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.
On her first day at Metro in March 2023, they had 8,006 followers and one TikTok channel. Now, says Alex Goldsmith, they have over 4 million, across four core TikTok verticals covering news, sport, entertainment and gaming.
The results are in for the AOP’s annual ‘Digital Publishing: Outlook and Priorities’ survey. Richard Reeves summarises the main findings.
Welcome to our ‘subscriber retention’ special. High renewal rates are vital for subscription growth, realising high lifetime values and driving profitability.
It’s a well-known fact that engaged subscribers stay for longer, says Susanne Kinnaird, head of digital reader revenue.
It’s important to understand the reason for cancellation and to ensure the retention offer directly addresses the subscriber’s stated concern, says Mike Halstead, managing director of HH&S.
New tech and new approaches to producing and consuming news are forcing publishers to have a root and branch rethink of how they do things. Phil Clark attended the recent ‘News in the Digital Age’ conference to find out more.
Reuters Institute’s ‘Journalism, media, and technology trends and predictions 2026’ report shows how publishers are reacting to the twin threats from AI answer engines and human creators, writes Nic Newman.
Financial Times has appointed Michael Stott as South Asia bureau chief.
Cafeyn Group has announced the acquisition of Readly’s non-Nordic operations and strengthens its position as a European leader in trusted information and entertainment.
The Event Supplier and Services Association has announced Air Business as its new strategic partner, the partnership commenced on 1 April 2026.
Newly inaugurated media company Hero Media & Entertainment Ltd has acquired Dundee Press Agency Ltd, E News Now Ltd, and Daily Business Ltd as a first step in its “buy, build and launch” media strategy.
Tindle Newspapers Ltd has announced the sale of its newspaper and digital publishing businesses, marking a new chapter for one of the UK’s most established local media groups.
This week, last week and probably next week too, we are all hanging on the US president’s every word. What he says and does could have a major impact on UK politics. Paul Connew looks at how the press has been covering the Trump Factor.
Pixometry, an automated image processing platform, has added latest format support and a refined toning engine.
The NUJ has joined the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) in condemning the targeted killing of three Lebanese journalists in an Israeli drone strike on a media car in Jezzine, southern Lebanon.
