Jim Waterson
@jim.londoncentric.media
Journalist. Editor of @londoncentric.media, a modern news outlet covering London in the old-fashioned way: www.londoncentric.media
This x100000!
Eeveryone in the news media lurches towards takes like "trust in news can revive the BBC!!!" and ignores the fact that trust is completely useless and abstract if no one is watching/listening/reading in the first place.
Eeveryone in the news media lurches towards takes like "trust in news can revive the BBC!!!" and ignores the fact that trust is completely useless and abstract if no one is watching/listening/reading in the first place.
I reckon a shared national popular culture is just as important (if not more important) than a fact based, impartial news service for liberal democracy to work.
November 10, 2025 at 3:01 PM
This x100000!
Eeveryone in the news media lurches towards takes like "trust in news can revive the BBC!!!" and ignores the fact that trust is completely useless and abstract if no one is watching/listening/reading in the first place.
Eeveryone in the news media lurches towards takes like "trust in news can revive the BBC!!!" and ignores the fact that trust is completely useless and abstract if no one is watching/listening/reading in the first place.
At an event where a speaker said: "The moment you are transparent with your trust and safety rules, you give a guidebook to your enemies on how to game them."
Which feels pretty much where the BBC has ended up! All this focus on being open and transparent just gives levers for opponents to pull.
Which feels pretty much where the BBC has ended up! All this focus on being open and transparent just gives levers for opponents to pull.
November 10, 2025 at 12:32 PM
At an event where a speaker said: "The moment you are transparent with your trust and safety rules, you give a guidebook to your enemies on how to game them."
Which feels pretty much where the BBC has ended up! All this focus on being open and transparent just gives levers for opponents to pull.
Which feels pretty much where the BBC has ended up! All this focus on being open and transparent just gives levers for opponents to pull.
Reposted by Jim Waterson
If, as several people are suggesting this morning, the DG and News CEO were prevented from issuing an apology re Panorama last week by the board, it seems extremely urgent that the chair of the board clarify what happened
November 10, 2025 at 7:44 AM
If, as several people are suggesting this morning, the DG and News CEO were prevented from issuing an apology re Panorama last week by the board, it seems extremely urgent that the chair of the board clarify what happened
I’d always wondered why no one had ever published a full, detailed map of the 1960s plan to turn London into a giant web of US-style urban motorways…. It turns even the politicians and designers didn’t make one at the time. It just didn’t exist. Until now.
Earlier this week I spoke to London Centric about the Ringways Map and all things unbuilt London - they’ve dedicated the whole of their latest edition to the story! substack.com/home/post/p-...
Would your home have been under a motorway?
"The most astonishing and destructive thing never to happen to London," says the man who has spent twenty years researching the first true map of the unbuilt Ringways.
substack.com
November 9, 2025 at 8:40 AM
I’d always wondered why no one had ever published a full, detailed map of the 1960s plan to turn London into a giant web of US-style urban motorways…. It turns even the politicians and designers didn’t make one at the time. It just didn’t exist. Until now.
The whole “yeah I guess you’d just wave this merger through then” shrug of a reaction to this proposal is pretty damning about the state of traditional uk broadcasters… (alternatively, someone bungs up the deal out of muscle memory and continues to ignore the internet)
Top 3 confusing things about Sky looking at buying Itv:
1. Doesn't involve Rupert Murdoch. I know. You think it must but it doesn't.
2. Like five minutes ago this would've occupied hundreds of regulators. Won't someone think of the regulators
3. WHY tho
on.ft.com/49EDaby
1. Doesn't involve Rupert Murdoch. I know. You think it must but it doesn't.
2. Like five minutes ago this would've occupied hundreds of regulators. Won't someone think of the regulators
3. WHY tho
on.ft.com/49EDaby
Comcast holds talks about buying ITV’s television business
[FREE TO READ] US media giant sees opportunity to create a leading UK broadcast and streaming group
on.ft.com
November 7, 2025 at 7:52 AM
The whole “yeah I guess you’d just wave this merger through then” shrug of a reaction to this proposal is pretty damning about the state of traditional uk broadcasters… (alternatively, someone bungs up the deal out of muscle memory and continues to ignore the internet)
Can someone clip up that "oh fuck" from Nick like it's still 2014 Twitter.
November 6, 2025 at 10:05 PM
Can someone clip up that "oh fuck" from Nick like it's still 2014 Twitter.
I like how the caption on this photo reads as if he's making a claim that could not be independently verified.
November 6, 2025 at 8:19 PM
I like how the caption on this photo reads as if he's making a claim that could not be independently verified.
Sky / ITV merger on the cards... ISkyV? SkiTV?
What's the betting on how many UK broadcasters are left by the end of the decade. BBC and one/two others?
What's the betting on how many UK broadcasters are left by the end of the decade. BBC and one/two others?
*SKY OWNER COMCAST SAID IN TALKS TO BUY ITV’S BROADCASTING ARM
November 6, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Sky / ITV merger on the cards... ISkyV? SkiTV?
What's the betting on how many UK broadcasters are left by the end of the decade. BBC and one/two others?
What's the betting on how many UK broadcasters are left by the end of the decade. BBC and one/two others?
When I open Facebook now there's always an uncanny valley AI slop video at the top of my feed. And it usually is good enough to make me stop and watch it while my brain works out why it's uncanny. And it'll have a few million views and a top comment like this.
November 6, 2025 at 12:01 PM
When I open Facebook now there's always an uncanny valley AI slop video at the top of my feed. And it usually is good enough to make me stop and watch it while my brain works out why it's uncanny. And it'll have a few million views and a top comment like this.
This is absolutely brilliant, not least because of the incompatible underlying tension between a gaming-addicted king’s insane personal architecture designs and the fluid mechanics of sewage.
"everyone knows the project won’t work; it is now just a matter of letting MBS down gently"
Deep dive on Neom focuses on The Line - a building planned at a scale that would run from London to the Norfolk coast but in the desert. Absolutely wild, absolutely doomed ig.ft.com/saudi-neom-l...
Deep dive on Neom focuses on The Line - a building planned at a scale that would run from London to the Norfolk coast but in the desert. Absolutely wild, absolutely doomed ig.ft.com/saudi-neom-l...
End of The Line: how Saudi Arabia’s Neom dream unravelled
Mohammed bin Salman’s utopian city was undone by the laws of physics and finance
ig.ft.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:46 AM
This is absolutely brilliant, not least because of the incompatible underlying tension between a gaming-addicted king’s insane personal architecture designs and the fluid mechanics of sewage.
If anyone is interested in what Transport for London’s own in-house pay-per-mile scheme might have looked like, all the leaked details here. Have lifted this out of the paywall in case it helps anyone writing about today’s Treasury briefings/leaks… www.londoncentric.media/p/london-roa...
Exclusive: The secret plan to charge London's drivers by the mile
Sadiq Khan and Transport for London were on the cusp of transforming the capital's roads. London Centric has all the details.
www.londoncentric.media
November 6, 2025 at 7:16 AM
If anyone is interested in what Transport for London’s own in-house pay-per-mile scheme might have looked like, all the leaked details here. Have lifted this out of the paywall in case it helps anyone writing about today’s Treasury briefings/leaks… www.londoncentric.media/p/london-roa...
Reposted by Jim Waterson
The news that fans of the late Zambian president Edgar Lungu are singing David Baddiel/Frank Skinner's "Three Lions" because they want his body to come home from South Africa to Zambia is the funniest story I've read today: www.wsj.com/world/africa...
Why a Song for Sad English Soccer Fans Is at the Center of a Fight Gripping Africa
Supporters of a deceased Zambian president have appropriated “Three Lions” in their campaign to bring his body home.
www.wsj.com
November 5, 2025 at 2:01 PM
The news that fans of the late Zambian president Edgar Lungu are singing David Baddiel/Frank Skinner's "Three Lions" because they want his body to come home from South Africa to Zambia is the funniest story I've read today: www.wsj.com/world/africa...
A friend in the north east said there's a row of shops near him that shuffles between various owners selling knock-off cigarettes.
And one legit taxpaying holdout shop that differentiates itself with a big sign outside saying "CHEAPEST LEGAL FAGS IN GATESHEAD".
And one legit taxpaying holdout shop that differentiates itself with a big sign outside saying "CHEAPEST LEGAL FAGS IN GATESHEAD".
When the arse falls out of the high street and people can’t afford stuff, enter the criminals
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Crime network behind UK mini-marts is enabling migrants to work illegally
Undercover reporters were told how easy it was to make big profits selling illegal vapes and cigarettes.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 5, 2025 at 10:54 AM
A friend in the north east said there's a row of shops near him that shuffles between various owners selling knock-off cigarettes.
And one legit taxpaying holdout shop that differentiates itself with a big sign outside saying "CHEAPEST LEGAL FAGS IN GATESHEAD".
And one legit taxpaying holdout shop that differentiates itself with a big sign outside saying "CHEAPEST LEGAL FAGS IN GATESHEAD".
Met the former editor of the York Evening Press last night, who said in the mid-90s he had 85 people working directly for him, including nine staff photographers. All that to serve a city and surrounding area of about 200k people. Local news was wilddddd.
November 4, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Met the former editor of the York Evening Press last night, who said in the mid-90s he had 85 people working directly for him, including nine staff photographers. All that to serve a city and surrounding area of about 200k people. Local news was wilddddd.
Reposted by Jim Waterson
I’m sure Matt Goodwin will be along shortly to tell us all whether LNER Customer Service Host Samir Zitouni counts as British or not. news.sky.com/story/train-...
Train company LNER 'extremely proud' of rail worker in critical condition after mass stabbing as family call him 'hero'
The "extraordinary bravery" of the LNER worker who intervened during the train mass stabbing attack on Saturday has been hailed by his company.
news.sky.com
November 4, 2025 at 10:59 AM
I’m sure Matt Goodwin will be along shortly to tell us all whether LNER Customer Service Host Samir Zitouni counts as British or not. news.sky.com/story/train-...
The rebrand really is somehow even worse in the flesh, is someone doing some elaborate short selling / asset stripping scam here.
November 3, 2025 at 4:36 PM
The rebrand really is somehow even worse in the flesh, is someone doing some elaborate short selling / asset stripping scam here.
Kings Cross is full of police sent to reassure passengers after Saturday’s attack but people don’t want reassurance they just want a bloody seat because the LNER train north is full. (Yes I know this is a bit of an “and everyone cheered” post but tired of the “no one will travel again” posting.)
November 3, 2025 at 11:43 AM
Kings Cross is full of police sent to reassure passengers after Saturday’s attack but people don’t want reassurance they just want a bloody seat because the LNER train north is full. (Yes I know this is a bit of an “and everyone cheered” post but tired of the “no one will travel again” posting.)
The cool thing about this is it incentives “real” news orgs to write stories with headline keywords that might be found by people googling for more info after being primed by the insanity!
A friend told me that her American dad got in touch to talk about some news he'd seen on Facebook: there are riots in England over DEI, and the King dramatically burst into parliament to tell Starmer off, and then Prince William did the same to Sadiq Khan. AI really is inventing bold new universes
November 3, 2025 at 8:12 AM
The cool thing about this is it incentives “real” news orgs to write stories with headline keywords that might be found by people googling for more info after being primed by the insanity!
Lollll three bylines for a national newspaper to recreate (including the exact same restaurants!) what me and a student reporter managed a month ago: www.londoncentric.media/p/host-kitch...
Just rip off our original and give us a buried credit in paragraph 19, we won’t be offended!
Just rip off our original and give us a buried credit in paragraph 19, we won’t be offended!
@jim.londoncentric.media this looks very familiar in MoS
November 2, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Lollll three bylines for a national newspaper to recreate (including the exact same restaurants!) what me and a student reporter managed a month ago: www.londoncentric.media/p/host-kitch...
Just rip off our original and give us a buried credit in paragraph 19, we won’t be offended!
Just rip off our original and give us a buried credit in paragraph 19, we won’t be offended!
A mixed bag of news in your inbox!
*Why “admin charge” could replace “service charge” on your London restaurant bill
*The missing link between London snail farms and western government contracts awarded during the Iraq war
*RIP KINGDOM OF TREATS
www.londoncentric.media/p/admin-char...
*Why “admin charge” could replace “service charge” on your London restaurant bill
*The missing link between London snail farms and western government contracts awarded during the Iraq war
*RIP KINGDOM OF TREATS
www.londoncentric.media/p/admin-char...
Goodbye service charge, hello 'admin fee'
Plus: The difficulty of sourcing live snails for a London restaurant and a tribute to one of London's leading American candy shops.
www.londoncentric.media
November 2, 2025 at 9:07 AM
A mixed bag of news in your inbox!
*Why “admin charge” could replace “service charge” on your London restaurant bill
*The missing link between London snail farms and western government contracts awarded during the Iraq war
*RIP KINGDOM OF TREATS
www.londoncentric.media/p/admin-char...
*Why “admin charge” could replace “service charge” on your London restaurant bill
*The missing link between London snail farms and western government contracts awarded during the Iraq war
*RIP KINGDOM OF TREATS
www.londoncentric.media/p/admin-char...
Apropos of absolutely nothing... I was looking at Chicago Bears NFL team trying to relocate from their really cool downtown stadium to some suburb. And it's just such a perfect example of the weird size and sprawl of US cities... it's the equivalent of Liverpool building a new stadium in Manchester!
November 1, 2025 at 10:30 PM
Apropos of absolutely nothing... I was looking at Chicago Bears NFL team trying to relocate from their really cool downtown stadium to some suburb. And it's just such a perfect example of the weird size and sprawl of US cities... it's the equivalent of Liverpool building a new stadium in Manchester!
All in favour of shared spaces that get people out and about and it you’re going to burn money on gambling then yeah, better to do so with a friendly person on hand. But still some incredible “men’s mental health” lobbying against a gambling tax in the Sunday Times. www.thetimes.com/article/f115...
November 1, 2025 at 10:03 PM
All in favour of shared spaces that get people out and about and it you’re going to burn money on gambling then yeah, better to do so with a friendly person on hand. But still some incredible “men’s mental health” lobbying against a gambling tax in the Sunday Times. www.thetimes.com/article/f115...
Reposted by Jim Waterson
the assumptions made about the target audience by making the first two items "OnlyFans' and 'child support' are kind of incredible
This is Bad (source: network.fintechtakes.com/library/3d38...)
November 1, 2025 at 2:26 PM
the assumptions made about the target audience by making the first two items "OnlyFans' and 'child support' are kind of incredible
The next screen grab on this thread is perfect.
This really is the pits. This is not a design that — whatever you think of them — Saudi Arabia, the organisers of the 2034 World Cup have anything to do with. Has popped up randomly on social, caught fire and now pushed for attention by the Mail. Pathetic business.
October 31, 2025 at 4:45 PM
The next screen grab on this thread is perfect.
If you've been tempted by a London Centric subscription... you've only got a few hours to sign up and be entered in the draw to win the most excruciatingly laboured physical metaphor of the year! www.londoncentric.media/p/london-pho...
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October 31, 2025 at 11:56 AM
If you've been tempted by a London Centric subscription... you've only got a few hours to sign up and be entered in the draw to win the most excruciatingly laboured physical metaphor of the year! www.londoncentric.media/p/london-pho...