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.
The Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) has announced the appointment of Ian MacGregor, President of the Society of Editors and Editor Emeritus of the Telegraph Media Group, to its Board.
Retailers were dealt a further blow this week, says the NFRN, after News UK announced that the cover price of the Saturday Times was rising by 20p to £1.90 but at the same time there was to be a drop in margin from 21.5 per cent to 21 per cent.
Guardian News & Media this week announced the appointment of Regina Buckley in a dual role as chief financial & operating officer for The Guardian US.
James Evelegh's editorial from this week's edition of InPubWeekly.
The Financial Times is among the first news organisations to be accredited by the Joint Industry Committee for Web Standards (JICWEBS) for its commitment to brand safety and online ad fraud.
News UK yesterday announced that Dominic Carter has been appointed as Group Chief Commercial Officer, a new role that will oversee all national advertising revenue for News UK and Wireless Group operations in the UK and Ireland.
James Evelegh's editorial from this week's edition of InPubWeekly.
The Manchester Evening News yesterday welcomed a report into the aftermath of the Manchester Arena bomb which, the publishers say, praised its coverage but also criticised the actions of some media.
The FT has published figures showing a median pay gap of nearly 20 per cent between men and women. This is bigger, says the NUJ, than at many of its competitors and the company has revealed that its average pay gap is almost a quarter.
Technology is changing everything in the publishing sphere, including the selling of advertising. We grab five minutes with Simon Weare, head of development at PCS, to find out more.
Most publishers say that meaningful change is necessary to ensure a profitable future. But how many are actually doing it? Jim Bilton reports.
James Evelegh’s roundup of some of the news stories that caught his eye over the last couple of months.
The press has got a long and proud history of fighting injustice and exposing corruption. But what about the dark side of our industry: phone hacking, chequebook journalism and byline banditry? How can we justify that? Liz Gerard investigates the mu
Fighting for more pay, better conditions and fewer job cuts will never go out of fashion according to Chris Morley, of the National Union of Journalists. Steve Dyson reports.
In regional newspapers, publishers are faced with massive structural changes as the internet continues to evolve, coupled with constantly challenged resources. Johnston Press’ Tim Robinson explains how and why editorial design is evolving across the
