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.
Telegraph Media Group (TMG) has partnered with TNT Post Doordrop Media to launch ‘Telegraph Reach’, a highly targeted and direct route to upmarket and affluent consumers.
A selection of the UK’s best independent film directors have been given unprecedented access to 229 years of archive material to create a series of films celebrating the historical and cultural impact of The Times and The Sunday Times.
RMS affiliate Asia Risk Centre (ARC), a leading provider of risk quantification models in agriculture, has licenced its China Agriculture model to Swiss Re and the People's Insurance Company of China (PICC).
The latest NRS PADD – Print and Digital Data – report reveals that 37.1 million people in Britain consumed a magazine brand, either in print or via PC or laptop.
Scottish rugby supporters worldwide will be able to watch Scotland’s opening rugby summer tour Test match against the USA this weekend free on the Daily Record website.
Academy Award-winning director Oliver Stone and his long-time producing partner Moritz Borman yesterday announced they have purchased the rights to ‘The Snowden Files, The Inside Story of the World’s Most Wanted Man’, published by Guardian Faber and
Newsquest Media Group, one of the UK’s leading local media companies, has today launched a new responsive mobile web platform for its 140 regional and local news titles across England and Wales.
Arab Publishing Partners (APP), part of the ITP Group, the Gulf's largest consumer and business magazine publisher, yesterday announced a new licensing agreement with London-based Shortlist Media Ltd.
Leading retirement specialist, Responsible Life, has launched an exclusive partnership with Reader’s Digest UK to provide robust advice on equity release, the tax-free way for the over 55s to raise capital from their homes.
The financial statements for the Telegraph Media Group Limited for the year ended 29th December 2013 have been filed at Companies House.
The following complaints have been recently resolved by the PCC to the satisfaction of the complainant.
Ben Falconer, Chief Reporter of the Gloucester Citizen, has been appointed Editor of Stroud Life.
Military Watches Special Edition – The Birth Of The RAF, a oneshot from Eaglemoss, goes on sale 12 June, priced £25.99.
Specialist digital publishing group Green Star Media has secured a significant venture capital investment to support its growth strategy to acquire special interest magazines and websites.
Haymarket Media Group announced on Friday the expansion of its partnership with LG and the redesign of 'How to Live it', a content-driven site that aims to inspire readers through technology.
