Acquisitions, Layoffs and Launches: Media News Recap for May

Welcome to Media Insider, PR Newswire’s roundup of media news stories from the month. 

May was a month of shakeups and new beginnings across the media landscape. The Washington Post saw major leadership changes that signal a shift in direction, while a wave of acquisitions and strategic deals reshaped ownership across the industry. Staffing moves continued as newsrooms adjusted to ongoing economic pressures, even as new publications launched with bold ambitions. Meanwhile, AI remained front and center—both as a tool and a source of tension in how journalism is created and consumed.

Here’s what you need to know:

Major Changes at the Washington Post

The Washington Post is making major changes to its newsroom that are meant to broaden the outlet’s coverage and reach a wider audience, according to a staff memo from executive editor Matt Murray. The shifts follow months of high-profile staff departures and blowback to recent opinion coverage changes by owner Jeff Bezos.

As part of the newsroom overhaul, the Post will divide its national desk into two sections that focus on national reporting, and politics and government coverage, respectively. (Axios)

The paper is also offering voluntary buyouts to staff who have worked there for 10 or more years, to employees in the video department, and to all members of the copy and sports copy desks as part of its newsroom transformation plan. The Voluntary Separation Program offers are part of an effort “aimed at reshaping and modernizing the newsroom for the current environment,” said Murray. (MediaPost)

Additionally, technology workers at the Post voted 171 to 38 in favor of unionization. The new Washington Post Tech Guild represents over 300 engineers across engineering, product design and data roles at the newspaper. (HillRag)

More headlines from May:

• Press freedom in the U.S. has hit a record low. (Axios)
• Media trust is seeing growth within an unexpected group: Republicans. (MediaPost)
• The Wall Street Journal was named the most trusted business news outlet. (Talking Biz News)
• Pulitzer Prizes in Journalism, Letters, Drama and Music were announced. (Editor & Publisher)
• The New York Times added 250,000 digital-only subscribers in Q1. (New York Times)
• The White House launched a pro-Trump news aggregation site. (Axios)

RedBird Strikes $670 Million Deal for Britain’s Telegraph Newspaper

U.S. private-equity firm RedBird Capital Partners has struck a deal to acquire control of Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper in a deal valued at more than $670 million, capping a drawn-out sale process for the 170-year-old title.

RedBird comprises the right-leaning Daily Telegraph and lifestyle publisher Chelsea Magazine. The company had more than a million subscribers at the end of 2023, according to the most recent figures publicly available, making it one of the UK’s biggest newspaper publishers. It competes with rivals including Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, which publishes the Times of London and also owns The Wall Street Journal.

RedBird is ultimately expected to control about 75% of the media group, according to people familiar with the matter, though that could rise depending on the outcome of talks with other potential backers. (Wall Street Journal)

Other notable deals in May:

• Vox Media sold gaming and entertainment site Polygon to Valet. (Axios)
• Connoisseur Media acquired Alpha Media, making Connoisseur one of the largest radio groups in the U.S. (Radio Ink)
• Alden Global Capital purchased Sonoma Media Investments, parent of several California publications. (MediaPost)
• Sample News Group, publisher of over 75 titles in four states, acquired the assets of Cortland Standard Printing Company. (Editor & Publisher)
• The Texas Tribune acquired the Austin Monitor. (Texas Tribune)

The Guardian Plots U.S. Expansion Following Record Revenue Year

The Guardian is hiring for more than a dozen new editorial roles to support its U.S. expansion after growing its overall revenue year-over-year by 25%.

UK publications are scrambling to tap into America’s lucrative subscription and advertising markets, but The Guardian has found unprecedented success from reader revenue, or donations. That momentum suggests that progressive U.S. readers are eager for The Guardian’s global perspective amid a chaotic domestic news cycle.

The Guardian’s editor-in-chief Katharine Viner told staffers that the company’s U.S. expansion plan focuses on building the outlet’s presence in Washington, D.C.

In addition to hiring new political journalists, it plans to launch its first-ever U.S. daily news podcast from its New York headquarters. It will add a media reporter and its first-ever science reporter to chronicle shifts in the news landscape and science industry under the Trump administration. The Guardian also plans to expand its soccer coverage significantly ahead of the 2026 World Cup hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico. (Axios)

More staffing updates:

• The Baltimore Sun and Baltimore Banner are ramping up hiring. (MediaPost)
• The LA Times announced more layoffs. (MediaPost)
• Radio Free Asia cut most of its staff amid a funding battle with President Trump. (CNN Business)
• The anticipated closure of Gannett’s Michigan printing plant will result in the loss of 109 jobs. (MediaPost)
• Union workers at the Detroit Free Press approved a two-year contract with Gannett. (MediaPost)
• Hearst Connecticut employees voted to form a union with the NewsGuild-CWA. (NewsGuild-CWA)

Microsoft Launches Business Magazine Signal

Microsoft has started a business magazine called Signal aimed at business leaders.

The first issue includes an essay by Bill Gates, a Q&A with CEO Satya Nadella, and a lifestyle section at the back.

Signal’s articles are written by a mix of in-house staff, which includes former journalists, and contributors from Delayed Gratification, a UK-based magazine that operates under the slogan “last to breaking news.” (Columbia Journalism Review)

Other launches this month:

• Imagine, a new high-fashion and pop culture magazine, debuted with a 252-page print issue. (MediaPost)
• Longtime aviation journalist John Walton launched The Up Front to cover the industry. (Talking Biz News)
• Time launched Time Longevity to cover life-extending innovations. (MediaPost)
• States Newsroom is planning a political news podcast. (MediaPost)
• CNBC rolled out a weekly newsletter, “CNBC UK Exchange with Ian King.” (Talking Biz News)
• Bloomberg Businessweek and iHeartPodcasts launched a podcast. (MediaPost)
• La Opinión debuted ÍCONOS, a new series spotlighting influential Hispanic figures. (Editor & Publisher)

Newsroom Workers Are Winning Protections in Labor Deals

Publishers about to negotiate labor contracts better be prepared for one thing: Workers are now demanding—and winning—AI protections.

More than two dozen collective bargaining agreements contain language covering artificial intelligence, according to the NewsGuild. The purpose is to protect jobs—and journalistic integrity. Guild members have escalated their actions to the point of going on strike to win AI language in agreements.

For instance, the Ziff Davis Guild pushed for strong language, stating that AI shall not result in layoffs or pay reductions or be used to fill vacant positions. And the New Republic Guild members won language that says generative AI “may be used by bargaining unit employees as a complementary tool in editorial work, but it may not be used as a primary tool for creation of such.” (MediaPost)

More AI stories from May:

• Politico’s newsroom clashes with management over AI policies. (Wired)
• Pulitzer winners spotlight AI’s role in their reporting. (NiemanLab)
• The Chicago Sun-Times confirmed AI was used to create a reading list of books that don’t exist. (The Guardian)
• Survey: Over 80% of creators use AI in their workflow. (MediaPost)
• OpenAI halted a controversial effort to place its AI business under the control of a for-profit entity. (Wall Street Journal)
• Google is using publisher content for AI Overviews, even if publishers have “opted out.” (NiemanLab)
• A TV meteorologist built an AI avatar that creates its own forecasts. (TVNewsCheck)

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