News
News UK launches first-party data platform
News UK last week announced the launch of Nucleus, its new cross-brand, first-party data platform.
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
Ozone to debut outcome-based campaigns with MG OMD partnership
The Ozone Project, the publisher owned digital advertising platform, has announced a landmark test partnership with MG OMD.
News
How failure to report and manage sexual harassment is harming African news media
New research released this week by the WAN-IFRA’s Women in News programme has provided insight into the scale of sexual harassment in African media organisations.
News
Robert Flather installed as new Master of Stationers’ Company
Robert Flather, chairman of Kolbus UK, has been elected Master of the Stationers’ Company and this week was installed at a ceremony at Goldsmiths’ Hall.
News
The Evening Standard appoints new City Editor
The Evening Standard has announced the appointment of Oscar Williams-Grut as City Editor, working across the newspaper and its digital platforms.
FEATURE
Lessons from the newsroom
Newspapers are a relatively new addition to the Readly platform, having launched in the UK last year. Since then, says Readly’s Chris Couchman, they’ve been in a constant process of learning.
News
Passendo Signs Strategic UK Partnership with 360 Publishing
Passendo, an in-email ad serving platform, has announced a new partnership in the UK with publishing and media consultants 360 Publishing.
News
Press regulator appoints Sarah Lee to Board
The Independent Press Standards Organisation has announced the appointment of Sarah Lee, former partner at Slaughter and May, to its lay-majority Board.
News
The Guardian partners with Ocado to create shoppable experience
The Guardian has partnered with Ocado to deliver a shoppable experience to help readers get the most from its recipes.
News
Belfast Live expands across Northern Ireland with new county brands
Reach says it is getting deeper into the heart of its Northern Ireland communities with the launch of three new sub-brands.
News
Owen Meredith starts as NMA CEO
Owen Meredith has started as News Media Association chief executive with a pledge to work with Government and regulators to ensure a sustainable future for independent journalism.
COLUMN
Liz Gerard’s Notebook
Exposing Hancock, harassing his wife, asking the right questions, Times & Sunday Times joining forces, the face of England's win, front page aesthetics, remembering Diana and hats off to some great journalism.
FEATURE
Don’t lose momentum on digital transformation
Much progress has been made over the last eighteen months but, as we start to emerge from lockdown, says Ross Paterson, CEO of WoodWing, it’s important to remain focused on delivering digital transformation.
News
The Telegraph Launches Hong Kong Silenced Podcast Series
The Telegraph has launched a podcast series which lays bare how life in Hong Kong was turned upside down in just twelve months, following the introduction of the National Security Law.
News
Wilshire launches enhanced FT Wilshire 5000 Index Series
Wilshire, in association with the Financial Times, yesterday announced the modernisation and rebranding of the Wilshire 5000 and the launch of a new FT Wilshire 5000 Index Series.
