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.
Newspaper publishers have committed to taking action to protect home news deliveries after the NFRN laid bare the impact late deliveries and reruns continue to have on its membership.
The regional daily reached the one million milestone after its website had more than a million visitors in one month – and celebrated with a photograph using the latest technology.
Shortlists for the 2014 Press Awards, celebrating the best of UK national newspaper journalism, have been announced.
The Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB UK) has released part one of a set of guidelines to help the marketing industry provide more transparency to consumers around ‘native’ advertising.
This weekend the Mirror launched its next burst of brand activity “Don’t Say Stupid”, part of an ongoing campaign to reinforce its intelligent tabloid credentials.
With the new version 9.5 of its multi-channel publishing system Enterprise, WoodWing simplifies reusing online content in print, enabling users to tailor their stories to channel specific requirements.
The National Readership Survey Board has announced that Simon Marquis will be stepping down from his current position as Chairman at the end of the year.
5 fifteen, a leading global advertising sales solutions provider, is expanding its global operations serving the magazine, newspaper, broadcast, and digital publishing industry with a strategic hire focusing on business development in North America.
DMGT has reported first-quarter revenues of £476 million, up 1% on an underlying basis compared to the same period last year.
Telegraph Media Group (TMG) has unveiled details of its Six Nations coverage, launching two media partnerships with Avis and IBM.
Metro yesterday announced a new partnership with Jeep, showcasing its newest model – the Jeep Renegade, which will be revealed in today’s paper. The deal was brokered by Maxus Partnerships.
The Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) has announced today the names of those that have been appointed to its Appointments Panel.
The Financial Times has added a daily curated economics newsletter to its subscriber offering. Martin Sandbu’s Free Lunch will provide a spirited take on the big economic questions of the day, say the publishers.
The Sun has handed over its headlines to its Twitter followers – challenging the 690,000 strong community to generate a Sun headline that is printed in the next day’s paper.
Dundee title, the Evening Telegraph, is to launch a ‘Front Pages of History’ series.
