Good morning from the team at Press Gazette on Wednesday, 13 May.

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🪙 The crazy world of cryptocurrency has become a busy patch for financial journalism.

Mainstream business titles and dozens of specialist publications feed readers hungry for tips on how to make a fast profit.

It has become the latest front in our ongoing investigation into journalism which has a questionable grounding in reality.

Acting on a tip-off, writer Rob Waugh has tried in vain to prove that four prolific freelance journalists writing mainly about cryptocurrency are real.

Between them they have more than 1,000 bylines in more than 30 publications (including some well-known mainstream brands).

Now they may just be the most weirdly reclusive freelance reporters in the world.

But the fact that neither they, nor the publications they work for, are able to verify their existence raises the possibility that something fishy is going on here.

The potential benefits for someone who ramps up a particular crypto coin are there. Connections between some of the four and a leading blockchain PR agency raise more questions.

The take home for publishers is this: verify the credentials for all your writers, preferably by checking photo ID.

It is shocking that none of the 30 publications that published the work of these four appear to have any idea who they are or are able to say with certainty that they even exist.

READ THE FULL STORY

🤏 News In Brief

Grazia editor-in-chief Hattie Brett will leave the publication in September after eight years at the helm. The magazine is said to be "in great shape". (Press Gazette)

Newsquest editorial development director Toby Granville is changing roles after 12 years to become regional editor for Newsquest’s South Coast titles, leading the drive to use AI in the area, and editor of the Bournemouth Echo. (Bournemouth Echo)

The BBC has reportedly ended its BBC Verify live blog as "the format hasn’t matched how people want to consume our work and it isn’t reaching the audience numbers we would like" but will strengthen the Verify presence on the main daily live pages. (The Times)

The BBC says around 19 million unique visitors came to the BBC News website on election results day on Friday, the highest figure since the 2024 general election. (X)

Creator platform Beehiiv has hired Ainsley Rossitto as head of podcasts, joining from Paramount Global where she was VP of digital strategy and operations for podcasts. Beehiiv said it hit its quarterly target for adoption of podcasts on the platform within 24 hours of launch last month.

CNN has launched a weather app because, chief operating officer Alex MacCallum says, "expanding beyond breaking news and into products that people want to use every day is a key part of our strategy". (CNN)

👀In case you missed it:

1) Thomson Reuters boss says AI licensing deals only involve archive text

News feed, video, images and audio are off the table in AI licensing deals says Steve Hasker.