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.
Digital publishing revenues increased by 5.3%, with combined totals rising to £452.8 million over the last year, according to the latest Digital Publishers Revenue Index (DPRI), a quarterly report on UK publishing from the Association for Online Publ
The Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) yesterday issued guidance for editors and journalists on reporting suicide.
During its General Assembly of Members held in Amsterdam on 13th December, WAN-IFRA, the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers, appointed Fernando de Yarza, President of Henneo Group in Spain, as its newly elected Vice President.
The Printing Charity announced at its 191st Annual Luncheon on 22 November at Stationers’ Hall, London, that Lionel Barber, Editor of the Financial Times, has accepted its invitation to serve a second term as the charity’s President.
The trustees of the charitable fund run by Newsquest Media Group have announced this year’s grants of nearly £300,000 to fifty good causes around the UK.
Reach plc has today released a trading update for the fourth quarter of 2018.
This week, the winners of the British Journalism Awards 2018, organised by Press Gazette were announced.
News UK titles have pledged their support to six charities for their Christmas appeals this year, with video ad tech company Unruly supporting another.
DC Thomson Media’s senior newspaper team, and the operational structure of the newspapers, has been revised, introducing the new role of Head of Newspapers. Richard Neville, the current Editor-in-Chief of Morning Newspapers has been appointed to thi
News Scotland – publisher of The Times Scotland, The Sunday Times Scotland and The Scottish Sun – has appointed Carol Wyper as its new group marketing manager.
The Telegraph on Friday relaunched its puzzles website. It’s the biggest refresh to the puzzles pages for ten years.
On Thursday, Newsworks announced the winners of its 2018 Planning Awards, chosen by a jury of 20 client and agency judges, led by Alessandra Bellini, Tesco's chief customer officer.
Newsquest, the UK local media group, announced yesterday the launch of a new B2B brand as it accelerates its push into digital marketing services.
Daily Mail and General Trust has today published its results for the year ended 30 September 2018.
News UK yesterday announced that Quentin Letts will be joining The Times, The Sunday Times and The Sun.
