News
Evening Standard promotes Samantha Herbert
The Evening Standard yesterday announced the promotion of Samantha (Sami) Herbert to the newly created role of Head of Digital Strategy.
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
Editor hails launch of two new titles
Independent Media editor-in-chief Stuart Fraser hailed the Cornish group's launch of two new paid-for titles, The Heartlands Voice and Liskeard Voice.
News
News Corp hit by cyberattack
The Wall Street Journal revealed its publisher News Corp was hit by a cyberattack, with hackers, believed to be operating from China, stealing data from journalists and other employees.
News
Waitrose ending free newspapers scheme for loyalty card-holders
Waitrose is ending its free newspapers scheme for loyalty card-holders. From February 22, members will no longer be able to claim back the cost of a range of newspapers if they spend £10.
News
Eastern Daily Press to introduce subscriptions plans
Eastern Daily Press editor David Powles said the title is to press on with its online subscription plans despite owner Archant being put up for sale by investment firm Rcapital.
News
Ulster Gazette editor steps down to launch series of hyperlocal websites
Ulster Gazette editor Michael Scott has stepped down to launch a series of new hyperlocal websites as Alpha Media Group’s first head of digital content.
News
FT appoints Jen Williams as FT Northern England correspondent
The Financial Times has poached MEN political editor Jen Williams, widely regarded as one of the strongest journalists in the country. She has been appointed FT Northern England correspondent.
News
NYT plans to have 15 million subscribers by end of 2027
The New York Times Co said it is targeting at least 15m subscribers by the end of 2027 as it revealed it has passed the 10m mark after completing the $550m acquisition of The Athletic.
News
Guardian documentary The Black Cop nominated for BAFTA Film Award
The Black Cop, a short film commissioned by Guardian Documentaries and supported by the BFI Doc Society Fund (awarding National Lottery funding), has been nominated for a BAFTA Film Award.
COLUMN
Liz Gerard’s Notebook
Deploying the Trump playbook, ‘Save Boris, Stop Rishi’, Frost returns, The Sun’s exclusive, Targeting the Blob, Misspelling Ukraine’s capital, Old people on the front page, and front page of the fortnight.
COLUMN
Truth and lies
What lessons does ‘partygate’ hold for politicians and journalists?
News
FT launches cryptocurrency pricing dashboard in partnership with Wilshire
The Financial Times, in partnership with Wilshire, yesterday launched a data platform for pricing and insight into the digital assets market on FT.com, using the FT Wilshire Digital Asset Index Series.
News
New acting editors appointed at Newsquest Cumbria
Newsquest has two new Acting Editors at its titles in Cumbria. The appointments come as current Regional Editor Vanessa Sims has gone on maternity leave.
News
The New York Times acquires Wordle
The New York Times Co has acquired hit online word game Wordle for a “low seven figure" sum.
News
Belfast News Letter appoints new deputy editor
Daily title the Belfast News Letter has appointed Roderick McMurray as its new deputy editor, having previously occupied the same role at weekly newspaper The Courier.
