United Kingdom

The editor of the Hounslow and Brentford Times has confirmed the closure of the 115 year-old UK newspaper. The title, an edition of the Richmond and Twickenham Times, published its last issue on July 23 along with a second edition of the weekly paper, The Chiswick Times. The editor, Helen Barnes, wrote on the newspaper's website, "After a lengthy review a decision has reluctantly been taken to...

A teaching assistant at the London School of Economics accepted substantial undisclosed libel damages over claims that he had "groomed" a suicide bomber, the Press Association has reported. Reza Pankhurst brought proceedings at London's High Court over stories which appeared in the Daily Mail and the Evening Standard in January. His counsel, Lucy Moorman, told Justice Tugendhat that they falsely...

The Newspaper Publishers Association in the UK has criticised the BBC Trust for allowing the BBC to bring out mobile apps. The BBC Trust decided against a "public value test" before allowing the BBC to begin the process of bringing out apps, and starting with the already popular BBC News app for iPhone. However, the Newspaper Publishers Association, according to Brand Republic, expressed its...

A regional press company in the UK is to digitise newspapers dating back more than 150 years after being awarded a £49,700 heritage lottery grant, says holdthefrontpage.com. The KM Group is to make 26,000 pages of newspapers published between 1859 and 1919 available on a free-to-view website. The digital archive project will preserve historic newspapers and open what the family-owned group calls...

Thirty jobs have been cut at the Press Association as part of cost-reduction measures by the UK news agency, according to journalism.co.uk. Twenty of those jobs are reported to have already been cut in what a company spokesperson called a combination of "natural wastage and voluntary redundancy". A further nine posts are under consultation for "possible" compulsory redundancy. The company says...

The Times of UK has lost almost 90 per cent of its online readership compared to February since making registration mandatory in June, calculations by the Guardian show. Unregistered users of thetimes.co.uk are now "bounced" to a Times+ membership page where they have to register if they want to view Times content. Data from the web metrics company Experian Hitwise shows that only 25.6% of such...

The Advertising Standards Authority in the UK has censured the Daily Mail, The Sunday Telegraph and The Sun over “misleading” ads for reader offers, the Press Gazette has reported. A reader complained to the ASA over The Sun’s offer of a free USB wristband questioning if a charge for post and packaging represented the actual cost. The offer told readers they could claim “free” wristbands by...

The coalition government in UK has unveiled plans for a major review of libel law in a bid to better protect freedom of speech and expression in the media and the research sector, and to cut down on "libel tourism", says a report in The Guardian. On July 9, the Ministry of Justice announced it is to publish a draft defamation bill that will be put out for consultation and pre-legislative scrutiny...

Guardian journalists today voted in favour of an "enabling deal" that offered backing for the company's 24/7 integration plans. The National Union of Journalists' Guardian chapel endorsed the deal by 211 votes to 27, with two abstentions. Today's agreement gives staff a two-year, 4.8% pay rise effective from the current financial year, with an additional inflation-linked boost from April 2008...

From children’s programmes to sports broadcasts, the BBC swung an axe on at least 10 per cent of its workforce on Thursday in an effort to push through £1.7bn in savings over the next six years. Announcing his controversial “reprioritisation” plan, director-general Mark Thompson told staff that those who survived would be working for a smaller but fitter and more flexible BBC. Apart from the job...