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.
Crown Court sentencing remarks were broadcast for the first time last week in what the Society of Editors has described as a “monumental moment” for open justice and the public’s right to know.
Martin Froehlich has been named as WAN-IFRA director Digital Revenue Network.
The press suffers from a lack of specialists, correspondents with deep knowledge who can bring informed commentary to complex issues. Ray Snoddy meets with transport specialist Christian Wolmar...
The Guardian has a portfolio of over forty newsletters, covering a wide range of subjects. As Toby Moses tells Ciar Byrne, the publisher is increasingly seeing newsletters as a publishing platform, not just a marketing tool.
It’s funny who you run into on the bus. For a while, Dickon Ross shared a commute with a dishevelled character, a fellow journalist who would ultimately end up in Downing Street.
The British Library is currently running an exhibition looking at 500 years of news reporting in Britain. Much has changed but much has stayed the same, says Professor Jackie Harrison.
The last few months have seen some significant victories for advocates of press freedom in the UK but also continuing grave concern over the misuse of the justice system to suppress reporting.
Could collaborative digital publishing be the answer to building stronger communities in rural areas? Liz Hill explains a new business model being developed in Cambridgeshire.
In the run-up to the invasion of Ukraine, the Russian government and its allies twisted and fabricated events to justify it. But the online community, including Bellingcat, who use online information to investigate events, was ready for it.
The new prime minister will have their hands full, but, says Owen Meredith, CEO of the News Media Association, there are a number of media-related issues which need urgent attention.
Industry charity, NewstrAid, increases welfare payments as cost of living soars.
Half-yearly financial results have been reported by publisher National World for the six months ended 2 July 2022.
The Independent has announced that it has partnered with the NSPCC’s Monday Movie Club in support of their service, Childline.
It’s the start of a new era for the Shropshire Star as it moves to new offices at Grosvenor House in Telford.
On holiday and missing publishing? Bored and looking for something to do? Try our quick fire quiz on the history of Fleet Street.
