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.
Jodie Ginsberg, CEO of the Committee to Protect Journalists, gave this year’s James Cameron Lecture at City St George’s, University of London on the 4th March. This is the transcript of the lecture.
Claims by Big Tech firms and their allies that weakening UK copyright law would boost AI growth and the economy are not supported by their own evidence, according to a new review by Oliver & Ohlbaum.
The Independent marked International Women’s Day with the release of Independent Women 2026: The Influence List — celebrating the women shaping Britain today.
More than 60 Newsquest colleagues slept out overnight in February in support of Centrepoint, Newsquest’s 2026 Charity of the Year, to help raise funds for young people facing homelessness.
ACE has announced the shortlist for the its 2026 Newspaper and Magazine awards.
Poool has signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by Darwin CX.
According to a new study from Newsworks, this year’s World Cup is set to have a positive impact on the nation’s mood and the economy.
Major news brands including the Guardian form new coalition to promote responsible AI licensing.
FT Strategies introduces its Advisory Partners network to help clients navigate strategic challenges and accelerate transformation.
The UK press had been anticipating a week of post by-election postmortems when the US and Israel decided to attack Iran. Paul Connew looks at how the press has covered the conflict so far…
Reach plc has released its full year results for the year ended 31 December 2025.
The New York Times international desk welcomes Adina Renner, who will report and create graphics and multimedia stories.
Parents cannot regulate trillion-dollar platforms from the kitchen table, says SoE chief.
Charlotte Dewar, chief executive of IPSO, sees the organisation’s role as protecting both the public and journalists, through an ongoing raising of standards. She tells Ray Snoddy that, despite calls for Leveson 2, self-regulation is working.
Schoolchildren will soon be taught how to spot fake pictures in the latest changes to the national curriculum, so what chance does the professional photographer have in an AI saturated world of made-up imagery?, asks Alan Geere.
