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.
Programmatic is growing at an exponential rate, yet many publishers are taking a long time to get their house in order. The publishing industry needs to grasp the nettle quickly, writes Jim Bilton, if it is to defend its share of ad spend.
What do politicians, estate agents and journalists have in common? They all regularly come bottom in most-trusted-profession surveys. Is this reputation deserved, does it matter, and can anything be done about it? Liz Gerard reports.
The Comments section of many newspaper sites have become virtual cesspools, full of bile, vitriol and aggression; a dark netherworld dominated by trolls, spammers and other digital low-life. But … it doesn’t need to be this way! As DiscussIt CEO Grah
In publishing, it’s all about the direction of travel. Circulation declines and financial losses must be seen in context and if the year-on-year trend is upwards, then there’s hope! At ESI Media, as Steve Auckland tells Ray Snoddy, the key indicators
The Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) UK has decided to merge the IAB Board and Mobile Board to put mobile at the centre of everything the trade body does.
Guardian US yesterday announced three new appointments to its editorial team, upweighting its news operations and reflecting its increasing focus on important issues such as gender politics and climate change, say the publishers.
Independent retailers have been stunned, says the NFRN, by an announcement on Monday from Menzies Distribution that it is increasing its carriage charge by an average of 1.5 per cent.
The Scott Trust, shareholder of the Guardian Media Group, announced on Friday the appointment of seven new board members.
The Sunday Times’ Style magazine is publishing its biggest ever issue solely dedicated to accessories with 112 pages and close to £0.5m in ad revenue.
Following what the organisers describe as a record intake of nominations from readers, writers and editors all over the country, the shortlist for the Comment Awards 2015 has been revealed.
Quartz yesterday announced its participation in the Apple’s News app, which launched yesterday in the United States.
The London Evening Standard has announced its largest ever Deluxe edition of ES Magazine in its 22nd season as an official sponsor of London Fashion Week.
The Wall Street Journal has intensified its push for international growth with the launch of new, enhanced global print and digital editions in Asia and Europe.
Archant London's free newspaper in Havering has been re-launched in tabloid format, delivered to 16,500 homes across the borough.
Some of the most celebrated names in rugby are joining The Times and The Sunday Times to create an unrivalled reporting team as England hosts the Rugby World Cup.
