FEATURE
Survival of the most inclusive
We all need to do more to increase diversity because, ultimately, greater diversity and inclusivity is what will dictate magazines’ future success, writes Meg Carter.
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
INTERVIEW
New face at the FT
Roula Khalaf started her editorship in January, full of ambitious plans for what she would achieve in her first 100 days. And then Covid (“the biggest story ever”) struck. Khalaf talks Ray Snoddy through her eventful first year in charge.
News
Paul Henderson to Depart Sunday Mirror and Sunday People
Paul Henderson will be standing down as Editor of the Sunday Mirror and Sunday People as part of the Reach business transformation.
News
Reach appoints Head of Diversity and Inclusion
Reach has appointed Dr Julie Humphreys as Head of Diversity and Inclusion.
News
DC Thomson Media and BT give newspapers to care homes and hospitals
DC Thomson Media and BT have partnered on a new initiative to help combat loneliness and support the vulnerable in the lead up to Christmas.
Q&A
Copyright revenues: 5 minutes with… Matt Aspinall
It’s really annoying, isn’t it, when someone uses your content for their benefit, and you get absolutely nothing in return. We grab five minutes with NLA media access’ Matt Aspinall to find out what publishers should be doing about it.
News
New WAN-IFRA research on sexual harassment in the media workplace in Southeast Asia
WAN-IFRA Women in News (WIN) and City, University of London, are now entering the second phase of a major research study into sexual harassment in the media workplace.
News
Evening Standard appoints Jimi Famurewa as Chief Restaurant Critic
The Evening Standard has announced the appointment of Jimi Famurewa as its new Chief Restaurant Critic, working across the newspaper, ES Magazine and its digital platforms.
News
British Journalism Awards 2020 – winners announced
Dan McCrum of the FT was yesterday named the British Journalism Awards Journalist of the Year for his investigation into German payments company Wirecard, which exposed a multi-billion euro fraud.
News
Online national news brands gain extra 3 million daily readers
National news brands’ daily online readership grew by an extra three million people compared to the same period last year, according to Newsworks’ analysis of the latest PAMCo data.
News
Editors’ Code of Practice to be revised
The Editors’ Code of Practice is to be revised to underline the protection it offers to people with mental health issues.
News
Reach Sports launches Fans’ Footballer of The Year Awards
Reach’s sport network has announced the launch of its first ever Premier League Fans’ Footballer of the Year awards.
News
FT announces reopening of Houston bureau
As part of its ongoing expansion in the US, the Financial Times has announced the reopening of the Houston bureau and the appointment of Justin Jacobs to the position of Houston correspondent.
News
DC Thomson Appoints David Mac Dougall to senior politics role
DC Thomson Media has announced that David Mac Dougall will be joining the business to head up a specialist team of political reporters.
News
Argonon acquires branded video agency Nemorin
James Burstall, CEO of Argonon, has acclaimed the UK and US-headquartered global production group as the world’s first “hyper-converged superindie” with the strategic acquisition of Nemorin Film & Video.
