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.
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.
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…
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.
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.
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.
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.
What’s the outlook for national news media in 2024? Christian Broughton, CEO of The Independent, looks ahead.
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.
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.
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.
NLA media access already does a great deal for publishers. Last year, it fed back over £40m into the sector to, as the strapline under its logo says, “support journalism”, but, there’s so much more it can do…
The British Journalism Awards came just 24 hours before the general election following a campaign that highlighted some of the worst of journalism and social media. The awards were a reminder of the great things dedicated journalists can achieve.
The Press has never been slow to point fingers and criticise public figures, but is it even-handed and how open is it when reporting stories that involve themselves? Liz Gerard investigates.
Local newspapers across Newsquest Media Group are raising money for the NHS in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis.
Britain’s biggest newspaper publishers have come together to extend the existing Deliver My Newspaper, Home News Delivery initiative as government advice on the Coronavirus crisis escalates.
WAN-IFRA launches ‘coronanewsroom’, a resource desk for news media professionals.
Newsquest is teaming up with local retailers to ensure older people in isolation are still able to receive their regular newspaper.
Lineup Systems has announced that The Seattle Times has selected Adpoint as their new order management system across their print, digital and agency services product lines.
The Society of Editors has written to the government urging it to ensure the population has access to vital news and information produced through the mainstream media during this crisis.
A local media sector campaign urging the community to pull together in response to the coronavirus epidemic saw most daily local media titles publish the same front page on Friday.
The Society of Editors has welcomed the publication of research that shows that quality UK journalism is being read by more people than ever before.
PageSuite has announced the re-launch of MyDigitalNewspaper and subsequent launch of MyDigitalMag, an emergency solution to help publishers during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Guardian Media Group has announced the appointment of two new non-executive directors to the GMG board, with immediate effect.
The London Press Club on Friday announced the shortlists for its annual awards.
The corona virus is putting considerable strain on society and the economy. The press has an important role to play in maintaining calm.
