and pay off and we’ll only be able to pay off if we’re able to make more money than what we’re spending.

“And we’re not making enough at the moment to be able to pay down our debts quickly enough, which is creating a huge financial strain on the whole company.”

The title turns over around £5,000 to £6,000 in revenue per month.

Havering Daily: Profitable local news website

Ross Elliot, who runs the Havering Daily, told Press Gazette his the title is funded by advertising, promoted articles, donations and merchandise sales.

It has two salaried reporters and also has input from community volunteers.

Elliott launched the title by partnering up with editor Francesca Lilleystone in 2019 “to fill the gap that was obviously there in Havering”. He said the local press at the time was a printed paper which “saved all their good stories for once a week, and news has moved on since”.

“If you look out your window, count how many people are holding a newspaper, then count how many people are holding a mobile phone – the news has changed”.

Ross Elliott
Ross Elliott

Elliott boasted that he can publish an article in just 60 seconds and relies on input from the community via:

During Press Gazette’s interview with Elliott he received a Whatsapp message telling him about a fire in Havering. He advises anyone looking to start a local publication: “You’ve got to be prepared for the bad stuff. Good news – there’s not enough of it.”

He said he is “never short of news”. But the title is not just about news. He said: “The idea was that we created a platform where the everyday resident, or the people who might not have a platform or voice in the community, had one.”

The Havering Daily has sections including: politics, sport, opinion, food and cinema reviews. The primary focus on “breaking news, general community news, politics, and crime” is supplemented by whatever the residents wish to write about because, he said, “it’s their platform too”.

In addition, campaigning work by the Havering Daily includes:

  • Litter picking
  • Tree planting
  • Supporting local charities
  • Championing local businesses.

Elliot said: “We’re out here to do some good, and while we can, we will.”

City Matters: Monthly newspaper and website covering the Square Mile

Nick Chapman is co-founder of City Matters, a hyperlocal title which makes most of its money from the monthly print edition. He said: “Everything is going digital, but I think print is trusted… the stronger product is the newspaper.”

The title aims to reach the 9,000 mainly wealthy residents of the City of London, as well as the many tourists passing through the area.

Chapman said: “We know that if a resident hasn’t gotten their paper on the first Wednesday or Thursday they will quite often call up and say ‘what’s happened to the paper?’ People miss it if it’s not around.”

Revenue comes via advertising and sponsorship. Chapman said: “We are relying on the strength and the confidence of City of London businesses – be them the small chiropractor, florist, or a big insurance company.”

The title can be picked up for free at 30 London Underground and mainline railway stations, the Royal Exchange, and other locations in central London including restaurants, hotels, bars, cafes, and We Work share office spaces.

There are five members of staff and Chapman said “most months we’re running a small profit”.

He said: “We spend a reasonable amount on the printing of the product. It’s a very high quality improved paper stock.

“If I had a lot more money, there’s an awful lot more things I could do, because I’ve got opportunities to expand our distribution.”

City Matters covers local news in its 24 pages and also has a cryptocurrency page.

Chapman said: “We’re not talking about interest rates, we don’t have that sort of expertise. We are very much lifestyle.”

City Matters also includes content on property, what’s on, restaurant reviews, shopping, wellness and even celebrity interviews (Alexa Chung, Gino D’Acampo and Sara Pascoe, to name a few). The core of the paper is “what do wealthy residents and workers spend their money on?”

On the title’s editorial approach, Chapman said: “You basically go out there and visit these places… it’s old school”.

Chapman began his career at The Times titles and The Sun selling advertising in the late 1990s and started City Matters in 2016.

He said: “I went into this City of London corporation and told them we’re launching this new newspaper. They basically came back to me and said ‘if you’re here in a year, come and have a chat with us’”.

Chapman added: “It was quite easy to be Nick Chapman of The Sunday Times in the early 2000s because we had an awful lot of power.

“I don’t have all the huge resources to back up, to lean on – we’re a microbusiness.

“It has its moments, it’s not for the faint-hearted… It’s the appeal of the sense of satisfaction, there’s a sense of supporting the City.”

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cracknell Ross Elliott
From Sunak’s Nando’s order to ‘woman pulling faces’: Top publisher general election Tiktoks https://pressgazette.co.uk/news/which-publishers-won-tiktok-general-election/ Wed, 17 Jul 2024 07:51:23 +0000 https://pressgazette.co.uk/?p=230033 Boris Johnson on Tiktok

The most watched publisher videos on Tiktok during the 2024 UK general election.

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Boris Johnson on Tiktok

What were the most viewed videos of the 2024 general election campaign posted by news publishers on Tiktok? Here Press Gazette lists some of the most watched Tiktok videos relating to the 2024 UK general election campaign published by leading news publishers.

(Note this story was updated on 17 July to reflect new information shared by publishers.)

1) Rishi Sunak: What’s your Nando’s order?

This video posted by Mirror Politics was just 11 seconds long and revealed the former Prime Minister’s go-to Nando’s order. It tops our list with 6.1m views.

@mirrorpolitics

medium. what a wet wipe

♬ original sound – Mirror Politics

2) Bearded Boris rails against Keir Starmer

The Daily Mail was in the lead with 5.3 million views on one TikTok. The 40-second video, with the caption “Boris Johnson records himself dissuading people from voting for Starmer as it will lead to reintegration with EU”, features a bearded Johnson urging viewers against voting Labour. The Daily Mail has invested heavily in Tiktok and now has more than nine million followers for its main account.

@dailymailuk Boris Johnson issues stark warning over Keir Starmer saying if he ‘really wins this election he will take us back into the Customs Union and the Single Market.’ Read his column in the Daily Mail. #borisjohnson #keirstarmer #dailymail ♬ original sound – Daily Mail UK

2) Larry the Downing Street cat

A short video about Larry the Downing Street cat from Sky News achieved 5.3m views and is in joint second place in our ranking.

@skynews ♬ original sound – Sky News

4) Sky News predicts 212-seat majority for Labour

Sky News drew 3.7m views with a video on the eve of the election based on polling which predicted a 212-seat majority for Labour. Keir Starmer in fact achieved a majority of 172 seats.

@skynews #Labour are on course for a landslide victory on Thursday with a majority of 212 seats according to the final YouGov #poll projection of the #GeneralElection2024 campaign #fyp ♬ original sound – Sky News

5) ITV News interview with candidate who polled fewer votes than Count Binface

ITV News achieved 3.6 million views for its video “Niko on why he’s running as an MP”. The 3 minutes and 19 seconds video showcased Youtuber Niko Omilana’s interview with ITV digital video producer Daniel Ajose. In the interview, Omilana outlined his reasons for running for election and said that he took Rishi Sunak’s claims to bring back national service personally. Video views did not turn into electoral success for Omilana, who recorded 160 votes — around half the total achieved by comedy candidate Count Binface.

@itvnews YouTuber @NDL Ringside speaks to @Dan Ajose in his first media interview of the 2024 General Election #politics #niko #itvnews ♬ original sound – itvnews

6) Candidate holds up ‘L’ sign behind Rishi Sunak

A Sky News video featuring Niko Omilana holding up an L sign behind Rishi Sunak as the results for his constituency poll were announced received 3.2m views on the platform.

@skynews

Niko, who is known for his pranks online, stood behind the Tory leader after Mr Sunak won his seat in Richmond and Northallerton. The prankster, whose full name is Niko Omilana, stood as an independent candidate in the constituency, winning 160 votes.

♬ original sound – Sky News

7) Yahoo UK: Woman pulling faces

Yahoo UK got 2.7 million views for a video titled, “Woman spotted pulling faces behind Rishi Sunak during election speech”. Posted on 30 May, the 36-second video focused on a woman in the background who appeared to roll her eyes as Sunak spoke.

@yahoouk A woman reacting to a Rishi Sunak election speech has gone viral this week. Eagled-eyed viewers watching the campaign in Devon spotted her in the background, reacting to the Prime Minister’s claim that throughout the pandemic and the war in Ukraine ‘I had your back’. During his whistlestop tour across Cornwall and Devon, the Prime Minister also clambered into the seat of a Jackal 3, the latest in a range of armoured vehicles, had a pint of lemonade in a county pub, and spliced a fibre optic broadband cable. #Election #election2024 #RishiSunak #tory #conservative #conservatives #devon #ukelection #ukelection2024 #uknews #ukpolitics ♬ original sound – Yahoo UK

8) Sunak and Starmer asked about young home ownership

BBC News garnered 2.5 million views for a video titled “Sunak and Starmer asked about young home ownership”, which featured a snippet from the ITV leaders debate when Sunak and Starmer were asked about young people being priced out of the property market. Sunak highlighted what the government had done in building homes, but said his approach would help young people save. Starmer responded by saying that Labour has a clear plan to deliver homes and services such as schools around homes.

@bbcnews The Labour and Conservative leaders are asked about young people being priced out of the property market. You can hear from the other political parties on Friday, when leading figures from seven parties debate on the BBC from 19:30. #RishiSunak #KeirStarmer #ElectionDebate #GeneralElection #UKElection #Election #Election2024 #News #UKPolitics #BBCNews ♬ original sound – BBC News

9) Sky News: Rishi Sunak heckled by GP

Sky News got 2.2m views for a Tiktok video titled BREAKING NEWS: PM Rishi Sunak heckled by GP who challenges him on the NHS” which was posted on 7 June. In a rare unscripted campaign moment Sunak was interrupted by a heckler offscreen while giving a speech to Conservative supporters.

@skynews A woman saying she is a GP has heckled #primeminister #RishiSunak at a campaign event in Wiltshire #generalelection ♬ original sound – Sky News

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National World buys second sports brand in two months amid specialist drive https://pressgazette.co.uk/the-wire/media-mergers-news-tracker/national-world-sports/ Wed, 10 Jul 2024 16:08:45 +0000 https://pressgazette.co.uk/?p=229840 Serious About Rugby League and Athletics Weekly homepages

Serious About Rugby League and Athletics Weekly are latest National World acquisitions.

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Serious About Rugby League and Athletics Weekly homepages

National World has bought two sports news brands in the past two months as it puts more focus on “high value, specialist content” especially in sports beyond football.

The latest acquisition is the independent Serious About Rugby League website, which provides daily Rugby League news, opinions, and exclusives.

The site launched in 2012 and said it has been profitable since 2017. The publisher claimed to have surpassed 20 million page views in each of the past four years.

In June National World bought Athletics Weekly, a website and monthly print magazine, from 21six Investments Limited – just over a month ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The publisher said Athletics Weekly reaches 350,000 monthly unique visitors and that it is growing its print and digital subscribers.

National World executive director John Rowe said the publisher is putting more “focus on specialist unique content particularly in sport, which is our fastest growing community”.

Of Serious About Rugby League, he added: “Rugby League is an important component as its fans are in our heartland. Marrying this website with our existing Rugby League coverage will accelerate our growth towards our stated goal to be the ‘go to place for everything Rugby League’.”

The publisher also said the acquisition is set to bring “a large and passionate following in geographies where National World has established brands able to support the continued growth of the site”. This follows the company’s stated strategy to create a new business model with a focus on “localising” news.

National World has this week begun advertising for a head of Rugby League content, saying the “brand new role represents an exciting opportunity to lead the growth plans for Rugby League based around the site”.

Speaking after the acquisition of Athletics Weekly, chief operating officer Mark Hollinshead said it “continues our strategy to focus on unique specialist content with higher-yielding advertising and multimedia brand partnership potential”.

The pair add to National World’s sports portfolio, which as well as coverage within its newspaper brands like the Yorkshire Post and Portsmouth News includes the more recently-launched websites 3 Added Minutes and Totally Snookered and Scoop Dragon and News Chain, both of which it acquired last year.

Serious About Rugby League and Athletics Weekly are National World’s only acquisitions of 2024 so far. But in 2023 its total M&A cost was £14.4m, having bought:

In March this year chairman David Montgomery announced the publisher was still in the running to buy the Telegraph Media Group, for which the sale process is currently ongoing.

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Stop and think before you share: Reach campaigns against election misinformation https://pressgazette.co.uk/news/stop-and-think-before-you-share-reach-campaigns-against-election-misinformation/ Thu, 04 Jul 2024 07:47:32 +0000 https://pressgazette.co.uk/?p=229444 Reach online safety editor

Reach online safety editor urges readers to stop spread of misinformation.

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Reach online safety editor

What would you do if your name was on a story you didn’t write? If you saw a screenshot of what looked like your publication, with your name next to it, but the words were not yours? If you received extensive backlash for ideas that were not your own?

Rebecca Whittington, the online safety editor at Reach, told Press Gazette this has been a reality for some journalists as she has headed a campaign this week advising readers on how to spot election misinformation.

The campaign run in the Mirror and other titles includes infographics and an informational video on how to check sources.

Whittington said: “Fake news, misinformation, and disinformation are on the rise” and added “when fake news stories are presented on social media as coming from a reputable brand, that can decrease trust in the brand itself.”

Whittington said: “With the pace of our lives… you see something, you like it, you share it, you move on. It’s very fast moving, and sometimes maybe we don’t stop and think.

“I think it’s really important that we give these simple tips to online users so they can make sure that before they share something with people that will trust them and trust their opinions, that they are checking that it is information they are happy to share and that they feel is valid.

“So the idea of the campaign is it actually prompts people to stop and think before they just share something. Sometimes all of us are probably guilty of not doing that and maybe regretting it after.”

She said that the government, brands and social media platforms also have a responsibility to counter misinformation.

“If you went into a restaurant and started behaving badly, that restaurant would be well within their right to ask you to leave.

“It’s the same in online spaces – if you go in and start deliberately spreading misinformation with the intent to disrupt or cause harm, really you shouldn’t be allowed to do that”.

Whittington said examples of election misinformation she have included:

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