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.
Dubsat has signed an exclusive long-term agreement for its Adsend service with Independent News & Media, which publishes 22 titles including the Irish Independent and the Belfast Telegraph, to handle the validation and digital delivery of all print a
Twist & Go, the alternate monthly title from Mortons Media Group, is celebrating its 100th issue by giving away a free copy of MotorCycle Monthly.
Yours magazine yesterday celebrated its 40th anniversary with the publication of a special issue, guest edited by regular columnist Lynda Bellingham.
The News Academy's first ever summer school takes place this month. Big-hitters from The Sun, The Times and The Sunday Times will be sharing their knowledge and tips with aspiring young journalists from across Britain.
When the first issue of Archant Life’s Cheshire Life magazine rolled off the presses, King George V was on the throne, our own Queen was but an eight-year-old Princess Elizabeth, and Ramsay MacDonald was the Prime Minister.
London Live is to boost its focus on its news and current affairs output, with a knock on reduction in originally commissioned and acquired entertainment content, a move to align its content more closely with the London Evening Standard.
TIIFS is the new name of Time Inc’s international fulfilment division. The company formerly known as TW4 has changed its name and branding in line with Time Inc’s separation from Time Warner.
A woman complained to the Press Complaints Commission that The Sun had harassed her in breach of Clause 4 (Harassment) of the Editors’ Code of Practice. The complaint was upheld.
Since launching in the UK on March 27th, Readly, the digital platform allowing subscribers access to numerous UK magazines for a single monthly subscription, has added a further 25 titles from 12 publishers.
Air Business Group has been selected as Informa / Taylor & Francis’ distribution partner for a further three years.
Hearst Magazines UK and Global’s Capital have joined forces in a media first to promote the new 108, Peugeot’s latest compact city car.
The Press Complaints Commission has published details of its latest adjudication, regarding a complaint made against the Kentish Gazette.
Impresa, Portugal’s largest media group, has selected Elvis DAM as its new system to efficiently manage its stock of millions of current and legacy media assets and to streamline its photo workflow.
The ABC yesterday released the consumer magazine circulation results for the January - June 2014 period and publishers have responded with their interpretation of the figures.
Hearst Magazines UK yesterday announced that Company, the brand for “street-style-obsessed young British women”, is to become a standalone digital brand from October 2014.
