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.
GMDE, the Italian system integrator and distributor for Miles 33, has been selected to deliver cloud-based, multi-channel newsroom systems for two of the leading newspapers in southern Italy, La Sicilia and La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno.
A day in the life of London's Air Ambulance, the charity that delivers an advanced trauma team to critically injured people, will be documented in a series of posts during a 24-hour takeover of News UK's Instagram account.
News UK and AB InBev, the brewer, yesterday announced the start of a ground-breaking cross-title campaign to launch the world’s first pop-up beer bakery.
Metro has turned pink for one day only in support of Breast Cancer Now’s annual fundraiser, wear it pink.
The Financial Times is now available on Apple News in the UK, US and Australia following this week’s iOS 9.1 software update.
Trinity Mirror has announced that 27 of its national and regional titles are now available on Apple News, which launched in the UK on Wednesday 21 October.
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.
Nick Turner, Digital Strategy Manager of the Cumbria-based CN Group has been appointed the President of the Society of Editors.
A trio of influential media figures and campaigners have been appointed fellows of the Society of Editors at its annual conference in London.
The Society of Editors in conjunction with Press Gazette and HoldtheFrontPage has launched a campaign for editors and journalists to recruit their MPs to fight proposals to restrict the Freedom of Information Act.
Yesterday saw worldwide accommodations leader, Airbnb cover wrap Metro newspaper and take over the homepage of MailOnline and Metro.co.uk.
Yesterday, the ABC released its digital figures for September 2015.
Archant has appointed Matt Kelly to the new position of Chief Content Officer, to lead content strategy across its full portfolio of newspapers, magazines, websites, apps and TV.
The London Evening Standard has today announced that its latest Deluxe magazine issue, a men’s fashion special, has been designed with three separate covers.
Press Association (PA), the national news agency of the UK and Ireland, has promoted David Young to Ireland Editor.
