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.
McClatchy, owner of media companies in 29 U.S. markets in 14 states, has selected MPP Global to support its digital initiatives to drive audience engagement turning casual consumers into paid subscribers.
Realeyes has appointed former senior Toluna and Harris Interactive executive to help clients achieve greater success using emotion measurement technology data.
Amid fears that Donald Trump’s administration could shatter decades of hard-won progress on climate change, from 7am GMT/ 2am ET on Thursday 19 January, the Guardian and Univision News are uniting to focus on the subject.
De Persgroep, one of the leading European media publishing groups with operations spanning Belgium, Denmark and The Netherlands, has chosen Lineup Systems to replace its advertising booking management systems.
The NFRN has called on the new chairman of the Press Distribution Forum to urgently intervene following Johnston Press’ decision to move the distribution of its titles in Northern Ireland from Newspread to EM News from next Monday (January 23).
Guardian Media Group (GMG) has announced that Coram Williams has joined the GMG board as a non-executive director with immediate effect.
Guardian News & Media (GNM) has announced the appointment of Evelyn Webster as interim chief executive officer (CEO) of Guardian US.
News UK yesterday announced the appointment of Alison Dolan as Chief Strategy Officer, reporting to Rebekah Brooks, Chief Executive of News UK.
Trinity Mirror has appointed Andy Atkinson as its new Chief Revenue Officer.
With effect from 1 January 2017, Frank Straetmans takes over as Chairman of the Press Distribution Forum (PDF) on behalf of the Professional Publishers Association (PPA).
ESI Media yesterday announced the appointment of Katie Ingram as Director of Trade Marketing and Insight.
Newsprinters Eurocentral is to provide printing services for the Metro Scottish edition.
The Internet Advertising Bureau UK has named Jon Mew as its new chief executive.
Bloomberg Media yesterday announced it has appointed Stephen Colvin as Head of Bloomberg Live, their global events division.
The Financial Times has announced the acquisition of GIS Planning, a San Francisco-based internet technology company providing organisations with data and intelligence on foreign direct investment (FDI) and economic development in North America.
