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.
Newsweek’s Middle East Editor, Janine di Giovanni, has today been awarded the ‘Courage in Journalism Award’ from the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF), a Washington-based organisation which is dedicated to strengthening the role of women
Newsquest Media Group yesterday announced the imminent launch of a new, free weekly newspaper in Oxfordshire, The Oxfordshire Star.
The Association of Online Publishers has announced the shortlist for its annual Digital Publishing Awards.
Family-owned papers in Cumbria and Kent triumphed in the weekly newspaper sections of the Society of Editors Regional Press Awards, which was held on Friday at the Marriott Grosvenor Square Hotel in London.
The Financial Times is boosting its technology and media team to address what it says is a rapidly changing business landscape where technological progress is disrupting and affecting many industries.
Guardian News & Media (GNM) has today announced that Lenore Taylor has been appointed editor of Guardian Australia as Emily Wilson returns to the London office to become assistant editor, following the completion of her two-year tenure in Australia.
The ABC yesterday published its April figures for newsbrands.
ESI Media has announced that the London Evening Standard has partnered with specialist insurer Hiscox to become the newsbrand’s first ever multi-platform Arts sponsor.
Johnston Press plc yesterday issued a trading update, for the 17 week period from 3 January 2016 to 30 April 2016, ahead of its 2016 Annual General Meeting.
The Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) today issued an upheld ruling on the complaint by Buckingham Palace that The Sun breached Clause 1 (Accuracy) of the Editors’ Code of Practice in an article headlined “Queen Backs Brexit” published
The Scott Trust, shareholder of the Guardian Media Group, has announced the appointment of Nils Pratley as journalist director to the board.
The UK’s Joint Industry Committee for Web Standards (JICWEBS) – the independent body that defines best practice and standards for online ad trading – has announced the next stage in the move to tackle online ad fraud.
Trinity Mirror’s stripping out of former Local World titles continued this week, claimed the NUJ, with plans to cut the staff of the Black Country Bugle from five to two reporters based outside the area.
Alan Rusbridger, Chair-elect of The Scott Trust, has decided not to take up the post in September and to resign as a Trustee.
The London Evening Standard has strengthened its editorial team with a number of senior appointments.
