Mirror Owner Cuts 220 Jobs as AI Reshapes News Habits

The publisher behind the Mirror and Express newspapers is eliminating 220 editorial positions as it confronts a sharp decline in online traffic. The company states that readers are increasingly relying on artificial intelligence summaries to consume news, reducing the need to visit traditional websites. This move follows a previous restructuring in September that resulted in over 300 job cuts.

According to reporting by GN technics/ai (en-US), the cuts are part of a broader strategy to adapt to changing consumer behavior. Reach, which also owns regional titles like the Manchester Evening News and the Liverpool Echo, describes the current landscape as a significant shift in how audiences seek information. The company argues that it must focus its resources on areas where readers spend the most time and where revenue aligns with the value of its journalism.

AI tools reduce website visits

The primary driver for the layoffs is a 46% year-on-year drop in traffic from Google. Features such as AI Overviews and Google’s AI Mode provide answers directly in search results, negating the need for users to click through to publisher sites. This technological shift has effectively bypassed the traditional referral model that many digital news outlets depend on for their traffic and advertising revenue.

David Higgerson, the chief content officer at Reach, noted that the company is moving away from measuring success by page views. Instead, the focus is shifting to active engaged time. This change reflects a trade-off where high-volume, low-engagement content is deprioritized in favor of original journalism and distinctive brands that can sustain a paying subscriber base.

Regional brands face closure

As part of the restructuring, three online-only brands—KentLive, AberdeenLive, and GalwayBeo—will be closed. The company stated that these publications failed to become the dominant publisher in their respective regions. This decision highlights the intense competition in the local news market, where digital presence alone is no longer sufficient to maintain a viable business model.

While 220 editorial roles are being cut, the company plans to create about 60 new positions focused on driving digital revenue growth. These roles will concentrate on subscriptions and longer-form video content. This strategic pivot indicates a move toward a more premium, subscription-based model rather than relying on ad-driven traffic.

Competitive pressure from public broadcasters

Reach has also cited the expansion of the BBC as a contributing factor to its challenges. Higgerson claimed that the public broadcaster mirrors the local output of commercial publishers up to 70% of the time. This overlap creates a competitive environment where commercial newsrooms struggle to differentiate their local coverage, further squeezing their market share and revenue potential.

With digital revenues falling by nearly 1% to £128.9 million in the year to March, the pressure to increase paid subscriptions is mounting. The company currently has 50,000 paid digital subscribers and aims to reach 75,000 by the end of its financial year. The stakes are high, as the share price has already plunged 90% over the past five years, reflecting investor concerns about the sustainability of the digital news model.