News
Reach announces new editor for Chronicle Live
Reach has appointed Sophie Barley as the new Editor of its Chronicle Live publications, following Gavin Foster’s move to The Northern Echo.
News Media
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.
Essential Resources
FEATURE
Returning to growth
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.
Best Practice in Publishing
News media
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…
INTERVIEW
Stand and deliver!
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.
INTERVIEW
Change before charge
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.
INTERVIEW
Ditching the generic
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.
INTERVIEW
The Observer’s premium future
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.
FEATURE
Opportunities & Threats: National News Media
What’s the outlook for national news media in 2024? Christian Broughton, CEO of The Independent, looks ahead.
FEATURE
Breathing new life into local media
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.
OPINION
We Need Trusted News Brands Now More Than Ever
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.
OUT & ABOUT WITH ALAN GEERE
Weekly does it
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.
All Articles
News
The Independent demands action on Ukrainian refugees
The Independent has re-launched its Refugees Welcome campaign, calling on the UK government to accept Ukrainian refugees without the need for visas.
News
Guardian’s Politics Weekly podcast relaunches with dedicated UK & US editions
The Guardian has refreshed the look and sound of its long-running Politics Weekly podcast, including a new release schedule and presenter.
News
Independent reports further revenue and profit growth
The Independent has published its financial results for the year ending 3 October 2021, reporting a fifth straight year of revenue and operating profit growth.
News
Newsquest appoints new editor for The Northern Echo
Newsquest has appointed Gavin Foster, currently editor of Newcastle based ChronicleLive, as its new Editor for The Northern Echo.
News
Reach partners with Google News Initiative to turbocharge newsletters
Reach yesterday announced that it is partnering with Google to create an in-house Email Innovation Lab to accelerate its work in developing new ways to reach local audiences.
News
Courier publishes special wrap to celebrate curling gold
The Courier newspaper published a special wraparound edition on Monday to commemorate Team GB’s sole gold medal of the Winter Olympics.
News
Birmingham Six journalist hearing must be held in public, says SoE
The hearing to challenge the use of anti-terrorism legislation to force Chris Mullin to reveal confidential sources relating to his investigations into the IRA Birmingham pub bombings must not be held in private, the Society of Editors has warned.
News
Newsquest gives £145,000 to local charities
Newsquest Media Group has made donations of £145,000 to more than 50 different community organisations up and down the country.
News
The Disability and Journalism Forum launched
A conference highlighting the impact people with disabilities make on the journalism industry will take place in March, supported by News UK.
News
Meta rolls out Facebook News service in France
Facebook has rolled out its Facebook News service in France after agreeing deals with more than 100 media partners, including Le Figaro, Le Journal du Dimanche and Les Echos.
News
Archant continues app rollout
Archant has launched two new apps for readers of The Hunts Post (Huntingdon) and The Comet (Stevenage) as its major investment in app technology gathers pace.
News
Meta expands UK Community News Project
Meta has increased its backing for the UK Community News Project from £4.5m to £6m, with 14 more publishers, including DC Thomson and Tindle Newspapers, joining the scheme.
News
The Sunday Times appoints Karen Dacre
The Sunday Times yesterday announced Karen Dacre has been appointed as fashion director of Style.
COLUMN
Liz Gerard’s Notebook
Britain’s role in averting WW3, why did Fleet Street not pick up on the sub-postmaster scandal earlier, football stories, digging up the past, Cressida Dick and front page of the fortnight.
