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CNN, BBC and Economist chiefs spar on AI | Jeffrey Goldberg on his 'very millennial' scoop
Plus News Corp results show WSJ digital subscribers increased 5% in a year and OpenAI's IP chief attacks Google's 'ten blue links'
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Hello and happy Friday!
It’s been conference central at Press Gazette this week: Dominic Ponsford and I were busy with two separate events in London while Charlotte Tobitt was off in Poland covering the WAN-IFRA World News Media Congress. But that means we have plenty of good stories to offer today and yet more to be unboxed over the next few days.
I spent Wednesday at Tina Brown’s Sir Harry Summit where, once again, the former Vanity Fair and New Yorker editor worked her contact book to pull in some heavy-hitting media executives. This resulted in a surprisingly feisty affair when CNN boss Mark Thompson, BBC News CEO Deborah Turness and The Economist’s editor Zanny Minton Beddoes shared a spirited discussion about AI, trust and market positioning. (Top quote, as addressed to Thompson by Minton Beddoes: “That is, with respect, blindingly obvious.”)
Brown also got on stage to personally interview Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg about his accidental addition to a Trump administration group chat, the magazine’s broader success and what it’s like being owned by Laurene Powell Jobs. Goldberg got a good laugh when he described the Signalgate story, which he got hold of without having to do anything, as therefore being a “very millennial investigation”. (“Lazy millennial” jokes in 2025? Very retro chic!)
Over in Krakow, OpenAI’s chief of intellectual property and content lavished praise on publishers’ experimentation with AI and threw a few barbs Google’s way, proclaiming “search has become one of the most popular features within ChatGPT”.
Meanwhile Dominic has written up News Corp’s results for the most recent quarter, revealing subscription growth across its business units (but a revenue hit at Factiva stemming from a customer dispute, likely stemming from its legal battle with PR company Cision).
And finally: this’ll be the last edition of Future of Media US you receive from me. Starting on Monday I’ll be working for the start-up publication A Media Operator covering B2B and specialist media - please do give me an add on LinkedIn if you’d like to keep in touch. But you can expect to hear more here from Dominic and Charlotte.
Have a great weekend,
Bron
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‘Search is going off a cliff’: CNN, BBC and Economist chiefs on future of news
Thompson compared AI to Google, which he said had helped drive The New York Times “from being the fifth most-popular newspaper in New York City to having over 100 million users around the world”.
The Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg: ‘The market understands what a quality story is’
Asked by Tina Brown whether he had debated staying in the group chat longer, Goldberg said: “People always forget, in this conversation, the existence of this profession called lawyers.”
OpenAI content boss on Google ‘ten blue links’ and arrival of ChatGPT search
“While search has only been available for a few months, early signs are promising. Clear attribution and links and the resulting clicks that we’re driving to publisher sites are trending upward month over month.”
Premium news subscriptions offset falling tabloid web audience for News Corp
Overall, News Corp reported total revenue up 1% to $2.01bn in the three months to the end of March 2025 and profit (EBITDA) of $290m (up 12% year on year).
Also on Press Gazette:
Daily Mail publisher asks Prince Harry’s lawyers for ‘payment for evidence’ documents
2025 journalism job cuts tracked: Two Los Angeles newsrooms make cuts
Guardian adds audio, personalisation and puzzles to new-look app
Northern Ireland’s Impartial Reporter stems print decline and grows digital sales as it turns 200