Good morning! Today's newsletter is brought to you by Chris.

As food publishers flock to g-commerce, user experience curdles — medialyte.xyz

We've discussed the relative value of various e-commerce verticals many times in the past - right from the impetus behind spinning Dennis' auto e-commerce acquisitions off into Autovia to the benefits of owning every part of the ecosystem around smaller ticket verticals as Future has done so well. But one thing we've never really discussed on here is the link between publishers and the burgeoning grocery commerce (g-commerce) industry.

Crucially for publishers, there's a big halo effect for publishers who have a big recipe and food section: "Even if the publisher has not inked a deal with a retail behemoth to sell and deliver you your groceries, many have turned the space surrounding the ingredients list into an advertising haven. Because the space is now, theoretically, a point of purchase, it is also a hot commodity for brands."

So Immediate Media's licensing of the BBC Good Food brand back in 2018 might gave turned out to be more savvy than we thought at the time. It's not just an audience play - it's a bet that 'g-commerce' is a valuable and growing segment. Now, can we interest you in a Media Voices-branded chilli dog spinoff?

Quartz launches ‘Obsession’ podcast, its first in three years — www.adweek.com

We're always interested in what Quartz is up to, if only because its path to self-ownership has been especially uncommon. But with the launch of its first podcast in three years I wonder about the expertise it must have lost in the intervening time. Still, good that they're picking it back up right as digital audio comes to the fore again.

IPG calls out Facebook & YouTube for brand-damaging and ‘inconsistent’ misinformation policies — www.thedrum.com

Something I'm a little annoyed about - the wider coverage of a new report from IPG Mediabrands and Magna has delved into the scale of misinformation on social networks and where brands are most at risk. Crucially they have also criticised a lot of ad networks, not just social networks - but they're the punching bag pro forma I guess so...

The media business has a bigger Ozy problem — therebooting.substack.com

There are a few sentences in Brian Morrissey's latest article on Ozy that had me grinning widely, if only because of his candour. For instance, "bullshit has long been a feature, not a bug" of the media industry - and it's allowed some total charlatans to get away with it for way too long.

This week's podcast:

Founder of The Manchester Mill Joshi Herrmann on why local news must rediscover its pride — voices.media

The Manchester Mill is a subscription-based newsletter for the modern age. In this interview its founder Joshi Herrmann tells us why good local journalism demands having boots on the ground, how the sins of the past are impacting the journalism of today, and how he plans to expand into new cities and new revenue streams.

Hive - Be useful, be kind, be inspired — www.eventbrite.co.uk

Our friends over at the International Magazine Centre are running their quarterly Hive event on Oct 13th, which our own Peter Houston is a moderator for. It's a simple concept: bring a business challenge to a small group of just three other people, listen to them discuss it (without interrupting) and get access to bespoke, instant and inspiring ideas. Everyone who has been to one raves about it, and there's a pay-it-forward option if you're feeling the pinch.