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.
Lord Black of Brentwood, executive of the Telegraph Media Group, has described the Leveson Inquiry as “an analogue inquiry for our digital world” in a House of Lords debate on the internet last week.
The PPA has produced a downloadable guide to help independent retailers encourage their partworks sales.
Dennis Publishing is launching a new series of monthly magazines, The Instant Guide. The series is aimed at consumers looking for jargon-free, step-by-step guides to getting the most out of their everyday gadgets and software.
Attitude Magazine has launched a brand-new website to bring daily news to its readers.
The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) and the World Editors Forum (WEF) have called for an immediate and thorough investigation into an armed attack on the home of Mexican journalist Anabel Hernández.
ENPA, the European Newspaper Publishers’ Association, and EMMA, the European Magazine Media Association, express their strong support for the initiative of the French Government applying the same VAT rate (2.1%) for all press products and services on
The Sun's core Facebook page hit a million likes yesterday cementing it, say the publishers, as the social hub of Britain's conversation.
Bauer Media’s Kerrang! celebrates its 1500 edition with this week’s issue. Issue 1501, on sale on Wednesday 22 January, marks the anniversary of the rock title’s first-ever issue published 33 years ago.
Madgex has announced the launch of a fully responsive job board for HRjobs.co.uk. HRjobs, from the publisher of HR magazine Mark Allen Group, specialises in matching HR professionals with leading employers.
Global advertising spending rose 3.2 percent in the first three quarters of 2013, also rising 3.2 percent in the third quarter of 2013, according to Nielsen’s quarterly Global AdView Pulse report.
Reed Business Information announced yesterday that it has sold BuyerZone, the online marketplace for buyers and sellers of SMB products and services, to TechMedia Network, Inc.
ICIS China launched has launched its first Android app, to help improve the experience of thousands of customers who subscribe to price alerts via text message.
ABC UK now offers the industry a brand safety Verification Service following confirmation by JICWEBS of it being the first approved Verification Provider for the Digital Trading Standards Group (DTSG) ‘UK Good Practice Principles for the Trading of D
Yesterday, 21st January, Nuts celebrated 10 years since the first copy of the magazine hit newsstands.
Telegraph Media Group (TMG) announced yesterday that Tony Gallagher, the Editor of The Daily Telegraph, is leaving the company as the business moves to the next phase of its digital transformation.
