One Man's notebook this week.

Apple dinged over low-quality, scammy-looking ads on Apple News:

Apple’s controversial partnership with Taboola to serve ads on Apple News seems to be going exactly as expected.

Shocker. Who could have predicted etc etc etc

2026-02-09

As journalism re-embraces community as a core component of audience work, we’re going to see publishers make the cardinal sin of community management:

Believing they own the community.

You can never own the community. You can host it, sure. You can - and should - serve it.

But you never own it.

2026-02-09

I just had my first Christmas panto email.

There are no words.

A promotional image for Puss in Boots: The Pantomime features a character holding a cane and wearing stylish boots next to the title in golden lettering.

2026-02-09

Newspapers have always come and gone. The slow crumbling of the Washington Post is a tragedy for the legacy of that once-great title.

But we need a cycle of death and rebirth more than ever in journalism. Sometimes small fires let new diversity bloom in forests – and in media.

2026-02-09

It’s encouraging to see journalism returning to the idea of community being central to audience development after the decade-long detour of handing that all over to the social platforms.

But doing this well requires skill and expertise many of the organisations lack right now.

2026-02-12

Avian doorway guardians.

Two painted cranes are depicted on turquoise walls with a tiled floor below.

2026-02-13

Sitting on a train to London, and one chap lurches by carrying a bottle of Bells whisky and nothing else.

It’s 8.55 in the morning.

2026-02-13

Good piece from Om Malik comparing Anthropic and OpenAI’s business models and claimed revenue figures. It’s going to get very interesting if they decide to go public, and start having to show us the real numbers. As Om puts it:

Welcome to 2026, when AI’s big boys have to start wearing their big boy pants and show their true worth.

2026-02-13

This is just an insane piece of reporting:

2026-02-13

Just corrected two typos in Thursday’s blog post.

If I ever start making serious money from OM&HB, a freelance sub will be my first hire.

2026-02-14

I keep meaning to write about the “consultantification“ of the future of mainstream journalism; an ever-growing consulting class trying to live off a shrinking market.

I want to write about why “liquid content” is bullshit.

But I’m not sure how to do this without upsetting a lot of people.

2026-02-14

Market day.