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.
Dawson Media Direct has announced that the world’s largest charter airline, Thomson Airways, has chosen DMD as the exclusive print media manager for its premium cabin service onboard.
Guardian News & Media (GNM) editor-in-chief Katharine Viner and Guardian Media Group (GMG) chief executive David Pemsel yesterday outlined a three-year business plan to enhance operating efficiency, reduce costs and secure new growth opportunities fo
Craig Nayman, chief commercial officer for Archant, has been appointed chairman of the News Media Association’s Local Commercial Board.
ESI Media has announced an exclusive multiplatform partnership with Sky Arts, launching today, Friday, 22nd January for six months, kicking off with its new series ‘The Nightmare World of HG Wells’.
Neil Oliver, the popular Scottish historian, archaeologist, broadcaster and writer, joins The Sunday Times Scotland this weekend.
Guardian News & Media (GNM) has announced the appointment of Hamish Nicklin as chief revenue officer.
Newsquest must address problems with working practices at its production hubs to protect the quality of journalism on its titles and to safeguard staff, says the National Union of Journalists.
The Times and The Sunday Times have launched The Times of London Weekly, an international digital app that provides news-hungry readers with a world view from London.
Newspaper and media group Independent News & Media PLC (INM) has announced a major deal with Lineup Systems to implement a new advertising sales and management solution.
Johnston Press plc has announced its trading update for the 52 weeks to 2 January 2016.
Newspaper proprietor Sir Ray Tindle has sealed a ground-breaking deal which passes ownership of some of his leading titles to the people who run them.
Staff at the Financial Times have given the management until the end of the month to propose an acceptable solution to the dispute over pensions, says the National Union of Journalists.
The Financial Times yesterday announced the appointment of Elli Papadaki who returns to the FT as the global head of programmatic sales.
Trinity Mirror has announced that Olivia Streatfeild is to join its Board of Directors of as a Non-executive director.
DC Thomson has announced the appointment of Mike Barclay to the role of Head of Advertising for its Newspaper business.
