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.
Guardian News & Media (GNM) has announce the appointment of Rachel Israel to the role of Executive Vice President of Guardian Labs, US. The announcement was made by Guardian North America CEO Eamonn Store.
Newsquest Media Group announced today the appointment of Toby Granville as its Editorial Development Director.
The UK’s newspaper publishers, in co-operation with consumer magazine publishers, leading advertisers and agencies, yesterday announced the completion of the first round of appraisals for a new audience measurement system.
ABC and the Joint Industry Committee for Web Standards (JICWEBS) yesterday announced an evolution of the current division of standards responsibilities across the two organisations.
Guardian Media Group (GMG) today announced that Andrew Miller, chief executive, is to stand down at the end of June 2015 after leading a five-year turnaround plan to secure the financial future of the Guardian.
The received wisdom that campaigning journalism does not sell newspapers was challenged this week at a London Press Club and Pagefield debate held at News UK’s News Building.
PageSuite has revealed plans to expand their London office and open up a new office in the US.
Guardian News & Media (GNM) yesterday completed the launch of its new website to its global audience.
Luke Jacobs joins Kent Regional News and Media this month as the digital development editor, leading growth plans across three websites in 2015.
Independent retailers have renewed demands for wholesalers to pass on the fall in petrol and diesel prices by dropping their carriage charges immediately.
Trinity Mirror yesterday announced that Keith Perry has been appointed Editor of the Coventry Telegraph.
Les Snowdon has started today as Scottish editor of The Times. Les was appointed to the role following the death of the paper's previous Scottish editor, Angus Macleod.
It’s election time again, and the result in May looks too close to call. Which parties will national newspapers throw their weight behind and will it make any difference? Peter Preston looks at the shifting sands of Fleet Street’s political allegianc
Press sales, both magazines and newspapers, are coming under increasing pressure around the globe. Yet behind that stark – and obvious – headline, writes Jim Bilton, there lies a complex world.
The relationship between football club and local paper used to be a particularly close one and both sides worked hard to maintain it. No longer, writes Peter Sands, and instances of clubs actually banning local papers from their grounds are now worry
