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.
Menzies Distribution has, says the NFRN, landed a body blow to its members by announcing an average increase to carriage charges of 2.7 per cent and rises of 1.5 per cent for Northern Ireland and 1.9 per cent for the Republic of Ireland.
Channel 5 has appointed News UK’s branded content division, Bridge Studio, for an integrated print, digital and social campaign to help the broadcaster showcase the range and quality of its content.
This Saturday sees the launch of ‘Grand Selfie’, a Sun Savers promotion that gives customers the chance to win a £1,000 prize.
CN Group has announced to its staff and shareholders that the company is in the process of being sold to Newsquest Media Group Ltd. Completion is expected shortly after the Shareholder meeting on March 9th, subject to Shareholder approval.
Newsquest, the regional newspaper publisher, has given prizes to centres which have used the most unpaid-for copy and photographs, with its £4000 winner announced as Weymouth, which publishes the Dorset Echo and Bridport and Lyme Regis News, says the
The Caerphilly Observer is one of a number of local publishers who have recently signed up to be regulated by IPSO, including liffe Media, West Bridgford Wire, and Thurrock Independent.
On Friday, a Turkish court jailed journalists Mehmet Altan (65), his brother Ahmet Altan (67) and Nazli Illicak (73) for life imprisonment after finding them guilty of "involvement in the 2016 coup attempt".
Today, independent retailers from all over the UK and Ireland will be enlisting the support of MPs and ministers to champion the importance of their sector.
News UK’s commercial division The Bridge is to launch a new tool that takes brands’ social content and amplifies it across The Sun, The Times and The Sunday Times’ websites and social channels.
Guardian News & Media has announced the appointment of Jim Waterson as media editor.
Trinity Mirror has announced a further 49 redundancies, reports the NUJ.
Canvasflow has released its official integration with Sprylab’s Purple DS – a leading digital publishing solution.
Daily Record Editor Murray Foote has announced he is leaving after four years in the job.
The Financial Times last week announced the appointment of two leaders for its global advertising team.
Yesterday’s Consumer Magazine report marks a key step change for ABC, revealing new industry agreed Standards that simplify reporting and further support market growth, says the ABC.
