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.
Following two articles published by Paisley Daily Express in 2017, a man complained to the Independent Press Standards Organisation that Paisley Daily Express breached Clause 11 (Victims of sexual assault) of the Editors’ Code of Practice.
Newsquest Media announced yesterday the launch of a new weekly newspaper for Oldham. The Oldham Times will be available for sale from Thursday 21st September, priced at 80p.
Today ES Magazine releases its first shoppable fashion edition.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate, the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA) in strongly criticizing proposed legislation that will change media ownership rules in Australia.
The NUJ has reacted with alarm to news that Trinity Mirror is cutting up to 40 jobs in daily and weekly local newspapers. Journalists working at the affected titles were told of the plans this week.
The BBC’s Local News Partnership has passed a milestone this week with the opening of the applications for regional news outlets to apply for BBC funded Local Democracy Reporter contracts.
ESI Live is working with Syngenta to show the resources required and environmental impacts of feeding a growing urban population and the challenges we face in sustainable agriculture.
On Friday, Trinity Mirror confirmed that it was in discussions to acquire Richard Desmond’s Northern & Shell, publishers of the Daily Express.
The three most annoying mobile ad formats are those which prevent content being consumed, according to a new study by Inskin Media, in collaboration with On Device Research.
The Association for Online Publishing (AOP) has announced the agenda for its second annual two-day convention aimed, it says, at keeping digital publishers informed and inspired to take action and secure the future of online publishing.
Nearly half of all engagements on UK content on social media are powered by commercial news brands, demonstrating that the news media industry’s investment in agenda-setting journalism adds a highly significant amount of value to social networks, new
Trinity Mirror’s Birmingham Mail is to pilot a new publishing approach aimed, it says, at creating a completely standalone, profitable and sustainable digital business.
Local news publisher co-operative 1XL yesterday announced the launch of a dedicated Audience Development division, which will be headed up by former Local World and Telegraph executive Richard Underwood.
The Guardian has announced the launch of Sea Prayer, the publication’s latest virtual reality (VR) project, written by Khaled Hosseini and narrated by BAFTA Award winning actor Adeel Akhtar.
The Oldham Evening Chronicle was launched in 1854 and last week announced its closure, after the publisher entered into administration.
