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.
The Government's ban on paid-for HFSS advertising online is a draconian measure which will harm news media publishers instead of the tackling the problem of childhood obesity, the NMA has said.
New guidance commissioned by the Media Lawyers’ Association (MLA) has been published to help journalists understand the law, and help them recognise abuse that may be illegal.
The Skylark Collective has announced the launch of the inaugural International Women’s Podcast Awards, an event celebrating the very best female-led moments in podcasting of the last year.
Guardian journalists John Harris and John Domokos have been awarded the Orwell Prize for Journalism for their Guardian video series, Anywhere But Westminster.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has condemned the forced closure of a Hong Kong newspaper describing the move as “a chilling blow to freedom of expression.”
The Reuters Institute Digital News Report has found that the coronavirus pandemic has driven the need for trusted and reliable news, with news brands seeing a rise in subscriptions and trust.
The Society of Editors has announced a donation to the Journalism Diversity Fund, the fund which helps make a career in journalism more viable for a wider range of candidates.
News Media Association chairman Henry Faure Walker, Newsquest chief executive, has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.
The Sun has partnered with public service broadcaster Channel 4 and NHS Charities Together for its annual Who Cares Wins awards.
The Observer has announced that Philippa Perry has joined as its new advice columnist.
MPP Global has announced a strategic partnership with Zephr to provide publishers with a joint solution that optimises subscription revenues across print and digital channels.
Widespread closures of newsrooms are taking place at Reach, the UK’s largest media group, with most staff to work mainly at home even after Covid-19. The move has sparked vivid memories, as Steve Dyson reports.
Some industries are making great strides in how they use AI, but what about publishing? Many news organisations will struggle to reap the potential benefits, unless they learn to work together.
A customer-first strategy, a commitment to innovation and a desire to collaborate are powering growth at the UK’s biggest news publisher, writes Meg Carter.
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.
