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.
Fakery, distortion and misrepresentation found a new name in 2016 - ‘fake news’. Last year’s two big elections saw a poisoning of public discourse, as election protagonists, their shadowy online backers and highly partisan media outlets created, perp
WoodWing Software announced yesterday that Jan de Roos, who has a strong background in publishing and technology, is the company’s new CEO.
Jewish Chronicle (JC), has completed the move of their weekly newspaper onto Abacus e-Media’s ADvance platform with social sign on integration.
IPSO has launched a panel to offer journalists’ perspectives on IPSO’s work and wider industry issues.
Newsquest Media Group announced yesterday the launch of a new online public notices platform that enables the public to be better informed about local decisions.
JICWEBS – the independent body that defines best practice and standards for online ad trading in the UK – has announced the next stage in the move to tackle online ad fraud.
The Sunday Times Scotland has launched a new service for travellers, expanding its Travel section to become, it says, the only quality Scottish newspaper to carry news and features on holiday departures direct from Scotland.
The Observer has announced the appointment of Michael Savage as policy editor.
In its Trading Update released yesterday, DMGT announced a “resilient performance” with underlying revenue in line with last year.
Fabulous Bingo yesterday launched a brand new marketing campaign to promote the revamped brand and website proposition.
Gold Key Media were yesterday announced as the 2017 Sponsors of the David Campbell, Worldwide Hotel Receptionist of the Year Award.
In December 2016, PageSuite surveyed over 100 publishing executives from across the globe in an attempt to find out more about the various industry challenges they faced over the past 12 months.
As Donald Trump prepared for his inauguration last week, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) called on him to stop attacking the media and respect freedom of expression as a fundamental right.
Trinity Mirror has made a series of announcements concerning its regional weekly and daily titles, with 78 jobs to go and 44 new roles, including 17 video journalists and producer roles, to be created, reports the NUJ.
PAMCo (Published Audience Measurement Company) has appointed Hana Murgani to the newly created position of Trade Marketing Manager.
