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.
Archant announced it is to close two-thirds of its newsrooms before April next year, retaining offices in Norwich, Ipswich, Huntingdon and Exeter, after few staff returned when sites reopened.
Paul Dacre returns to the Mail, the Ofcom appointment process, playing the blame game over Channel deaths, racism in cricket, England's 20-0 win, Storm Arwen, saving Christmas, setting criminals free to re-offend, front page of the fortnight...
The Golden Pen of Freedom, the annual press freedom award of the World Association of News Publishers, has been awarded to Jimmy Lai and the staff of the Apple Daily newsroom in Hong Kong.
WAN-IFRA this week announced the winners of its 2021 Digital Media Awards Worldwide.
The BBC’s Director General Tim Davie hinted they would support an expansion of the local democracy reporters scheme in a speech at its annual conference.
Newsquest, a local media group, has appointed Gillian Murphy as Managing Editor of its newspaper titles in Ayrshire and Clyde.
Paul Fisher is stepping down as managing editor of Newsquest's Ayrshire and Clyde Weekly Press titles to become launch editor of Reach's Aberdeen Live website.
The Community News Project will create up to 100 community reporter roles, as the scheme is expanded with new funding.
A spokesman for Vivendi said the French conglomerate's interest in acquiring Le Journal du Dimanche and Paris Match owner Lagardère is about strengthening the business rather than gaining political influence.
The Northern Echo has launched a 12-page Business IQ supplement which will be published each Wednesday.
IP protection and cybersecurity company, White Bullet, yesterday announced the appointment of Stuart Dickinson as Director of Advertising Operations and Client Success.
Newsquest, a local media group, has appointed Richard Duggan as Regional Editor for Lancashire & Greater Manchester.
impact.com, a partnership management platform, has announced the appointment of a number of new Business Development Representatives in EMEA.
The Press & Journal has launched a new campaign which features Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire businesses, readers, and its own journalists to mark its move to a digital-first news provider.
Newsquest, a local media group, has appointed Katie French as Regional Editor at Buckinghamshire & Berkshire.
