Review of UK and world papers and coverage of UK and global journalism stories and Journalism History for Friday 24th 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 Friday 24th October 2025: “‘We are Strictly Done Dancing’ and ‘Stop the show trials.'” See: https://x.com/CIoJournalist/status/1981613752115220922
To:
Sky News Press Preview on front pages of UK national newspapers for Friday 24th October 2025. With Daily Telegraph’s associate political editor Tony Diver and political journalist Zoe Grunewald. i headline: ‘Reeves in talks on 1p income tax rise.’ See: https://x.com/CIoJournalist/status/1981617036817039593
CIoJ LinkedIn news edited by Liz Justice:
Hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly have confirmed they have quit as the hosts for Strictly Come Dancing, after 21 years. See: https://www.linkedin.com/…/urn:li:activity…
To:
Journalist Michael Wolff has filed a lawsuit against US First Lady Melania Trump, accusing her of shutting down questions relating to her and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. See: https://www.linkedin.com/…/urn:li:activity…
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.
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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.
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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
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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
Official CIoJ LinkedIn site for Institute news and projects at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-chartered-institute-of-journalists/posts/?feedView=all
Chartered Institute of Journalists website at: https://www.cioj.org/
Review of UK national newspapers for Friday 24th October 2025.
Friday’s front pages are split between history and showbusiness — with the King’s meeting with the Pope hailed as a symbolic act of unity, while tabloids celebrate the surprise departure of Strictly Come Dancing hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.
At a glance
- Broadsheets lead with images of the King and Pope at the Vatican, marking the first joint act of worship between a British monarch and pontiff in 500 years.
- The Telegraph, Times and Mail pair the story with reaction to the Bloody Sunday court ruling, as veterans call for an end to prosecutions.
- The Guardian and i focus on reports that Chancellor Rachel Reeves is considering a 1p rise in income tax to plug a £30bn shortfall.
- Tabloids devote their front pages to the surprise resignation of Strictly Come Dancing hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman — with headlines ranging from “We Are Strictly Done Dancing” (Express) to “Tess & Claud’s Secret Pact to Quit” (Sun).
- The Mirror and Star blend both stories, capturing the day’s mix of solemn statecraft and national entertainment.
King meets Pope as Strictly hosts take a final bow
Two stories share top billing across Friday’s front pages — a historic meeting between the King and the Pope at the Vatican, and the surprise departure of Strictly Come Dancing hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman. The split in focus reflects Britain’s enduring mix of constitutional gravity and celebrity affection.
The Daily Telegraph, The Times, and Financial Times all lead with images from the Vatican, where the King joined Pope Leo XIV in the Sistine Chapel for what is described as the first joint act of worship between an English monarch and a pontiff in 500 years. The Telegraph headline, “King and Pope bridge 500-year divide with a single Amen,” accompanies a striking wide shot of the frescoed chapel — a photograph rich in symbolism and grandeur. Below it, the paper’s main headline, “Stop the show trials for veterans,” ties the solemn imagery to a domestic plea for justice, contrasting reverence with recrimination.
The Times uses the same image but leads on “Judge clears the only Bloody Sunday soldier tried for murder,” giving the front page a sense of closure — judicial and historical. Its secondary story, “Grooming inquiry may be off until next year,” sustains scrutiny of government follow-through on social policy.
The Financial Times also foregrounds the Vatican service, calling it a “Bridge of faith,” but its dominant headline — “Asia refineries weigh curbing Russia oil after US sanctions” — situates the event within a page more concerned with global economics. The FT’s composition, balancing diplomacy with markets, epitomises its editorial priorities.
The Guardian adopts a political lens, leading with “Reeves ‘discussing an increase to income tax’ in November budget.” The King and Pope share the lower half of the page under the headline “Symbolic step,” the image offering calm and continuity beside fiscal unease. The design — split between politics, culture, and international affairs — mirrors the paper’s broader, progressive palette.
The i takes a similar economic focus: “Reeves in talks on 1p income tax rise – risking Labour manifesto pledge to fill £30bn hole.” The paper also nods to the Vatican meeting in a bright yellow side panel headlined “United front,” and, like several titles, gives space to the Strictly resignations with the caption “America is calling.” Its colour blocks and tight typography lend clarity to a visually busy news day.
If the broadsheets turned their gaze to Rome, the popular press turned to the ballroom. The Daily Express devotes its entire front to a beaming Tess and Claudia under the bold declaration, “We are Strictly done dancing.” The exuberant pink background, celebratory confetti, and large-format portrait make for a front page brimming with affection rather than loss — a showbiz farewell, not a scandal.
That tone shifts sharply in the Sun, which opts for tabloid intrigue: “Tess & Claud’s secret pact to quit.” The paper claims the presenters “vowed to go a year ago,” and sets the story against the wider frame of a “Scandal-hit Strictly.” The soft pinks and glamorous smiles contrast with the implication of backstage tension, an archetypal Sun balancing act of sparkle and scoop.
The Daily Mail fuses both worlds — politics and pop culture — with “Now end the witch hunt” in huge capitals beneath a secondary headline about Winkleman’s future. The juxtaposition of Bloody Sunday veterans and BBC presenters captures the Mail’s instinct to blend outrage with curiosity.
The Mirror unites the day’s dual themes most elegantly. “Hand of History,” it declares, over a photo of the King and Pope clasping hands, the Sistine ceiling glowing above. Above that, in softer pink, “Our last dance… Tess & Claudia: why we’re both leaving Strictly.” The effect is warm, cohesive, and quintessentially British in its pairing of reverence and reassurance.
The Daily Star, meanwhile, plays it for laughs: “Strictly Ballroom,” with subheads about Zoe Ball “tipped to be new host.” The layout is brash and packed with secondary stories — a doctor’s strike and the Bloody Sunday verdict — yet its central image echoes the day’s lighter preoccupation with showbiz succession.
In Scotland, the Scotsman centres its front page with a picture of the Pope and King next to the words ‘Let us pray.’ Is the subtext here about the health of King Charles III or their shared worries about the troubles of the world? Most probably both. The paper carries a story centred in Scotland ‘£40m lifeline to save new concert hall- Cost of Dunard Centre triples to £162m before work begins.’
In Northern Ireland the broadly Irish Nationalist newspaper The Irish News runs counter to the angle in most British newspapers with the editorial headline ‘Keep going for them’ arguing that criminal justice prosecution of anyone responsible for the ‘Bloody Sunday’ killings in Derry in 1973 should continue.
In Wales, The Western Mail has been published and printed too early for the result of the Caerphilly by-election for the Welsh Parliament. It packs the portraits of six men ‘found guilty of rioting in Ely’ under the masthead and the full news text story of ‘Another increase in two-year NHS waits.’
Across the newsstand, two contrasting photo stories dominate: the solemn unity of faith in Rome, and the bright farewell of two prime-time presenters. Between them runs a through-line of continuity and closure — from the King’s symbolic gesture of reconciliation to the end of an era in the nation’s favourite dance show.
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 Friday 24th October 2025
French Newspapers for Friday 24th October 2025
Montage of world newspapers for Friday 24th October 2025
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This posting has been produced with the assistance of AI editorial and production services from ChatGPT Plus and Gemini.
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