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.
A new report from the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), the Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA), and the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), details how the practice of soft censorship is undermini
Guardian US this week announced that humorist and former Grantland writer, editor and podcast host Dave Schilling has joined as writer-at-large.
A study of behaviour and attitudes towards social media among 180 agencies and brands by The Internet Advertising Bureau UK (IAB) reveals Coca-Cola and Nike are leading the way in social media marketing – but that the discipline still has a lot of gr
On Friday night, News UK held its Long Service Awards. Star of the show was The Sun’s royal photographer Arthur Edwards.
Evening Standard Magazine has bolstered its editorial team ahead of a relaunch in February.
Johnston Press yesterday announced plans to refresh three of its news brands online, as part of its continued investment in its titles.
Leading editors and publishers from Africa and the Middle East have been appointed to the WAN-IFRA Gender and Media Freedom Steering Committee, which will contribute to the organization's ambitious Women in News (WIN) gender and media development act
The Board of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), meeting in Paris on 12th December 2015, calls for renewed global solidarity with the Turkish press in the wake of continuing attacks and the government’s hard-line stanc
1st January 2016 will see the launch of News Media Europe, a new organisation representing and promoting the interests of the modern news media industry in the European Union.
Guardian News & Media (GNM) has announced the appointments of Anushka Asthana and Heather Stewart, who will share the role of Guardian political editor.
Richard Reeves has been appointed Managing Director at the Association of Online Publishers (AOP).
Cheques adding up to nearly a quarter of a million pounds are being sent out to charitable causes around the UK this Christmas on behalf of Newsquest Media Group.
The News Media Association has said that local papers must be able to report youth football results after it emerged that Football Association is seeking to prevent leagues publishing results of under 11s teams.
The Wall Street Journal this week introduced WSJ Podcasts, expanding its on-demand digital news offerings with 12 podcasts highlighting reporting from the Journal, Barron’s and MarketWatch.
Tabcorp Holdings Limited and News UK yesterday announced the signing of an agreement to partner in the launch of a new online wagering and gaming business in the UK and Irish markets.
