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.
This morning, London commuters were treated to beach accessories, handed to them outside train stations by Metro’s ‘Hunks in Trunks’ to mark this evening’s return of the ITV2 show, Love Island.
A study from Verto Analytics, measuring the cross-device behaviour of nearly 5,000 UK adults, reveals which sectors are most dominated by the different devices in terms of the time people spend visiting them.
Johnston Press has announced it is merging its publishing and digital functions, bolstering the role of Chief Digital and Product Officer Jeff Moriarty.
The Guardian has announced the appointment of Alexis Williams to the role of head of fashion sales.
WAN-IFRA has named an editor from Egypt and editor from Kenya as Winners of the WAN-IFRA Women in News Editorial Leadership Award.
WAN-IFRA has launched an online learning platform designed to promote the development of new business models, train top talent in media companies, and pragmatically accelerate digital transformation in today’s ever-changing news ecosystem.
Staff from across Trinity Mirror's regional titles were asked if they would like to do a few shifts in Manchester, so their colleagues at the MEN can take a break after working round the clock.
In the Group’s Half Year results for the six months ended 31 March 2017, DMGT has reported revenues of £890m, up 1% on an underlying basis.
IPSO yesterday published the third set of annual statements, covering the period 1st January 2016 to 31st December 2016.
News Ireland has announced that the Ireland edition of The Times will be available in both digital and print formats from Saturday, June 3, 2017.
Readers have come forward in their thousands to raise more than £1 million for those affected by the terrorist attack in Manchester on Monday.
Karlene Lukovitz spots some encouraging trends in the US, with some publishers successfully growing subs and erecting paywalls.
After 120 years in publishing, the baronial Iliffe family lost its local newspapers in a complex merger deal. Now heir apparent Edward Iliffe is building a new press kingdom from scratch. Steve Dyson reports.
In March, the AOP held one of its regular forum events, this one entitled: ‘The Content Creator & The User’. One of the keynotes was given by Christian Broughton, editor of the Independent, who advised the audience to embrace all things digital. Jame
Two years in the making and using a highly collaborative design approach, the FT’s new website has swept all before it in terms of industry awards. Nick Turner talks to Mark Alderson about their priorities and strategy.
