Press Gazette

History and Founding

Press Gazette was launched in November 1965 by Colin Valdar, his wife Jill, and his brother Stewart as a print trade journal serving journalists and editors across the United Kingdom. Originally known as UK Press Gazette (UKPG), it established itself as the primary trade organ for the British journalism profession, covering industry news, personnel moves, legislative changes, and the business pressures affecting newspapers and broadcasters. Upon the Valdars' retirement in 1983, the title was sold to Timothy Benn, who in turn sold it in 1990 to the Canadian publishing company Maclean Hunter.

The title passed through several subsequent owners, reflecting the turbulent economics of B2B publishing. In May 2005, PR executive Matthew Freud — son-in-law of Rupert Murdoch — and former Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan acquired Press Gazette and the British Press Awards from Quantum Business Media for approximately £600,000. The partnership proved short-lived: by October 2006 Freud had announced the title was for sale, and Press Gazette Limited entered administrative receivership. After briefly missing an issue — its first interruption in publication — Wilmington Group plc stepped in on 5 December 2006 to acquire the title. Wilmington's editorial director Tony Loynes, himself a former Press Gazette editor, led the rescue and appointed news editor Dominic Ponsford as editor.

In April 2009, Wilmington announced it would cease publication with the May 2009 issue. Within weeks, however, Mike Danson — founder of the data intelligence company Datamonitor and owner of the New Statesman — purchased the title through his company Progressive Media Group, preventing its permanent closure. Danson had recently consolidated ownership of the New Statesman and saw in Press Gazette a complementary, independent trade voice for the British media industry. Under Progressive Media's stewardship, the title was stabilized, and Ponsford continued as editor. The print edition switched to quarterly publication in June 2012 and ceased entirely at the start of 2013, when Press Gazette transitioned to a fully digital operation. A paywall was added to the website in May 2025.

Coverage and Content

Press Gazette describes its mission as "fighting for quality news media in the digital age." From its origins as a narrowly focused UK trade paper, it has evolved into an international trade publication for media leaders covering all sectors of the global news industry — national and regional newspapers (print and digital), magazines, broadcast journalism, B2B publishing, wires and agencies, and media technology. Its coverage extends to the United States and beyond, with a dedicated North America section and events on both sides of the Atlantic.

Key editorial pillars include breaking news on the media business, audience and circulation data (including monthly rankings of the top 50 UK and US news websites by traffic), analysis of platform-publisher relationships (particularly Google, Meta, and AI companies), media law and regulation, obituaries, and interviews with senior media leaders. A recurring investigative focus under editor-in-chief Dominic Ponsford has been what the publication calls "Reality Wars" — scrutiny of disinformation, fake experts, parasite SEO operations, and AI-generated content that threatens journalistic integrity. In recent years Press Gazette has reported extensively on the impact of AI on publishing revenues, newsroom job losses, and the strategies publishers are adopting to survive a rapidly changing digital landscape.

Ponsford, who has served as editor since 2006, is also credited with founding the British Journalism Awards, the Future of Media Awards, and the Future of Media Technology Conference, and with leading the "Save Our Sources" campaign, which resulted in a change to UK law protecting journalists' confidential sources.

The British Journalism Awards, launched by Press Gazette in 2012, are held annually and are described as the only journalism awards in the UK with a public-interest focus open to all media sectors — print, digital, broadcast, and B2B alike. Past ceremonies have been chaired by Ponsford and have recognized investigative work across a wide range of outlets, from large national titles to independent digital newsrooms.

Press Gazette's "The Wire" section functions as a rolling news ticker covering job moves, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory rulings, and corrections across the industry. Additional events produced by Press Gazette include the Future of Media Technology Conference and Awards, the Media 100 networking event for C-level media executives, and Future of Media Trends roundtables in both the UK and the United States.

Access and Funding

Press Gazette reaches more than 350,000 readers per month through its website, with a further 20,000 daily subscribers to its email newsletter, distributed via Substack. The weekly podcast, The Future of Media Explained, is available on major podcast platforms and covers media business developments, editor interviews, and industry analysis. A paid subscription tier, introduced in May 2025, sits alongside free access to much of the site's content.

Revenue is generated through subscriptions, display and classified advertising, recruitment advertising, sponsored partner content, and event revenue from the British Journalism Awards, Future of Media Technology Conference, and associated roundtables. Press Gazette receives no public subsidy and is not affiliated with any journalism trade union or professional body, though it regularly covers and comments on the work of organizations such as the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Society of Editors, and the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), by which it is itself regulated.

The publication is owned by Progressive Media Investments Ltd, a privately held company controlled by Mike Danson. Other titles within the Progressive Media group include the New Statesman, Spear's Wealth Management, and World of Fine Wine. Press Gazette states that its editorial operation is independent of its parent company and aims to cover the media industry without fear or favour.

Press Gazette / Progressive Media Investments Ltd
40–42 Hatton Garden
London, EC1N 8EB
United Kingdom

Phone: 0207 406 6734
Email: pged@pressgazette.co.uk
Website: pressgazette.co.uk
Newsletter: pressgazette.substack.com
Podcast: Future of Media Explained

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Regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO)