Michael Savage
@michaelsavage.bsky.social
Media Editor for @theguardian.com. Likes ≠ endorsements, obv. Story? 👇👇👇 Michael.savage@theguardian.com Need a secure way to contact me? Signal username: word_builder.20
NEW: BBC has spent hundreds of millions of pounds of its cash reserves in a single year. Reserves fell 66% from £369m in 2025 to just £125m. When Matt Brittin said he wasn't aware of the extend of the BBC's problems, this is big part of what he meant. www.theguardian.com/media/2026/s...
BBC cash reserves hit lowest level in a decade after big single-year spend
Exclusive: Reserves at public service arm drop 66% as broadcaster undertakes large cuts in effort to save £500m
theguardian.com
Wow... big story in the battle between news companies and AI model scraping... check out these quotes - from unsealed court docs. The action is against Microsoft and OpenAI. 😮
Thanks to AI, dogs will be house trained for the first time in history
Reach's changes in strategy over the last 18 months have been fascinating to watch, belatedly leaning in to subscriptions over, yes, reach. But another round of job cuts today as Google referrals plunge... Really sorry for all those affected.
Michael Savage@michaelsavage.bsky.social · 2mo agoNEW: What happens when you have a model that relies on tech giants? It can go south very quickly... Reach, owner of Mirror/Express, saw a *40%* fall in its websites' audience. Google referrals fell *55%*. It managed to offset the impact, but extraordinary numbers.
NEW: Reform again accused of leaking the Telegraph a story it had been approached about by another outlet. This “spoiler” tactic is causing concerns among some at the Tel. Insiders say this isn’t fair - reporters didn’t know it was a spoiler. Story: www.theguardian.com/media/2026/s...
‘Significant unease’ at the Telegraph over Reform using outlet for ‘spoiler’ tactics
Recent instances of Nigel Farage’s party trying to gain sympathetic coverage leads to debate over reporting practices
theguardian.com
NEW: Jack Thorne, one of Britain’s most successful screen and stage writers, has warned that some people in his profession are using AI “to cheat”. Calls for laws banning the secret use of the technology to generate scripts. www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/s...
Jack Thorne warns some fellow scriptwriters are using AI ‘to cheat’
Adolescence co-writer criticises government inaction and calls for laws banning secret use of AI to generate scripts
theguardian.com
NEW: A fallen 90s star may seem an unlikely TikTok hit, but Michael Barrymore is snacking his way to 5m followers. A case study in modern media - shunned by TV execs, loved by the algorithm. “We’ve swapped human gatekeepers for algorithmic ones.” www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...
Michael Barrymore becomes unlikely TikTok star with nearly 5m followers
Former primetime TV host films himself eating dog biscuits, doing ‘munchie runs’ and addressing pool death case
theguardian.com
Truly off the scale in terms of UK politics. Nothing like this before. Farage lands record £36m donation www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/202...
telegraph.co.uk
The AI issue that alarms me - models update themselves in training, so engineers don't actually know how its numerical parameters generate particular answers. Parallels with the toxic financial products that spread the Great Recession. Humans lost sight of what's in the box.
Bluesky daily users have fallen a lot since the spring, almost halving - but seems to have stabilised at the current level. Has there been a gravitational pull back to X? Hard to tell without solid X data. EU users have halved since the Musk takeover, but that also seems to have levelled out.
NEW: Elon Musk denounces new four-hour documentary about his life and influence as a “hit piece”. Labels film-maker Alex Gibney a “bitter old man” who has “zero integrity”. In doing so, leans into conspiracy. Story: www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Elon Musk attacks film-maker behind documentary about him
Tech mogul calls director Alex Gibney a ‘bitter old man’ who has ‘zero integrity’ in series of posts on X
theguardian.com
NEW: BBC DG Matt Brittin has conceded there is a real prospect of industrial action at the BBC, as staff reject new pay offer. He spoke to staff yesterday. More job cuts coming, too. With 340 job cuts at Channel 4, rapid media change biting with broadcasters. www.theguardian.com/media/2026/s...
BBC boss concedes real prospect of strikes over pay and job cuts
Matt Brittin says ‘cupboard is bare’ after staff reject average 2.1% pay rise in dispute
theguardian.com
One of the things going on here is the rise of the ambiguous "independent journalist", which can mean many things - but certainly has become part of the blurring of activism/journalism debate
Michael Savage@michaelsavage.bsky.social · 2w agoNEW: Trump administration attacks UK plans to boost traditional media on social platforms. Warns state involvement in picking "trusted" sources risks "viewpoint-based censorship". Says authoritarian regimes would use it as cover for online clampdown. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
NEW: Trump administration attacks UK plans to boost traditional media on social platforms. Warns state involvement in picking "trusted" sources risks "viewpoint-based censorship". Says authoritarian regimes would use it as cover for online clampdown. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Trump administration attacks UK plans to boost traditional media on social platforms
US embassy says Downing Street’s plan to give BBC, ITV and other established media more online visibility carries risk of ‘censorship’
theguardian.com
Back in 2015 when Burnham said he would not give interviews/opeds to the Sun, the paper hit back - hard. They asked: “Is two-faced Burnham the most hypocritical politician in Britain?” The media landscape has changed since then, but will they hit back this time?
Michael Savage@michaelsavage.bsky.social · 2w agoNEW: Andy Burnham will refuse exclusive interview/written article requests from the Sun, it is claimed today. @TomBaldwin66 cites 3 sources stating Burnham will give "no special favours" to the Murdoch paper. Says “consternation” within News UK over it. observer.co.uk/news/politic...
NEW: Andy Burnham will refuse exclusive interview/written article requests from the Sun, it is claimed today. @TomBaldwin66 cites 3 sources stating Burnham will give "no special favours" to the Murdoch paper. Says “consternation” within News UK over it. observer.co.uk/news/politic...
Hurt over Hillsborough prompts Burnham to block out the Sun
The PM would become the first national leader since Labour’s James Callaghan in the 1970s to not co-operate with the paper
observer.co.uk
Here's our recent piece on how Chicken Shop Date went from YouTube obscurity to beating prime time in just a decade - a great example of rapid media change... www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Rise of Chicken Shop Date highlights how YouTube turned the tables on TV
Amelia Dimoldenberg says publicists ignored her interview show for years but she can now be picky over A-list guests
theguardian.com
Michael Savage@michaelsavage.bsky.social · 2w agoNEW: Amelia Dimoldenberg announces Chicken Shop Date is coming to an end..! Comes after recently saying the YouTube show now ranked alongside Graham Norton/Radio1 Breakfast for influence. A massive media change. Now working on movie and with BBC on teen drama.
NEW: Amelia Dimoldenberg announces Chicken Shop Date is coming to an end..! Comes after recently saying the YouTube show now ranked alongside Graham Norton/Radio1 Breakfast for influence. A massive media change. Now working on movie and with BBC on teen drama.
NEW: The BBC has WITHDRAWN the promise of a job to a group of apprentices. The decision has angered some inside the broadcaster, who see it as unfair and short sighted. This is all before the bulk of big cuts coming. A tough time at the beeb. www.theguardian.com/media/2026/s...
Anger as BBC withdraws jobs promise for apprentices amid sweeping cuts
Exclusive: Some staff call decision a betrayal of young apprentices who are often selected to increase diversity
theguardian.com
NEW: Ten years ago, Amelia Dimoldenberg was told trying to get a celeb on her YouTube show was madness. Agents wouldn't touch it. Now she says Chicken Shop Date ranks alongside Graham Norton/Radio 1 breakfast on a manager's wishlist. Premium eg of media change: www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Rise of Chicken Shop Date highlights how YouTube turned the tables on TV
Amelia Dimoldenberg says publicists ignored her interview show for years but she can now be picky over A-list guests
theguardian.com
Here’s the link to my original story on this. brokenbottleboy.substack.com/p/who-watche...
Who watches the Watchman? Reform UK’s new ‘investigative journalism’ front revealed
The story of a brave reporter infiltrating the migrant boats is a perfectly tooled piece of propaganda designed to give Nigel Farage a new version of the same old story.
brokenbottleboy.substack.com
Michael Savage@michaelsavage.bsky.social · 3w agoShould TalkTV have stated a reporter who reached Britain via a small boat was a Reform member/activist? Media critic @brokenbottleboy.bsky.social says failing to gave a partial picture. Isabel Oakeshott, who oversaw doc, says how he votes is "his own business": www.theguardian.com/media/2026/a...
Should TalkTV have stated a reporter who reached Britain via a small boat was a Reform member/activist? Media critic @brokenbottleboy.bsky.social says failing to gave a partial picture. Isabel Oakeshott, who oversaw doc, says how he votes is "his own business": www.theguardian.com/media/2026/a...
TalkTV under fire for not disclosing reporter’s ties to Reform UK in Channel crossing film
Christian Drogan’s Invading Britain shows former builder turned journalist trying to travel from France to England in small boat
theguardian.com
NEW: UK YouTube?! Matt Brittin backs creating a “public service algorithm” free from big tech biases. Suggests inviting creators to make YouTube-style content curated by algorithm “biased towards what we want public service to be”. Radical. Realistic? www.theguardian.com/media/2026/a...
BBC chief proposes ‘public-service algorithm’ with YouTube-style user-generated content
Speaking at Edinburgh TV festival, Matt Brittin says BBC platform would be free from interests of US tech giants
theguardian.com
The interesting thing is I don't think Amol was trying to aim a barb with this. Part of the issue the BBC faces is there is now an assumption media changes will keep shrinking it - managed decline. Grappling with that assumption is part of the big challenge Matt Brittin faces.
Michael Savage@michaelsavage.bsky.social · 3w agoNEW: Amol Rajan warns BBC destined to shrink at ‘accelerating rate’ Today programme host has a grim prediction for the corporation as he prepares to head off to his YouTube venture. Comes as YouTube's Europe boss says the platform is "not the villain" www.theguardian.com/media/2026/a...
NEW: Amol Rajan warns BBC destined to shrink at ‘accelerating rate’ Today programme host has a grim prediction for the corporation as he prepares to head off to his YouTube venture. Comes as YouTube's Europe boss says the platform is "not the villain" www.theguardian.com/media/2026/a...
Amol Rajan warns BBC destined to shrink at ‘accelerating rate’
Presenter says he is moving to YouTube to avoid being left ‘behind the curve’ as media landscape changes
theguardian.com
Meta’s $17bn settlement in context. Annually, this figure equates to less than 1% of the Meta’s global ad income – and 2% of US ad revenue – each year. Source: Madison and Wall
NEW: A media hire that shows how fast media power is shifting. Deborah Turness, ex-BBC News boss, hired by agency Independent Talent Group. Her job? To build content/brands around their clients. "Talent" bypassing media cos to to it themselves - as technology means they can.
NEW: As their podcast operations both get signed up by big streamers, the Gary Lineker/Gary Neville rivalry heats up further. Who's the pundit Lineker would love to have? Neville's star man, Roy Keane. "He's box office." www.theguardian.com/football/202...
‘He’s box office’: Gary Lineker admits wanting Roy Keane to join The Rest Is Football
Podcast co-host says tongue-in-cheek that ex-Manchester United captain would like to sign up for his show
theguardian.com
