News
Regional Press Awards 2019 – winners announced
On Friday, the Society of Editors announced the winners of the Regional Press Awards 2019.
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
AOP 2020 Digital Publishing Awards – shortlist announced
The Association for Online Publishing has announced the shortlist for the 2020 Digital Publishing Awards – a celebration of best practice in innovative, creative and profitable digital publishing.
COMMENT
BLM: what we can do
The Black Lives Matter campaign has prompted many sections of society to look afresh at their past performance and present conduct. The media should be no different.
News
World’s Press Condemns Guilty Verdict for Maria Ressa
Prominent Filipino journalist Maria Ressa has been found guilty of cyber libel in a case widely condemned as politically motivated.
News
ESI Media announces Key Management Appointments
ESI Media – owner of the Evening Standard and the Independent – has announced the appointments of Oliver Poole as Executive Editor and Laura Weir as Chief Creative Officer.
News
Yahoo and The GEANCO Foundation launch new podcast series
Yahoo and The GEANCO Foundation have announced the launch of “STOR14S,” a new podcast featuring children’s short stories narrated by a cast of leading actors and influencers.
News
City University student wins Hugo Young award
Ian Johnston, a student from City University, has been revealed as the winner of the 2020 Guardian Foundation’s Hugo Young award.
News
PAMCo: publisher reaction
The Publishers Audience Measurement Company (PAMCo), has released the latest cross-platform audience readership figures.
News
SoE calls on Number 10 to lift restrictions on press photographers
The Society of Editors has called for assurances that restrictions on press photographers attending events featuring senior government members will be lifted as soon as possible.
News
Ross Kempsell joins Times Radio
Times Radio has announced that Ross Kempsell is rejoining Wireless to take up a new role as Special Correspondent for Times Radio.
News
Guardian Labs partners with Levi’s: Your Voice Your Way
Guardian Labs is working with Levi’s on a creative print and online campaign, providing young people with a platform to help elevate and amplify their voice.
News
SoE condemns attack on media by far right activists
The Society of Editors is adding its voice to the condemnation of attacks made against journalists during the weekend’s protests by far-right activists in London.
News
Telegraph appoints new Chief Sports Writer
Oliver Brown has been promoted to Chief Sports Writer at the Telegraph.
News
Guardian appoints Keith Underwood
Guardian Media Group on Friday announced the appointment of Keith Underwood as chief financial and operating officer.
News
CPJ calls on Trump to protect media freedom
The Committee to Protect Journalists has joined dozens of groups throughout the USA and around the world in calling on U.S. officials to speak out forcefully in defence of press freedom.
