Sky News has formed a consortium with other major news organisations to develop industry standards for AI’s fair use of their material.
The founding members – the Financial Times, The Guardian, the Daily Telegraph, the BBC and Sky News – are calling on other media leaders to join in and develop shared protocols to “protect original journalism” and respond to a “global challenge”.
In an open letter released on Thursday, they write: “Across the industry, our reporting, our archives, our original content, have become foundational training material for AI systems.
“This material has been scraped, copied and reused with no common standards to enable permission or payment, weakening the economic model that supports journalism.”
The alliance, called the Standards for Publisher Usage Rights coalition (SPUR), says that while the rise of AI brings opportunities for publishers and their audiences, it “also raises urgent questions about fairness, consent, attribution, transparency and trust”.
It adds: “The lack of transparency about how AI answers are created risks eroding public trust in both the news and the technologies used to access it.”
The letter outlining SPUR’s mission was signed by Sky News chairman David Rhodes; Telegraph Media Group chief executive Anna Jones; Financial Times chief executive Jon Slade; The Guardian chief executive Anna Bateson; and BBC director-general Tim Davie.
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They add in the joint letter: “Artificial Intelligence is fundamentally reshaping how content is created, distributed, discovered and monetised.
“We believe we need to come together to protect original journalism and secure the long-term sustainability of our industry.”
The move is seen as a response to widespread concerns over AI “scraping” of media sources without their permission.
SPUR said its goals were to work with tech companies and policy-makers to build a framework to “shape a market that rewards original reporting and supports responsible AI innovation”.
SPUR said it would develop shared industry standards that allow “original journalism to be used sustainably”, identify gaps in technical tools needed to “protect intellectual property and support their creation”, and enable the transparent use of news content.
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The coalition will also reduce friction in licensing, ensure that high-value content can be accessed through “rights cleared, accountable channels”, and evaluate existing industry infrastructure, including assessing where new approaches are needed.
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It also spelled out its ambitions to become a global coalition, acknowledging the widespread challenges posed by the AI innovation to news organisations all over the world.
To learn more or to express interest in joining the coalition, contact [email protected]
An Open Letter to Our Fellow Leaders in Global Media
From: Tim Davie, BBC Director-General; Jon Slade, CEO, Financial Times; Anna Bateson, CEO, The Guardian; David Rhodes, Executive Chairman, Sky News; Anna Jones, CEO, Telegraph Media Group
We write to you at a pivotal moment for our industry.
We invite you – global leaders across publishing, broadcasting, media and news – to join us as founding members of a new coalition: SPUR – the Standards for Publisher Usage Rights coalition.
Artificial Intelligence is fundamentally reshaping how content is created, distributed, discovered and monetised. We believe we need to come together to protect original journalism and secure the long-term sustainability of our industry.
AI brings opportunities for publishers and our audience. Our organisations are already at the forefront of using AI in responsible ways to benefit our audiences. But AI also raises urgent questions about fairness, consent, attribution, transparency and trust.
Across the industry, our reporting, our archives, our original content, have become foundational training material for AI systems. This material has been scraped, copied and reused with no common standards to enable permission or payment, weakening the economic model that supports journalism. The lack of transparency about how AI answers are created risks eroding public trust in both the news and the technologies used to access it.
SPUR’s mission is clear: to establish shared technical standards and responsible licensing frameworks that ensure AI developers can access high quality, reliable journalism in legitimate, responsible and convenient ways, while guaranteeing that publishers retain practical control of their content and receive fair value when it is used.
The coalition will:
• Develop shared industry standards, creating responsible ways for original journalism to be used sustainably
• Reduce friction in licensing and bridge the gap between publishers and AI developers
• Identify gaps in the technical tools needed to protect intellectual property, and support their creation
• Ensure high value content can be accessed through rights cleared, accountable channels
• Evaluate existing industry infrastructure and assess where new technologies or approaches are needed
• Enable transparent, scalable use of journalistic content
For more than two centuries, media organisations have invested in journalism and newsgathering that underpin informed, connected societies. Our work strengthens democracy, empowers citizens, and holds those in power to account. This contribution rests not only on our reach, but on the standards that sustain it: editorial accuracy, accountability and trust. Trust earned over decades.
This is a global challenge, and SPUR’s ambition is to be a global coalition. Working across the industry, we can build systems that respect original reporting, uphold public trust, and enable both journalism and AI to thrive. Together, we will work with tech companies to adopt responsible, rights-cleared pathways to journalistic content, and with policymakers to build a modern regulatory framework that protects publisher rights and sets clear expectations for responsible AI development.
Our goal is to help shape a market that rewards original reporting and supports responsible AI innovation.
We look forward to hearing from you.
David Rhodes, Executive Chairman, Sky News
Anna Jones, CEO, Telegraph Media Group
Anna Bateson, CEO, The Guardian
Tim Davie, BBC Director-General
Jon Slade, CEO, Financial Times
