News
ABC introduces new reporting options for newsbrands
Following widespread discussions with publishers, agencies, advertisers and their trade bodies, ABC is today announcing new data reporting options for national newspapers.
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
News avoidance increases during the pandemic
A new survey has found that almost 60 per cent of people say they always, often or sometimes avoid news during the present Covid-19 emergency.
News
Digital publishers experienced decline in advertising prior to Covid-19
Digital publishing revenues declined to £131.1m in Q4 2019, a 6.2% fall in comparison to Q4 2018, according to the latest Digital Publishers Revenue Index.
News
Industry support enables NewstrAid to send treat packages
Industry charity NewstrAid is sending treat packages to hundreds of beneficiaries coping with lockdown thanks to the generosity of the news trade.
News
Fabulous’s appeal reaches £1m of donations
The Sun’s Fabulous NHS Care Package campaign has received a milestone £1m in donations from top beauty brands.
News
The Sun appoints new Political Editor
The Sun last week announced that Harry Cole has been appointed as Political Editor.
News
Scottish government announces £3m boost for newspapers
The Scottish government has announced a £3m advertising boost in the form of a public health information partnership for newspapers in Scotland.
News
Economist and VICE announce job cuts
The Economist Group has announced it is laying off 90 employees, around 7 per cent of its total workforce around the world, to address lost revenue caused by the Covid-19 crisis.
News
SoE: Bloomberg ruling “provides rich and powerful with smokescreen”
A ruling by the Court of Appeal that those under investigation by the police have the right to remain anonymous until charged will serve to help the rich and powerful evade scrutiny, the Society of Editors has warned.
News
MNA announces 90 jobs under threat
The Midlands News Association has announced plans to cut 90 jobs, including 14 in editorial due to financial pressures brought by the Covid-19 crisis.
News
FT Global Boardroom virtual conference attracts over 50,000
More than 50,000 registered delegates joined the Financial Times for The Global Boardroom, a three-day online conference on the impact of the coronavirus on policy, business and finance.
News
Time Out joins The Ozone Project
The Ozone Project has announced Time Out Media in the UK as its newest publisher partner, further increasing the platform’s reach of audiences who are interested in entertainment and cultural events.
News
SoE: Proposed Scottish Hate Crime law change threatens free media
The Society of Editors is to write to the Scottish Government expressing grave concerns over proposed new anti- hate crime laws it says have the potential to severely restrict free speech throughout the UK.
News
GNI substantially increases Journalism Diversity Fund donation
Google News Initiative has increased its annual donation to the NCTJ’s Journalism Diversity Fund by more than 50 per cent on 2019.
News
The Sunday Times appoints new deputy editor
Sarah Baxter is to step down from her role as deputy editor of The Sunday Times. The new deputy editor will be Ben Taylor.
