The annual Future of News conference celebrating Britain’s “brilliant and extraordinary” media followed Stagwell’s announcement last week of a double-digit percentage rise in news brand ad spend
The conference, which took place in London on Tuesday, offered plenty of debate and discussion from leading figures inside the news industry.
The event was opened by Society of Editors president and Sky News director of newsgathering and operations Sarah Whitehead, who used her opening speech to highlight Britain’s “amazing journalism” as an antidote to misinformation and news avoidance.
“Big, bold journalism will stand head and shoulders above misinformation and disinformation”, Whitehead said. “Our journalism is our currency.”
She added that the industry should be proactive in talking about the “extraordinary work” it does to tell stories, to change laws for the better, to unearth scandals and corruption and to demand answers from those in power: “Of course, that’s what we do every day on our platforms… but we need to talk about the very best of it so much more and over a longer period of time.”
The Society of Editors’ Future of News conference came days after Stagwell’s own Future of News event. It saw the release of data that showed industry leaders consider news key for reaching important stakeholders.
On the back of the findings, Stagwell announced it will increase ad spend in news by 22% year on year, making a commitment to trusted journalism to bring high-value audiences to its clients.
Stagwell chairman and chief executive Mark Penn said: “At Stagwell, we believe supporting trusted journalism isn’t just good for society — it’s smart business. The data continues to back that up, which is why we’re doubling down on our commitment with a significant increase in news ad spend for 2025.”
