Editor-in-chief of Computer Weekly Bryan Glick warned that Google is “killing quality journalism and original reporting” as he answered Press Gazette’s questions about his career for our What I’ve Learned feature.
Glick worked in the IT industry himself for ten years before becoming a journalist. Before joining Computer Weekly in 2009, Glick was editor of rival title Computing. Computer Weekly was the title which first exposed the Horizon Post Office IT scandal and has published hundreds of stories investigating the issue since 2009.
What was your big breakthrough moment?
The ITV drama about the Post Office scandal changed everything for everyone involved. For the first time, Computer Weekly’s reporting was widely recognised for exposing the scandal in 2009 and for 15 years of revelations and campaigning thereafter. I can’t tell you how often during those years my team would wonder why the story wasn’t on the front page of every newspaper – once the drama was broadcast, it finally was.
What’s currently keeping you up at night?
Google is killing quality journalism and original reporting. When I meet with my peers in the British Society of Magazine Editors, it’s the number one topic of conversation. It’s true to say we all became addicted to organic page views from Google Search and took them for granted. But Google behaves like a rogue security guard at the entrance to a shopping centre, deciding on a whim which stores visitors are allowed into. If the competition regulator succeeds in enforcing transparency over Google’s search algorithm, it would be a huge boost for quality journalism everywhere. But then, there’s AI search…
What gets you out of bed in the morning?
Journalism is the best job in the world, isn’t it? For someone with a curious mind and a desire to understand how things work, it’s the dream job. And I know this is the biggest cliché for an editor to say, but in my case it’s absolutely true – I work with the best team of journalists who all help to make my job a privilege.
How are things going right now, what’s working?
It’s a challenging time. We’re trying to understand what AI means for reader engagement and how to make sure our target audience continues to access to our journalism. The most positive sign so far is that those who do find us through AI search are more engaged than the casual browser, and that’s an opportunity.
What has been your proudest achievement?
It has to be Computer Weekly’s ongoing role in exposing the Post Office scandal. As our chief reporter, Karl Flinders – who has led our reporting on the scandal – says, it’s the sort of story you go into journalism hoping to be involved with. On a personal level, receiving the BSME Editor’s Editor of the Year award in 2024 meant a huge amount – being chosen by my peers to join a list of the biggest names in magazine journalism who have previously won the award was a real, gulp, ‘do you really mean me?’ moment.
What’s been your biggest mistake, and what did you learn from it?
Many years ago, in a previous editor role at another publication, our new owners promised that if I was ever unhappy with anything they tried to change about our editorial strategy, I should tell them and they would listen. When they did, and I told them, they didn’t listen – my mistake was trusting people who didn’t really care for editorial.
Soon after, I moved to Computer Weekly, implemented the strategy I wanted, and now my team is three times bigger than it was then, writing in five languages out of seven countries. As an editor, you have to believe in yourself and trust your instincts.
When it comes to leading a team, motivating others, what works for you?
Treat people with empathy – as human beings first, employees second. Understand the context of their job within their lives and treat everyone as an individual, not an economic unit. Give them autonomy (with guardrails), and sustain a culture of continuous improvement in which people can focus on what they are good at. It works – I’m constantly amazed (and relieved) at how low staff turnover is within my team.
If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what is it?
I came into journalism late as a career change in my early thirties – I would tell my younger self not to wait so long!
Who or what inspires you and why?
As a Liverpool FC supporter, I always enjoyed former manager Jurgen Klopp’s observations about leadership. Employ people who know more than you, he would say, and let those people do what they are good at. Football is the most important of the least important things, he said. I like his attitude of taking the job seriously and respecting the people you work with, but never taking yourself too seriously.
What is your work mantra?
Journalism is a team sport.
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