News
The Independent announces two senior hires
The Independent has announced the appointment of Barney Henderson as the title’s new UK editor and Jacqui Merrington as executive editor.
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
The Washington Post sacks a third of its workforce
On 4 February, The Washington Post announced the firing of more than 300 employees, approximately one third of its staff.
News
SoE calls on government to stamp out SLAPPs
The Society of Editors has, at the end of January, joined over 120 editors, lawyers, academics, journalists, publishers and civil society representatives to call on the Government to give parliamentary time to stamp out SLAPPs.
News
Readers raise £672,000 for The Telegraph’s Christmas Charity Appeal 2025
The Appeal launched on November 1 2025 and remained open until January 31 2026.
News
The Sunday Times appoints Camilla Long to restaurant critic role
Camilla Long, currently television critic for The Sunday Times, will move into restaurant reviews for The Sunday Times Magazine.
News
IPSO appoints new chair
The next chair of IPSO will be Jenny Watson CBE who succeeds Lord Faulks in April, when he steps down after completing two terms.
COLUMN
Questions, questions, questions…
Paul Connew, a far from uncritical Labour simpatico commentator and former Mirror group editor, reviews an extraordinary week for both politics and the media striving to keep pace with the exploding drama…
Q&A
AOP Awards: 5 minutes with… Jacqui and Chris
Ahead of the March entries deadline for the AOP Digital Publishing Awards, we grab five minutes with co-chairs Mail Metro Media’s Jacqui Merrington and TechFinitive’s Chris Cannon to get their thoughts on the state of the digital publishing sector.
News
Nigella Lawson joins Financial Times as new columnist
Nigella Lawson will join the Financial Times as a columnist, bringing her distinctive style and expertise to FT Weekend’s food and drink coverage.
News
World Media Group welcomes new member
World Media Group has welcomed CNBC as a member.
News
The Guardian announces Jamil Smith as new US columnist
Commentator and media critic, Smith brings more than 25 years’ experience shaping public discourse on the intersection of politics, culture and identity.
News
Newsquest appoints Anna Starnes
Newsquest has announced the appointment of Anna Starnes as editor of the Ipswich Star and East Anglian Daily Times.
News
FT Strategies and Medill reveal new research
Consumers as editors: New FT Strategies and Medill research reveals how young people sift, consume and share news.
Q&A
The pursuit of ad transparency: five minutes with… David Nelson
David Nelson, co-founder and CEO of Limelight Inc., has spent over two decades in digital media. Here, he shares his perspective on how automation, data, and collaboration are reshaping the relationship between publishers, advertisers and technology.
News
PressReader introduces puzzles
PressReader has introduced puzzles to all versions of its platform.
