JUK's top five stories of 2025
Catch up with our essential coverage of this year so you can start the new year inspired and empowered
– 5 min read
As 2025 nearly wraps up for the year, we thought we'd reflect on the stories you've enjoyed the most since October when we (finally) migrated to our shiny new site.
We considered all sorts of ways to measure the 'most successful' stories beyond raw traffic, including engagement, loyalty and social reach. This is our definitive top 5 JUK stories.
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1. Our most-read: JournalismAI Festival round-up
I distilled a whirlwind of sessions from the JournalismAI Festival into bite-sized newsroom case studies, borrowing some inspiration and turning to an AI assistant for the job (yes, it’s all very meta). From robot comment prompts to chatbots that speak Guarani, the experiments ranged from brilliant to eyebrow-raising. The big lesson? When humans and machines team up with transparency, journalism gets a whole lot more interesting (and occasionally, a bit weird).
12 lessons from news outlets on the cutting edge of AI
Here are the key points, ideas and tips from the first day of the JournalismAI Festival in London
Jacob Granger
2. Top community piece: Vic Daniels on Google’s 'Jobs Bloodbath'
We've only just hit publish on this piece. But already, we're seeing high engagement numbers on this one through newsletter sign-ups and the in-article poll. GRV Media’s Vic Daniels has clearly hit a nerve here, warning that Google's latest changes could trigger a "jobs bloodbath" for publishers in 2026. With referral traffic plummeting and AI-generated content flooding Google Discover, Daniels says publishers are slashing jobs and scrambling to survive — while launching new projects to create direct engagement. The upshot? If things don’t change, the industry could see fewer opportunities for newcomers and a knock-on effect on the wider economy.
‘Jobs bloodbath’ coming in 2026 as Google changes drive publishers toward collapse
GRV Media executive chairman Vic Daniels speaks out against Google’s recent actions on search and Google Discover, which he feels have resulted in the company likely to kill the open web
Vic Daniels
3. Top Newsrewired piece: Madhav Chinnappa’s 'NATO for News' model
Amongst all the recent coverage from our Newsrewired conference, one piece really stood out. Ex-Google and BBC News exec Madhav Chinnappa pitched the idea of a "NATO for news" — a grand alliance of publishers banding together to license their content to AI and tech giants. Instead of everyone going it alone, newsrooms would offer structured data feeds as a united front, boosting their bargaining power and (hopefully) their revenue. Chinnappa admits the idea is not perfect, but in the wild west of AI, it might just be the "least worst" way to keep journalism in the game.
Ex-Google Madhav Chinnappa: ‘NATO for news’ model is our “least worst option” for dealing with AI
Would collective action provide stronger bargaining power and greater control? Or would it be too difficult to fairly distribute revenue and maintain collaboration?
Jacob Granger
4. Social stand-out: Jim Waterson on Launching London Centric
I'd been asking Jim to speak to us for ages and I'm made up to get this one over the line. The response to this piece on LinkedIn has made the effort worth it. Jim Waterson, the ex-Guardian media editor, seems to have a clear mission statement for his one-year-old local news Substack, London Centric: make journalism fun again. Read on for some great community growth pointers, healthy subscription numbers and what sustainable local news in the capital can look like.
Jim Waterson on founding London Centric: “You’ve got to have a bit of joy”
The former Guardian media editor has grown his Substack news title to 3.9k paying members with scoops, laughs and word of mouth
Jacob Granger
5. Best all-rounder: Jaldeep Katwala’s journey
Jaldeep Katwala's story is a roadmap in resilience. After a childhood filled with adversity and racist attacks, he took on a mission of reducing barriers for the next generation of journalists. This piece did exceptionally well and was enjoyed by both the fly-by users and the regular JUK readers. That's a big win in my book.
New media diversity director Jaldeep Katwala: Why visibility isn’t enough
From facing racist attacks as a child to becoming a prominent journalist, Katwala has spent four decades proving that adversity can fuel purpose. He’s now determined to ensure the next generation won’t have to fight as hard as he did
Jacob Granger
What stories did we miss this year? Let us know in the comment section below (you'll need to register with us)
This article was created using an AI Assistant before it was edited by a human
Written by
Jacob Granger is the community editor of JournalismUK
