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.
Independent News and Media has partnered with PCS to rollout NCS for the Belfast Telegraph, allowing the publisher to create their vision for a circulation department of the future, says PCS.
James Evelegh's editorial from this week's edition of InPubWeekly.
The i, Johnston Press’ national newspaper, has appointed ex-BuzzFeed’s Luke Lewis to the newly created role of Head of Audience Development for inews.co.uk.
Editor-in-chief of the Manchester Evening News, Rob Irvine, has decided to step down from the role after six years.
Yesterday, The Guardian announced the launch of a new series The Upside, which will focus on innovations - and the people behind them - that offer new approaches to solving the most pressing problems of the world today.
Newsquest Media Group has announced the appointment of two new Editors at its Midlands South division.
Trinity Mirror has announced the proposed acquisition of Northern & Shell’s publishing assets for a total purchase price of £126.7 million.
IPSO has appointed Helyn Mensah, a barrister, to its Complaints Committee.
The Financial Times yesterday announced the appointment of Finola McDonnell as Chief Communications and Marketing Officer, beginning April 2018.
A new study by Newsworks and the Association for Online Publishing (AOP) finds that left brain memory encoding, which processes words and detail, is 42% stronger when people view ads on premium editorial sites than when they see the same ads on socia
James Evelegh's editorial from this week's edition of InPubWeekly.
The union yesterday welcomed the government's announcement of a news and media review.
This week sees the unveiling of Birmingham Live, a significant rebranding of the Birmingham Mail’s site. Trinity Mirror is positioning it as a new live digital news and entertainment brand for Birmingham.
Email newsletters are a big hit amongst publishers. They generate big ad dollars and further engage audiences. While the term “win-win situation” is rather cringe-worthy, writes Mirabel Technologies’ Christie Calahan, it is actually the perfect way t
The new-look north Durham Advertiser series was warmly welcomed by readers as copies hit the newsstands on Friday, say publishers Newsquest.
