News
Sun asks readers to go green
The Sun has launched a new campaign to ask its readers to go green by pledging to reduce their waste, meat consumption, plastic use, and to recycle, reuse and repair more by joining its Green Team.
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
Power Up The North and Helen’s Law win Making a Difference Awards
Two outstanding newspaper campaigns – Power Up The North and Helen’s Law – have won the local and national Making a Difference awards for 2020.
News
New editor for Bolton News & Lancashire Telegraph
Steve Thompson has been appointed regional editor for Newsquest Lancashire/Greater Manchester, which includes daily brands The Bolton News and Lancashire Telegraph.
News
DC Thomson Media invests in print titles
DC Thomson Media is investing in multiple titles with a trio of brand and marketing campaigns, with activity across OOH, digital, experiential and PR.
News
The Metro launches monthly newsletter on race
The Metro has announced it will be launching a monthly edition of its lifestyle newsletter to talk about race in the UK.
COMMENT
Nice of her to say
This week is ‘Journalism Matters’ week and the Queen released a supportive statement. James Evelegh lists three reasons why journalism matters, a lot.
News
Nation values role of journalism more since pandemic, new study finds
A major new study “World Without News” has revealed how the nation’s appreciation and value of journalism has increased significantly since the onset of the global coronavirus pandemic.
Q&A
Subs marketing: 5 minutes with… Alan Weaver
If there’s been one silver lining for publishers in this pandemic period, it’s been the growth in subscriptions. We grab five minutes with Alan Weaver to discuss the changing face of subs marketing.
News
Guardian announces new climate initiatives
The Guardian has announced it is doubling down on its climate commitments and launching further initiatives one year after pledging to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
News
Impartial Reporter wins Amnesty Media Award
The Impartial Reporter scooped The Regional Media Award at the Amnesty International UK Media Awards 2020 for its outstanding investigation into historical sexual abuse.
News
Local Editors Call On Government To Take Action on the Tech Giants
Local editors have issued a stark call for Government to intervene in the UK digital advertising marketplace to curb the activities of Google and Facebook which could wipe out local journalism.
News
News UK launches Studio PI
This week, News UK announced the launch of Studio PI, an independent photography and illustration agency that champions talent from underrepresented backgrounds in the creative industry.
News
Readly extends its agreement with Aftonbladet
Readly and Aftonbladet, Sweden's largest evening newspaper which is owned by the Schibsted Media Group, have entered into an expanded publishing collaboration.
COMMENT
Trusted journalism is a crucial part of our response to the coronavirus crisis
News Media Association chairman Henry Faure Walker kicks off Journalism Matters week with praise for the industry’s response to the pandemic and a call for government intervention.
News
Queen sends message of support to NMA members for Journalism Matters
The News Media Association’s annual weeklong Journalism Matters campaign celebrating journalism kicked off on Monday, with titles across the country participating.
