COLUMN
What a year it’s been
2021 seems to be ending on a bit of a downer, but the year has had its positive moments.
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
Daily Mail Group returns to private ownership
DMGT chairman Lord Rothermere hailed a "huge milestone" as he announced January 10 as the date for the publisher's delisting from the London Stock Exchange after almost 90 years of being listed.
News
FT appoints John Kundert
The Financial Times has appointed John Kundert as chief product and technology officer (CPTO). He will also join the FT Group Management Board from January.
News
Reach introduces new role of senior editor for training and development
Reach introduces a new era of professional development with the appointment of Steve Thompson as its new Senior Editor for Training and Development.
News
News brands unite to boost nation
Special cover wraps and home page takeovers to promote the booster jab campaign ran across national newspapers yesterday and will run across regional news brands today.
News
Telegraph hits 2021 subs goal
Telegraph Media Group has announced that it has surpassed the milestone of reaching 720,000 subscriptions; one of its key strategic goals for 2021.
News
Newsquest announces new editor for Southern Daily Echo
Newsquest has appointed Ben Fishwick as Editor at the Southern Daily Echo in Southampton.
News
National World reports successful first year since acquiring JPIMedia
JPIMedia owner National World said H2 performance has remained robust and the board anticipates full-year adjusted results to be substantially ahead of its expectations.
News
Thousands sign up to join The Sun’s Jabs Army
The Sun has announced that over thirty thousand people have signed up for ‘Jabs Army’ in less than three days.
News
US publishers sue Facebook as ad revenues dry up
Lee Wolverton, executive editor of one of the estimated 200 US news groups suing Google and Facebook, said publishers had decided to act as newspaper ad revenues have fallen 82% in 16 years.
COLUMN
Liz Gerard’s Notebook
Attacking the BBC for, err, holding the powerful to account, who’s scrutinising government bills, Sienna Miller misses out on her day in court, the appalling cases of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Star Hobson, front page of the fortnight, and more…
News
SPH chooses CUE Publishing Platform
SPH Media Trust has chosen the CUE Publishing Platform as its new content management system.
News
News Corp Australia establishes new division to oversee tech partnerships
News Corp Australia has established a new division to oversee partnerships with tech giants such as Google, Facebook and Apple.
News
NFRN welcomes JPIMedia terms decision
The Federation of Independent Retailers has welcomed the decision by news publisher JPIMedia to include pro rata terms for newsagents as part of price increases for its local and regional titles.
News
Reach announces South East appointments
Reach has made a number of key appointments and promotions in the South East.
