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.
How To Spend It, the Financial Times’ luxury lifestyle magazine, has raised £362,650 for Save the Children through its special 20th anniversary fundraising issue How To Give It, published on 29 November.
Newsquest Media Group, one of the UK’s leading regional media groups, has announced the appointment of Mike Gilson as Group Editor of Newsquest Sussex Ltd, the publisher of The Argus.
Denise Turner, chief insight officer at Havas Media Group, is joining Newsworks as director of insight.
To coincide with festive football season, Trinity Mirror and Contagious Gaming have launched in-play, pari-mutuel sports betting platform Goal Time, backed by a new multimedia marketing campaign.
With effect from 1 January 2015, Simon Gage takes over as Chairman of the Press Distribution Forum (PDF) on behalf of the ANMW from Mike Mirams, who has held the position through 2014 for the PPA.
Former Spectator editor Matthew d’Ancona is to join the Guardian as weekly columnist.
Mail Advertising has this week announced three new initiatives.
Johnston Press plc has announced the appointment of Andrew Cunning as Chief Creative Officer, responsible for delivering innovative and market-leading advertising and creative services designed to support revenue growth across Johnston Press’ print a
The Financial Times and OppenheimerFunds yesterday announced the launch of the FT/OppenheimerFunds Emerging Voices Award, a global initiative designed to recognize artistic talent across more than 100 emerging market nations.
The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) and the World Editors Forum have protested to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani against the continued detention of journalist Jason Rezaian and have called for his immediate release.
News UK Commercial yesterday announced the appointment of Chris Amor as its new Trading Director.
The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) and the World Editors Forum (WEF) have condemned the arrests of nearly two-dozen journalists, editors and critics of the government in Turkey and called on authorities to stop the cra
Forget satsumas and slippers, says Newsworks, some Christmas stockings could be considerably more hi-tech this year, with robots and drones making Santa’s wish list.
The Press Distribution Review Panel (PDRP) meeting on 27th November 2014 welcomed a number of new panellists.
Mail Newspapers says that the re-launched Mail Travel website has already proved a massive success, with the latest YoY figures showing a 135% increase in people visiting the website.
