Dominic Ponsford

London, Plumpton

Media Editor at New Statesman Media Group

Editor-in-chief Press Gazette. Follow me for media tidbits. Verified journalist! Journalists email me for blue j logo. DMs open. [email protected]

Articles

Premium news subscriptions offset falling tabloid web audience for News Corp

6 days ago | pressgazette.co.uk | Dominic Ponsford

Growing subscription revenue at News Corp’s Dow Jones business news division is offsetting falling advertising and circulation revenue from its tabloid news titles. 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). Dow Jones is News Corp’s highest-earning division with total revenue of $575m in the quarter, up 6% year on year.
Ex-Mirror editor Alison Phillips on true crime, the future of tabloids and positive news

1 week ago | pressgazette.co.uk | Dominic Ponsford

Former Mirror editor Alison Phillips is hoping she can make crime pay via a new weekly podcast co-hosted with ex-Metropolitan Police chief Bernard Hogan-Howe. Crime Scene, from podcast network Podmasters, has launched amid growing popularity for true crime in audio exemplified by the success of The Trial series at the Daily Mail and Serial (now owned by the New York Times).
Sunday Times reporter Will Lloyd returns to New Statesman as deputy editor

1 week ago | pressgazette.co.uk | Dominic Ponsford

Will Lloyd has been appointed deputy editor of The New Statesman in Tom McTague’s first appointment as editor in chief. Lloyd joins from The Sunday Times, where he has been a reporter since March 2024. Former Unherd political editor McTague joined The New Statesman this week. McTague said: “I am thrilled that Will is returning to The New Statesman.
Guardian adds audio, personalisation and puzzles to new-look app

1 week ago | pressgazette.co.uk | Dominic Ponsford

The Guardian has relaunched its app and redesigned its website homepage. The new-look app features a new “My Guardian” tab which allows readers to have a more personalised feed of stories. The app also features a new audio section showcasing the title’s podcasts and enhanced text-to-speech technology which means all articles can be listened to as well as read. It also contains more puzzles, including: Wordwheel, Wordiply and, for the first time in the app, Sudoku.
Sun Madeleine McCann documentary to be shown first on Channel 4

1 week ago | pressgazette.co.uk | Dominic Ponsford

The Sun has sold a video documentary about the disappearance of Madeleine McCann to Channel 4 in a first deal of its kind for the tabloid publisher. The move comes amid major investment in video at The Sun. Last week the title announced that political editor Harry Cole has been made editor-at-large, based in the US, to host a new nightly TV show produced with Red Seat Ventures and broadcast live on Youtube.
Ofcom says enforcement action coming as Press Gazette highlights Facebook offences

1 week ago | pressgazette.co.uk | Dominic Ponsford

Ofcom has said it will make “enforcement announcements in the coming months” after Press Gazette flagged behaviour by Facebook which appears to breach the Online Safety Act. Under the new law platforms like Facebook have a duty to take down illegal content and to not unfairly stifle freedom of speech. Press Gazette has flagged up the issue of Facebook adverts which impersonate high-profile journalists in order to scam users of the platform into joining Whatsapp investment advice groups.
Essex Police loses accuracy complaint versus Telegraph over Allison Pearson questioning

1 week ago | pressgazette.co.uk | Dominic Ponsford

Essex Police has had a complaint against The Telegraph rejected by IPSO following a visit to columnist Allison Pearson by two uniformed officers on Remembrance Sunday. Pearson was visited by police in November 2024, apparently to discuss a potentially inflammatory post on X by the comment writer. Pearson said she was accused of a “non-crime hate incident” by police. The Telegraph also reported that she was questioned over an “alleged hate crime”.
UK ad market grew to £42.6bn in 2024 with at least half going to Google and Meta

2 weeks ago | pressgazette.co.uk | Dominic Ponsford

Google and Meta accounted for at least half the record £42.6bn spent on UK advertising last year, according to Press Gazette estimates. Display advertising and search were the two biggest advertising segments and also the fastest growing. They are dominated by Meta and Google respectively.
Cancer-campaign journalist among winners at Reach journalism awards

2 weeks ago | pressgazette.co.uk | Dominic Ponsford

Politics and people editor of the Birmingham Mail/Birmingham Live Jane Haynes was named joint journalist of the year at Reach’s first internal Celebrating Brilliant Journalism Awards last week. She was recognised for work highlighting the scandal of child poverty in Birmingham, discord at the top of the city’s fire service and her Inside Birmingham paid-for newsletter published on Substack.
Press Gazette is recruiting a reporter/feature writer

2 weeks ago | pressgazette.co.uk | Dominic Ponsford

Press Gazette is recruiting a reporter/feature writer. Press Gazette’s mission is to help journalism thrive in the digital age by bringing to light new ways to make journalism pay. Our focus is on giving people in leadership positions at media companies high-quality information which they cannot find anywhere else. Successful candidates should have a portfolio of published work and NCTJ training (or equivalent). The job involves a mixture of news and feature writing and some production tasks.