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.
Sue Green won an NCTJ chairman's award for the quality of journalism training she delivers at the City of Wolverhampton College – and leads the BBC's national academy for apprentices at the same institution. Ian Halstead finds out more.
The question that has been exercising Theresa May for the past two years is also exercising sub-editors across the country, writes Liz Gerard. And, while the root of the question may be different, the conclusion is probably much the same: a resigned,
For marketers selling software as a service (SaaS) using a subscription model, the vital importance of onboarding has been understood for years. Today, writes Julian Thorne, more and more publishers are following suit and creating onboarding programm
This year’s Society of Editors conference was the setting for a lengthy critique of one famous ex-editor’s memoirs by another famous ex-editor. Other stuff happened too, but this contretemps grabbed the headlines. Ray Snoddy was there to catch all th
James Evelegh’s editorial from the November / December 2018 issue of InPublishing magazine.
The Local News Partnership between the News Media Association (NMA) and the BBC is generating significant levels of local public interest journalism which is influencing public policy and holding authority to account, the scheme’s first annual review
The Telegraph has appointed broadcaster Richard Madeley as its new Agony Uncle. Richard takes over from Graham Norton, who wrote the newspaper's Agony Uncle for 12 years, before stepping down in October.
James Evelegh's editorial from last week’s edition of InPubWeekly.
The Society of Editors has welcomed news that Facebook is to invest £4.5m in supporting local journalism under a Community News Project and has urged other organisations to follow suit.
Martin Wright has been appointed Editor-in-Chief for the Midland News Association.
After 25 years with the Midland News Association, the last five as Editor of the Express & Star, Keith Harrison is to leave the organisation.
The future of newspapers previously owned by Johnston Press has been secured after they were acquired by JPIMedia, a spokesman said.
Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall joined 70 Sun readers for afternoon tea on Sunday at Spencer House as part of his 70th birthday celebrations.
The Telegraph yesterday announced the launch of what it describes as a comprehensive, market-leading financial data platform, Markets Hub.
Quartz, a global business news platform, is introducing two new initiatives this week as it continues to grow its suite of products for better understanding and navigating the global economy.
