🧵 The latest issue of The Heads Up newsletter is out today. From front-page scoops and award wins to major industry updates and a buzzing data journalism conference at BCU, here’s your weekly round-up👇

A great opportunity for our sports journalism students wanting to grow their portfolio

Good news for MA alumnus @BarnieChoudhury #bcujournos

⚽️ Check out the latest visual Times feature by @MyBCU journalism alumnus @GWJournalism thetimes.com/article/b91c5ce…

👀Check out the latest story by @MyBCU MA journalism alumna Olivia Lee for The Guardian theguardian.com/society/2026…

“A regional publisher is creating 50 new journalism jobs in a major recruitment drive which will also see at least four titles regaining dedicated editors” holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2026/…

⚽️ The latest @guardian article by MA alumnus @TomJGarry #bcujournos

Reporters Without Borders says press freedom is at a 25-year low with over half of countries now in "difficult" or "very serious" categories. UK has risen 2 places to 18th despite "alarming attacks" on Iranian journalists, lawsuits, job cuts and low trust. rsf.org/en/2026-rsf-index-pr…

Statement on the integrity of the Draft National Artificial Intelligence Policy Following revelations that the Draft National Artificial Intelligence Policy published for public comment contains various fictitious sources in its reference list, we initiated internal questions which have now confirmed that this was the case. This failure is not a mere technical issue but has compromised the integrity and credibility of the draft policy. As such, I am withdrawing the Draft National Artificial intelligence Policy. South Africans deserve better. The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies did not deliver on the standard that is acceptable for an institution entrusted with the role to lead South Africa ‘s digital policy environment. The most plausible explanation is that AI-generated citations were included without proper verification. This should not have happened. In fact, this unacceptable lapse proves why vigilant human oversight over the use of artificial intelligence is critical. It’s a lesson we take with humility. I want to reassure the country that we are treating this matter with the gravity it deserves. There will be consequence management for those responsible for drafting and quality assurance. End.

We've uncovered the biggest publishers on Youtube in a ranking ranking of all English-language news accounts on the platform with more than one million subscribers The BBC overtook four leading news Youtube accounts since the last ranking in January 2025

🎥 In this masterclass video of #GIJNAcademy, investigative reporter and audio journalism producer Susanne Reber shares key tips on how to investigate, write, and produce a compelling investigative podcast 🎙️. She shares insights on how you get the humanity out of a moment that makes for a good audio piece, how you encourage interviewees to a more visual style of storytelling, and gives advice on what details journalists should pay attention to: “If it’s not on tape, it’s not gonna make the show!” Watch the full video here ⬇️ twp.ai/4hpa7J

MA journalism alumna Caroline Beavon is building a 1-room immersive installation for this year’s Artists Open Houses in Brighton, “with interactive scrollable stories, projection and a few surprises” carolinebeavon.substack.com/… #bcujournos

Inspirational. BA and MA alumna Fahima Khatun directed breaking news coverage at Sky News "through the night following the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner involving Donald Trump." linkedin.com/posts/fahima-kh… #bcujournos

‘Age of misinformation is here’, academic warns at AI journalism conference apigateway.agilitypr.com/dis…

You can follow our AI and the Future of News 2026 conference all day today. We are live on Zoom or you can watch on YouTube: youtube.com/watch?v=3r4grJ5z… reutersinstitute.politics.ox…

The NUJ has welcomed the Local Media Strategy while calling for further measures to revitalise local journalism - including "addressing the huge power imbalance between local publishers and tech giants". nuj.org.uk/resource/nuj-welc…

Government increases BBC World Service funding by £33m over three years bbc.in/4sV8fON

Culture Sec Lisa Nandy is “really concerned” about the efficacy of press regulator IPSO She questioned: “If only 1% of complaints are upheld and nobody has ever been fined, is that because everything that is produced by the press in this country is 100% true and accurate...?"

“The Local News Fund is part of the Local Media Strategy, aiming to “guarantee the long-term sustainability of local journalism” as part of wider plans to boost social cohesion in the UK.” pressgazette.co.uk/publisher…

Have a listen @BCUJournalism