|
 |
Fighting for journalism and profitable news media
Why News Corp has launched California edition of New York Post
Plus football publisher focuses on creator-led social content with 30-plus-strong team
|
| |||||||||||||||
Hello from the team at Press Gazette on Tuesday, 27 January.
 |
🗞️Launching a tabloid newspaper in 2026 is counter intuitive to say the least.
The last major tabloid launch I can recall - The New Day from Trinity Mirror (now Reach) - lasted just nine weeks in 2016.
But News Corp rarely follows received wisdom and has just launched The California Post with a founding team of around 100 people.
Of course the California Post will also have an app, dedicated website and social media channels. We spoke to New York Post editor-in-chief Keith Poole (formerly of The Sun) and California Post editor-in-chief Nick Papps to find out why and how the new title is being launched.
 |
📲Social-first publishing funded by native advertising placement for brands is one of the big themes of 2026.
It is something which Reach, DMG Media, Future and News UK have all invested heavily in. This is content that blurs the line between editorial and marketing and relies on talented creators who can connect with younger users of platforms like Tiktok and Instagram.
Toxic as these platforms can be, they are where the audience is (and the marketing spend) so publishers (especially those chasing mass market appeal) have to be there.
 |
The one exception is the war in Ukraine, which has become a focus of open-source intelligence reporting from outfits like Bellingcat.
According to Iain Overton of the charity Action on Armed Violence: “International frameworks such as the Arms Trade Treaty in part rely on journalists exposing the failure of states preventing certain weapons from getting from manufacturer to battlefield.”