The newspaper business was built for a world where one product served everyone and advertising paid for most of it. That model has gone. What replaces it is still being worked out title by title, from national groups to weeklies covering a single town.
Reader revenue is the clearest shift. Even Reach, which argued for free access for years, now puts some of its journalism behind a paywall, and the regional titles doing best changed their newsrooms before they asked anyone to pay. Ownership keeps changing too. National World rebuilt local editorships after years of centralisation, and the Observer is being reinvented as a premium print and digital title under new owners.
The strongest publishers understand the difference because they are not trying to be everything to everyone. They are trying to be essential to someone.
Chris Sherrard News media
Local news is where the pressure shows most. Millions of people now live without a dedicated local title, and new reader-funded and membership startups are moving into the gaps. Platforms are pulling back from news at the same time, which leaves trust and a direct relationship with readers as the assets that matter most.
Print hasn't disappeared either. Well-run weeklies still hold on to their readers, with circulation falling slowly while digital audiences grow.
Below you'll find some of our best feature articles on news media, from reader revenue and newsroom change to ownership, local news and trust, alongside our latest news and industry commentary.
Where is the growth opportunity for today’s publishers? Douglas McCabe tracks how the commercial model has evolved over the past fifty years and examines whether a better understanding of what online audiences want, will help drive future growth.
We asked Chris Sherrard, editor-in-chief of The Irish News, what does best practice publishing look like in news media? This is what he said…
After years of resisting paywalls, Reach is now launching them across its titles. But David Higgerson, Reach’s chief content officer, carefully avoided the word ‘U-turn’ when interviewed by Steve Dyson.
It’s one thing to think that readers should pay for your journalism, but the reality is that unless you improve your offering, then you will struggle to start charging for it, as DC Thomson Editor-in-Chief Frank O’Donnell tells Ciar Byrne.
How can you edit a regional newspaper when you never visit the area you’re writing about? By filling it with generic content, an approach that National World’s David Montgomery, the new owner of JPI Media, is rapidly doing away with.
Ray Snoddy talks to Co-CEO Rich Furness about the thinking behind Tortoise Media’s acquisition of the world’s oldest Sunday newspaper and about their plans for its future.
What’s the outlook for national news media in 2024? Christian Broughton, CEO of The Independent, looks ahead.
There is a new generation of entrepreneurs launching local media businesses, bringing with them new ideas on business models and funding. Phil Clark looks at some of the stand-out examples.
With Meta backing away from ‘news’ and AI accelerating the growth of disinformation, we need to redouble our efforts to safeguard access to quality journalism, says News Media Association Chief Executive Owen Meredith.
East Lothian is not just the best place to live – it has the best newsbrand too. Alan Geere heads over the border to find out what’s happening in the world of Scottish weeklies.
The death of local news, poison ivy, good journalism from i and Guardian, Hugo Rifkind vs Home Office, targeting Angela Rayner, Gaza deaths, Hugh Grant, Pompeii treasures, Express & immigration, Turkey tourism and front page of the fortnight…
What influence will mainstream media have on this year’s elections? Not as much as it once had…
Newsquest, a UK local media group, has announced it will be publishing a special Childhood Day supplement across its portfolio in support of the NSPCC.
impact.com has hired Nikolai Lundstrøm Brink to lead its efforts in Denmark.
WAN-IFRA has announced the winners of the Digital Media Awards Europe 2024.
The IAB initiative aims to boost transparency in environmental sustainability.
ESco has announced the recent appointment of Robert Green as director of product, effective since March 2024.
More than 60 editors, lawyers, journalists, academics and experts call for the Anti-SLAPP Bill to be amended to ensure it can protect everyone speaking out in the public interest.
The latest Observer New Review this Sunday will be a special curated edition from the comedian, broadcaster and artist Joe Lycett.
WAN-IFRA has announced the 2024 Digital Media Americas Awards winners in Panama City as part of its annual Digital Media LATAM conference.
Audible and the Guardian have announced a partnership to bring George Orwell’s 1984 to a 2024 audience.
Readly has joined the National Pharmacy Association’s Your Health Your Pharmacy campaign to promote wellbeing.
The Telegraph has announced its Media Literacy Programme has returned for a fourth year.
The 2024 World Media Awards have announced they are open for entry, new categories include ‘Small Budget, Great Impact’ and B2B.
Tindle Newspapers has announced a corporate donation to support industry charity NewstrAid.
