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.
English PEN has warned about the “chill on free speech” caused by press regulation legislation which could see charities, not-for-profit community newspapers, political parties and specialist publications forced to join a state-sponsored regulator to
Trinity Mirror plc is today issuing an Interim Management Statement covering the 17 weeks of trading to 26 October 2014 and describing the Group’s financial position and performance.
Newsquest Media Group announced last week its plan to launch a new Sales Academy and the appointment of Steve Tinniswood to the new role of Head of Sales Development.
The Sun has partnered with men’s charity The Movember Foundation to raise awareness of men’s health and introduce a new weekly feature for the month of November – on Page 3 and in the ‘Me’ health pull-out – encouraging men to check themselves for sig
Metro, the urban media brand, has announced the launch of a special edition tech magazine in partnership with the new Ford Focus.
News UK has today launched a new division for the company - Newssolutions. Offering the newspaper and magazine industry an “unrivalled and world-class production and distribution service”, News UK says it will also provide the opportunity for them si
Research released yesterday by the Internet Advertising Bureau UK (IAB) shows the role that mobile and tablets play with traditional media.
The Newsworks Planning Awards attracted a record of 85 entries from 16 agencies this year, including Manning Gottlieb OMD, MediaCom, OMD UK, Mindshare, Initiative and PHD.
Jeremy Paxman, the celebrated television anchor and best-selling author, is joining the Financial Times as a contributing editor.
Doug Wills, Managing Editor of the Evening Standard and Independent titles is set to become the President of the Society of Editors.
Exeter’s paper, the Express & Echo, will be launching a Monday edition from February 16th 2015.
The International Federation of Audit Bureaux of Circulation (IFABC) General Assembly is taking place for the 26th time in Rio on 4th - 6th November, hosted by IVC the Brazilian audit bureau.
As further investment in its digital capability, ESI Media has created two new roles, appointing Caroline Stent as Digital Business Development Director and Matthew Balch as Head of Mobile.
Telegraph Media Group (TMG) has revealed what it says is a media first print advertising format, promoting the luxury watch brand TAG Heuer.
The Sunday Times has announced that Jamie Oliver will join the Sunday Times Magazine starting today, November 2nd.
