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 Guardian has launched Made in Britain – a collaborative video journalism series reporting on the inequalities and challenges confronting communities in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
James Slack, Director of Communications at Number 10, has been appointed deputy editor-in-chief, The Sun, and will join the paper in the coming months.
The BBC should rethink its announcement of a new network of "digital community journalists", says the News Media Association.
Reach plc has announced Gemma Aldridge as the new editor of the Sunday Mirror and Sunday People.
The Journalists’ Charity is launching a new initiative aimed at helping new starters at the beginning of their careers.
The Mirror has been selected as one of 8 winning media outlets across Europe to receive a grant from The European Development Journalism Grants, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Mike Mirams has announced that he will be retiring from his position as Chief Executive Officer of the newspaper and magazine industry charity, NewstrAid, in August 2021.
The Telegraph has launched a Media Literacy Programme for 16-18 year olds about the importance of quality, edited news in society.
In our latest webinar, Lineup’s Joe Cronin focused on subscription trends. James Evelegh picks out some of the takeaways from his presentation.
People spend a lot of time in supermarkets, even during lockdown, and the free magazine racks are an important route to market for many titles. We grab five minutes with SSD’s Andy Barker to talk about trends in this sector.
Business Live, Reach’s business news website that hosts stories written by business writers from across the group's national and regional titles, has been expanded to include Northern Ireland.
News Corp has reached a multi-year agreement to provide access to news and information to millions of Facebook users in Australia through its Facebook News product.
Colette, written and directed by Anthony Giacchino, produced by Oculus Studios and Respawn Entertainment, and released by The Guardian, has been nominated for an Academy Award.
The Government has published the UK’s first national action plan to protect journalists from abuse and harassment.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s interview with Oprah Winfrey sent shockwaves through the Royal Family and also the British press.
