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| Boris Johnson |
Former British prime minister Boris Johnson, just a week after resigning from Parliament, has a new job: columnist for the Daily Mail. His new gig, which kicks off with a piece set to appear June 16, will provide the paper’s “erudite new columnist” with a platform he can use to inform readers of “exactly what I think about the world.” But the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, an independent public body set up to vet outside appointments in the two years after a politician leaves high office, says that Johnson didn’t inform them of his new position until half an hour before the Daily Mail posted its announcement—a “clear breach" of the rules, according to a spokeswoman. “We have written to Mr. Johnson for an explanation and will publish correspondence in due course, in line with our policy of transparency," she said. ACOBA does not have the power to force Johnson to turn down the new position.
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The Guardian is putting a stop to gambling advertising on all its platforms. “Our new policy will apply to all online advertisements on the Guardian’s website, app, audio, video and newsletters, as well as print advertisements in the Guardian and Observer and Guardian Weekly,” according to a June 15 op-ed from Guardian chief executive Anna Bateson. Lottery advertising, Bateson says, will not be included in the ban. “By taking a stand against gambling advertising, we believe we can offer a place for sport fans all over the world to enjoy world-class sports journalism free from advertising pushing betting, wagering or online casinos.”
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Twitter faces a lawsuit from the National Music Publishers’ Association on behalf of 17 music publishers that charge the platform of copyright infringement involving about 1,700 songs. The price tag on the suit could run as high as $250 million. The majority of the alleged infringement Twitter has been notified about is due to music videos, videos of live music performances, or other videos synchronized to copyrighted music. Twitter is accused of using the videos to increase the amount of time people spend on its site. The NMPA claims that Twitter has failed to remove infringing content even after being notified and has "continued to assist known repeat infringers with their infringement" without risk of them losing their accounts. While licensing deals between Twitter owner Elon Musk and several music companies stalled after his takeover of the platform, the problem stems from before the takeover.
Trump Media and Technology Group Corp. has replaced CEO and former California Congressman Devin Nunes with Kevin McGurn, a seasoned media sales executive.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is being bought by the Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism, a nonprofit that is the parent organization of the Baltimore Banner... The British Broadcasting Corporation is axing approximately 2,000 jobs, about 10 percent of its work force... Snap, the company behind Snapchat, is also succumbing to layoff fever, announcing plans to lay off 16 percent of its employees, about 1,000 people.
CBS News Radio will go off the air on May 22, part of the axe-swinging managerial plan put into play by CBS editor-in-chief Bari Weiss... The Economist, which was first published in 1843, is changing hands. Canadian billionaire Stephen Smith has agreed to acquire a 26.9 percent stake in the publication from Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild, her family and family foundation... Nexstar Media Group says it has closed its acquisition of TEGNA, the broadcast, digital media and marketing services company that was formed in 2015, when the Gannett Company split into two publicly traded companies.
USA TODAY brings on Jamie Stockwell as VP of news, effective March 30. Stockwell was most recently deputy managing editor of news for the Washington Post... YouTube expands its likeness detection capabilities to a pilot group of government officials, journalists and political candidates... The AP Fund for Journalism adds 50 news organizations to its local news program, bringing the total number of participating newsrooms to 100. 
Versant Media Group, the NBCUniversal cable TV spin-off, today reported its first financial results as 2025 revenues dipped 5.3 percent to $6.7B and standalone EBITDA dropped 9.1 percent to $2.2B.
