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.
Global press organisation releases report from January mission; British government “must take steps to ensure it upholds the high standards of press freedom expected from a leading democracy.”
The following complaints have been recently resolved by the PCC to the satisfaction of the complainant.
The winners of this year's MagSell '14 Awards were announced at a ceremony at Kings Place on March 13.
Telegraph Media Group (TMG) last week launched a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) competition, sponsored by Babcock International Group.
The Press Complaints Commission has rejected a complaint about an article published in The Sunday Times that named the complainant as a participant in a debate on Twitter about the badger cull.
Archant South West’s Weston, Worle & Somerset Mercury has appointed a new editor for the first time in more than a quarter of a century.
The Mirror is launching the second major burst of brand activity to reinforce its intelligent tabloid credentials.
The biggest men’s magazine in a decade hits the newsstands this week, says Haymarket Network.
Trinity Mirror plc has published the Group’s Annual Results for the 52 weeks ended 29 December 2013.
In a historic year, Media Scotland yesterday launched a new international digital product, Scotland Now.
ATG Media Production, who bought a number of magazine titles off Glen Holland in 2013 to increase their own publishing division, have embarked on a re-launch of their print and online portfolio.
Future, the international media group and leading digital business, yesterday announced a major new partnership with Gawker Media to bring Kotaku and Lifehacker to the UK.
Splash Worldwide has recently formed a partnership with Wave2 Media Solutions to develop a smart online automation solution, designed to make customized marketing easier and more affordable.
The Financial Times is rolling out a new author alert function, allowing readers to subscribe to a 6am daily digest email with the latest stories by FT columnists.
Kingston & Surbiton MP Ed Davey last week visited Kingston based mailing services company, IMX, which employs 18 people at its Chessington facility.
