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.
The prize of £4000 will be used to fund either a project or pay for living expenses during work experience at two or more major national news organisations, arranged by the organisers.
Times Newspapers Ltd (TNL), which owns both newspapers, has posted an operating profit of £1.7 million for the latest financial year ended 30 June 2014.
The Telegraph has announced some key new editorial appointments, promotions and responsibilities – all reporting to Chris Evans, Director of Content and Editor, The Daily Telegraph.
Archant East has launched a new website which features a page for every one of the 25,000 men from Norfolk and Suffolk recorded as having died during the First World War and allows readers to leave personal tributes to the fallen.
Today, Monday 1st December, The Telegraph publishes a tribute to all 453 soldiers who lost their lives in the Afghanistan conflict (2001-2014).
Lisa Cameron, Sales Director for Local World has been appointed Publisher for the South West Wales Media business.
Newsworks has announced the winners of its 2014 Planning Awards, chosen by a jury of 16 client and agency judges, led by Amanda Rendle, global head of marketing at HSBC.
The lack of public trust in major British institutions is holding the country back, a YouGov poll carried out for London Press Club has found.
DMGT has reported good growth of 5% in underlying revenue and 15% in underlying operating profit in the Group's unaudited Preliminary Full-Year results for the year ended 30 September 2014. Adjusted profit before tax is at record levels, up 9%.
Dow Jones and Flipboard, Inc. yesterday announced that The Wall Street Journal and Factiva will be available on Flipboard.
The Financial Times yesterday announced the appointment of Jon Slade as managing director for its business to consumer operations, effective 1 December 2014.
The Independent, The Independent on Sunday, i, London Live and London Evening Standard yesterday launched their Homeless Veterans Christmas campaign in association with ABF The Soldiers’ Charity and Veterans Aid.
Andrew Robinson, media sales director at CIN, has been promoted to the position of West Midlands regional commercial director effective from December 1.
censhare, the multi-channel publishing and marketing operations systems provider, have announced some new appointments in their marketing and client facing teams based in the UK.
The Sun has broken through the digital barrier to secure nearly 225,000 subscribers paying to use its digital bundle, says News UK.
