Review of UK and world papers and coverage of UK and global journalism stories and Journalism History for Thursday 23rd October 2025.
Journalism is the first draft of history and these daily reports seek to provide an online briefing of the history of journalism for each day featured.
The Chartered Institute of Journalists remembers all the professional journalists and media workers murdered and killed while doing their work this year in all parts of the world and remember the immense sacrifice of those who gave their lives to the profession in the past. We send our condolences to their families, friends and professional colleagues.
The Chartered Institute of Journalists wishes to make it absolutely clear that all our reporting of stories about journalism and media saying ‘reports’ ‘writes for’ ‘briefing’ or attribution followed by colon, does not imply or mean our agreement or endorsing with the quoted headline or linked story. Our policy is impartiality & apolitical.
X posts:-
BBC News Papers Review analysing front pages of UK national newspapers for Thursday 23rd October 2025: “‘One in, one out and back in again’ and ‘teen killer unmasked.'” See: https://x.com/CIoJournalist/status/1981251464249970946
To:
Julia Hartley-Brewer interviews Lord Toby Young of the Free Speech Union on Talk TV: ‘“Political Tools To Silence People.” Police To Stop Recording Non-Crime Hate Incidents.’ See: https://x.com/CIoJournalist/status/1981257094733910292
CIoJ LinkedIn news edited by Liz Justice:
Investigation into Russian shadow fleet wins the 2025 Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism. See: https://www.linkedin.com/…/urn:li:activity…
Guardian reports: “Pentagon names new press corps from far-right outlets after reporter walkout. Spokesperson calls journalists who refused to agree to new rules ‘self-righteous media who chose to self-deport.’” See: https://x.com/CIoJournalist/status/1981445960891875422
Latest postings at https://www.linkedin.com/groups/63500/
Opportunity to sponsor CIoJ Young Journalist Awards for 2026. ‘Host a category and add your brand to the 2026 Young Journalist Awards.’ See: https://www.cioj.org/young-journalists-awards-2026/
Entry for CIoJ Young Journalist of the Year awards for 2026 is now open. Register to be ready to put in your nominations. See: https://registration.livegroup.co.uk/youngjournalistaward/contenttabs/?ctid=5607
Put your young journalists into these awards
If you have young journalists (30 or under), working in-house or on a freelance basis on your team why not encourage them to enter any of the categories that may apply.
ENTER ONLINE FOR FREE:
https://registration.livegroup.co.uk/youngjournalistaward
Non-members of the Chartered Institute of Journalists can enter and will receive a range of benefits, see below link, and category winners will be given prizes in addition to an award.
Key dates, benefits, and FAQs can be found on the website here:
https://registration.livegroup.co.uk/youngjournalistaward/faq
The range of awards offer an opportunity for young journalists to showcase their work, gain recognition for themselves and the media outlet, in any UK location, that they write for, and win prizes.
Please share this invitation with your young journalists.
Many congratulations to winners, specially commended and finalists in inaugural 2025 CIoJ Young Journalist of the Year Awards, on 25th March 2025. See: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/live-group_youngjournalistawards-journalismmatters-cioj-activity-7310632030642339840-68d4?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAeLiVwB8a2_okGmo5JT2aJ02kIVH-ra9No
Many congratulations to Gerald Bowey, the new President of the Chartered Institute of Journalists and Caroline Roddis, the new Vice-President. Their roles were confirmed in a handover event at the Reform Club in Central London on Tuesday 20th February 2024.
Bowey emphasised the guidance, support, and encouragement that had been at the heart of the Institute for 140 years and announced the launch of a new Young Journalist of the Year awards scheme that would encourage journalists under 30 years of age to enter a range of categories.
Commenting Bowey said: “the Institute is focused on supporting working journalists, both in-house and freelance, in the workplace, as a trade union, and in sustaining journalists in difficult circumstances as a charitable trust.
-o-
Two Fellows of the Chartered Institute of Journalists at the heart of British Journalism History
T.P.O’Connor founder of London campaigning evening newspaper The Star in 1888 and Arthur Burrows the first journalist and news presenter at the B.B.C. 1922.
-o-
CIoJ member Clare Hollingworth OBE (1911-2017) – The first war correspondent to report the outbreak of World War II, described as “the scoop of the century”
Listen to Imperial War Museum archive interview with Clare recorded in 2001
-o-
CIoJ X news feed at: https://x.com/CIoJournalist
CIoJ LinkedIn news feed edited by Liz Justice at: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/63500/
CIoJ Facebook news feed at: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077475452242
Review of UK national newspapers for Thursday 23rd October 2025.
‘Farce’ at the Channel dominates as Starmer’s migrant plan under fire.
Thursday’s front pages are united by one story — the return of a deported migrant to Britain by small boat — with tabloids branding the episode a “farce” while broadsheets focus on Labour’s policy pressures and fiscal challenges.
At a glance
- Several front pages — including the Mail, Express, Sun, Telegraph and Metro — focus on a migrant deported to France who has reportedly returned to the UK by small boat.
- Tabloids brand the episode a “farce”, while opposition papers criticise the government’s handling of asylum policy.
- The Guardian and Financial Times lead on different stories, highlighting tensions over a grooming gang inquiry and Labour’s tax plans.
- The Mirror and Star opt for crime and entertainment, underlining the continuing pull of dramatic and escapist headlines.
A single story dominates much of Thursday’s front pages, as newspapers across the political spectrum focus on the case of a migrant deported to France under Sir Keir Starmer’s “one in, one out” asylum policy who has reportedly returned to Britain by small boat.
The Daily Mail, Daily Express, The Sun, The Telegraph and Metro all lead with strikingly similar headlines — many variations of “One in, one out and back again.” The repetition underlines the political resonance of the issue, while also showing how powerfully tabloids can shape a narrative through shared phrasing and imagery.
The Daily Express calls the situation a “farce”, declaring “It’s one in, one out and back in again!” Its front page image of migrants packed onto an inflatable dinghy off the French coast sets a dramatic tone, reflecting the paper’s long-standing focus on border control. The Daily Mail echoes that sentiment even more forcefully with its headline “Le Farce”, branding the situation as evidence that “Starmer’s flagship borders policy” is falling apart. Both papers use dark, heavy typography and sea imagery to underscore what they frame as chaos at the Channel.
The Sun joins in with typically punchy brevity. “Come Again?” it asks in huge block letters, describing an “asylum boat farce” and printing almost identical photos of the crowded dinghy used elsewhere. The overlapping coverage points to a coordinated visual narrative across the mid-market tabloids — high-drama pictures of peril at sea paired with ridicule directed at the government’s handling of migration.
The Daily Telegraph adopts a similar angle but in a more restrained register. “One in, one out… and back in again,” it declares above an image of Kim Kardashian at a London film premiere — an incongruous juxtaposition offering a blend of politics and celebrity. Its lead story calls Starmer’s returns scheme “ridiculed” and details criticism from opposition MPs and commentators.
The Metro headline — “One in, one out and then back in again” — mirrors the others but adds a note of disbelief, describing the case as a “bizarre twist in Starmer’s migrant plan.” The inclusion of a large portrait of a teenage convicted killer in a separate story, beside the migrant coverage, makes for a visually arresting but jarring front page.
Elsewhere, The Guardian takes a markedly different approach. Its lead story reports on “fresh turmoil” over the government’s grooming gang inquiry, with the deportation story relegated to a side column. The photo of firefighters carrying a child in Ukraine — repeated on the Financial Times front page — provides a humanitarian counterpoint to the domestic political headlines dominating elsewhere. The Guardian’s design is cleaner, its language less emotive, reflecting its editorial distance from the tabloid framing of migration.
The Financial Times, meanwhile, stays firmly focused on economics and global affairs. “Lawyers and accountants rail against Reeves’ plans for tax raid on partners” leads the page, with a smaller story on Russian drone strikes in Ukraine. The sober layout and absence of the migrant story altogether underline its differing priorities — policy, markets and war rather than Westminster politics or moral outrage.
The i newspaper splits the difference: “Raise income tax, Reeves urged – as Labour Budget splits emerge.” The layout prioritises fiscal debate but nods to the day’s other talking points, including the grooming gang inquiry row.
The Daily Mirror and Daily Star diverge from the political consensus entirely. The Mirror’s dramatic “Unmasked” headline reveals the identity of a teenage murderer, dominating the page with the victim’s and perpetrator’s photos. The Star, as ever, opts for entertainment over policy, with “Traitor at the Beeb” — a TV spoiler scandal — splashed across its front.
Broadly Thursday’s front pages offer a revealing cross-section of the UK media mood. For much of Fleet Street, migration is once again a symbol of government competence and control — framed through outrage, repetition, and potent imagery of boats at sea. Elsewhere, the Guardian and FT steer towards policy and empathy, while the Mirror and Star remind readers that sensationalism and escapism still sell papers, even on a day of high political drama.
CIoJ LinkedIn news stories, Hold The Front Page news stories, Guardian media news stories, Press Gazette news stories, Arab News media stories and other stories from miscellaneous sources
The Institute calls on Belarus to release the journalists and media workers it has detained. Belarus is currently ranked 167th out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index. See: https://rsf.org/en/country/belarus RSF states: ‘To silence independent journalists, the authorities have resorted to state-sponsored terrorism, including censorship, violence, mass arrests, and coordinated raids on homes and media offices, as well as disbanding the Association of Belarusian Journalists (BAJ).’
The CIoJ calls on all governments and states unjustly detaining journalists for doing their professional work to respect freedom of expression, the right to liberty and free them immediately. See: https://rsf.org/en/new-record-number-journalists-jailed-worldwide
North American Newspapers for Thursday 23rd October 2025
French Newspapers for Thursday 23rd October 2025
Montage of world newspapers for Thursday 23rd October 2025
-o-
This posting has been produced with the assistance of AI editorial and production services.
All Kultura Press online publications are on Open Access to support the dissemination of knowledge and understanding about journalism, journalism history and other subjects. The research and writing for this ongoing project is not funded in any way. If you would like to assist covering any of the costs involved, do consider making any kind of donation and/or subscribing monthly or yearly using the form below. Many thanks for your consideration.
-o-
Make a one-time donation
Make a monthly donation
Make a yearly donation
Choose an amount
Or enter a custom amount
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
More Open Access online publications from Kultura Press Chelsea History and Studies George Orwell Studies Media Law Studies Writing Audio Drama That’s So Goldsmiths Journalism History Studies Somerset Maugham Studies Dad’s Army Studies Joseph Conrad Studies Maigret History and Studies Writing for Broadcast Journalists 3rd Edition