News
Guardian on track to break even as company halves its losses
The publisher of the Guardian and Observer halved its losses in the last financial year, and the company says it is on track to break even this year.
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
Guardian and D&AD to launch global festival of creativity
Guardian Media Group and D&AD yesterday announced a partnership to establish a new global festival to celebrate the power of creativity and explore how it shapes culture, intersects with business and builds a positive future.
News
Smartphone video is fastest growing online ad format
Advertisers spent £476 million more on smartphone video ads in 2017, making it the fastest-growing online ad format, according to the latest Digital Adspend report by the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) UK and PwC.
COMMENT
Last-chance saloon?
James Evelegh's editorial from this week's edition of InPubWeekly.
News
RSF Index 2018: UK performs poorly
A continued heavy-handed approach towards the press - often in the name of national security - and a climate of hostility towards the media resulted in the UK keeping its status as one of the worst-ranked Western European countries in the Reporters W
News
Exhibition marks Westmorland Gazette’s 200th Anniversary
The Westmorland Gazette has served the community for 200 years and now has an exhibition dedicated to its own story.
News
Ad viewability hits record high
UK ad viewability levels have hit their highest level since records began back in the second quarter of 2014, according to the latest quarterly benchmark report from ad verification firm Meetrics.
News
Johnston Press publishes financial results for 2017
Johnston Press plc this week announced its results for the 52 week period ended 30 December 2017.
News
Regional Press Awards – shortlists announced
Shortlists for the Society of Editors Regional Press Awards for 2017 have been announced. The awards celebrate the best of British regional and local newspaper journalism.
News
newsawards 2018 – winners announced
newsawards 2018 took place on Wednesday night at the Royal Lancaster London and was hosted by BBC TV news broadcaster Kate Silverton.
News
IPSO rules against Sunday Times over grooming story
Miqdaad Versi complained to the Independent Press Standards Organisation that The Sunday Times breached Clause 1 (Accuracy) of the Editors’ Code of Practice in an article headlined, “Asians make up 80% of child groomers- study” published on 10 Decemb
News
Lucy Rock appointed deputy editor of The Observer
Guardian News & Media yesterday announced that Lucy Rock has been appointed deputy editor of The Observer, reporting to Observer editor Paul Webster.
News
Newspaper & Magazine Awards – shortlist announced
ACE has unveiled the shortlist for its NMA2018 Awards.
News
‘Audience Measurement for Publishers’ launches today
The Published Audience Measurement Company (PAMCo) has today (April 19th) released the industry’s new audience measurement currency, PAMCo - Audience Measurement for Publishers.
News
PageSuite completes roll-out of ePaper solutions for Mediahuis
The launch of a new ePaper solution for Het Nieuwsblad follows the successful launch of solutions for Gazet van Antwerpen, Het Belang Van Limburg, De Limburger and De Standaard, all owned by Mediahuis, one of the leading media groups in Belgium and t
