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.
Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL) has announced the appointment of Sport Media (part of Trinity Mirror) as Official Match Day Programme and Pre-Tournament Magazine Licensee for Rugby World Cup 2015 in England.
Publishers of consumer magazine and business information brands are shifting to an increasingly multi-platform future driven by digital growth, according to the latest Publishing Futures survey from the PPA.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) organisation yesterday announced it has selected Future US to oversee its UFC 360, the official magazine of the UFC.
The International Partnership Mission on Safety and Protection of Journalists and Press Freedom in Ukraine, meeting in Kiev on 19 and 20 February 2014, heard testimony and witness accounts from a wide variety of stakeholders.
The Guardian website saw record traffic of over 90m monthly unique browsers in January, according to the latest digital figures from ABC released yesterday.
Autocar, Haymarket’s automotive media brand, has officially launched in the Philippines.
Stream Publishing has unveiled the new UK edition of Winq, the luxury lifestyle magazine for gay men.
The NS is launching a new national initiative this year to showcase the role of local media – in print, online, on mobile and social media - in making a difference to the lives of ordinary individuals in local communities.
DC Thomson Family History has appointed Monisha Saldanha as Brand Director at Genes Reunited.
Forbes announced yesterday the release of the third title in its 2014 e-book line, Wall Street’s Hottest Career, by Forbes Staff Writer Halah Touryalai.
The Media Innovation Awards celebrate innovation and entrepreneurial spirit in media, across print, web, mobile, social and events.
ELLE Decoration, the lifestyle and interiors magazine published by Hearst Magazines UK, has appointed Tina Gaudoin as Acting Editor-in-Chief while Michelle Ogundehin, the brand’s Editor-in-Chief, is on maternity leave.
The International Partnership Mission on the safety and protection of journalists and press freedom in Ukraine, currently in Kiev, has strongly condemned the violence that yesterday claimed the life of Vesti correspondent Vyacheslav Veremyi and left
It was announced this week that Mike Luckwell has acquired Vivat Direct Ltd, the publisher of Reader’s Digest (RD) in the UK, from Better Capital group.
The shortlist has been announced for The 2014 Newspaper Awards, the awards devoted to celebrating the best in print and digital news media production and innovation.
