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.
With more and more of our readers accessing our content via mobile, we need to work harder to make sure our sites perform well on smartphones. As Publisher's Toolbox MD Rich Cheary explains, having a responsive website is not enough.
IPSO this week announced that all major publishers in membership have chosen to remain part of the IPSO system for the next five years.
Self Select now can offer UK and European publishers free publication distribution into Spain along the Costas with ‘Self Select Media’.
NFRN National President Stuart Reddish has thanked the publisher of the i for accompanying a price rise on its weekend edition with pro rata terms.
IAB Europe has announced the launch of its annual ‘Attitudes to Programmatic Advertising’ report, alongside its programmatic market-sizing research.
The Telegraph has launched a new weekly social video series – Will It Kill Me? – that uses science to put the biggest health trends on social feeds under the microscope.
Miles 33, a provider of software and services to the media industry, has announced that it has acquired Graphic Systems International Inc based in Miami, USA.
Last week, The Atlantic launched a digital subscription service, making available three new subscription plans and introducing a metered model on the site.
Improve Digital, owned by Azerion, is the first European supply-side platform to become an approved activation partner for Ozone Audience.
The Telegraph has unveiled its editorial team and coverage plans ahead of the forthcoming Rugby World Cup in Japan.
Telegraph Women’s Sport is publishing a special FA Women’s Super League print supplement on September 6 ahead of the start of the English domestic league.
The Society of Editors has welcomed the decision by the courts to refuse to order journalists to hand over their notes to counter-terrorism investigators.
Gold Key Media has partnered with the Conservative Party for what’s likely to be one of the most closely watched party conferences in recent times.
Former BBC news correspondent Kate Adie will be honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Society of Editors’ 20th Anniversary Conference in November.
The Financial Times has announced the appointment of Orson Francescone as managing director of FT Live.
