News
Reach hires Andy Williams
Reach has announced the hire Andy Williams as business director for Scotland.
News Media
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.
Essential Resources
FEATURE
Returning to growth
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.
Best Practice in Publishing
News media
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…
INTERVIEW
Stand and deliver!
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.
INTERVIEW
Change before charge
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.
INTERVIEW
Ditching the generic
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.
INTERVIEW
The Observer’s premium future
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.
FEATURE
Opportunities & Threats: National News Media
What’s the outlook for national news media in 2024? Christian Broughton, CEO of The Independent, looks ahead.
FEATURE
Breathing new life into local media
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.
OPINION
We Need Trusted News Brands Now More Than Ever
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.
OUT & ABOUT WITH ALAN GEERE
Weekly does it
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.
All Articles
News
Newsquest appoints new Somerset editor
Newsquest has announced the appointment of Milly Vincent as new Somerset editor.
News
dmg media awards corporate sponsorship to NewstrAid
dmg media has awarded £10,000 of corporate sponsorship to industry charity NewstrAid, strengthening support for those in the newspaper and magazine industry facing financial hardship.
News
Guardian Advertising launches its 2025 Upfronts
On Thursday 2 October, Guardian Advertising made a rallying call for creativity as it launched its 2025 Upfronts.
News
The Guardian and Lingua Franca launch new collection
The collaboration showcases the diverse voices and verticals that power the Guardian’s journalism, celebrating reporting that captures ‘the whole picture’.
News
PAMCo release includes new readership methodology following Barb collaboration
PAMCo, the joint industry currency for published media brands, has released data that includes Barb’s Establishment Survey for the first time.
News
Daily Mail launches new social media publishers
Mail Metro Media has unveiled two new dedicated social publishers that aim to shape the future of news and entertainment for young people around the world.
News
The Guardian launches new football quiz
The Guardian has announced the launch of a new daily football quiz in the expansion of its Puzzles hub.
News
The Independent and Seasoned mark Black History Month 2025
The Independent and Seasoned have announced they are to mark Black History Month 2025 with series of initiatives, including a special exhibition.
COLUMN
New kids on the news block
The crowded news sector saw two new entrants this week, both with major implications for mainstream publishers.
News
Ozone launches audience connection platform in the US
Ozone has officially announced the launch of its Audience Connection Platform in the United States.
News
New news appointment announced at the Fed
The Federation of Independent Retailers has appointed Andrew Williamson to the newly created position of news category manager.
News
FT Strategies launches Partner Ecosystem
FT Strategies has announced the launch of Partner Ecosystem to support sustainable transformation in news and media.
News
The NUJ calls on Hilary Benn to bring forward legislation
The National Union of Journalists says The McCullough Review highlights need for government to blow the whistle on illegal surveillance.
News
Ex-Observer team launches The Nerve
An all-women team of five ex-Guardian and Observer journalists is launching the Nerve, an ‘insurgent’ new UK publication with a promise to bring ‘cultural courage’ to the UK media scene.
