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.
Andrew Miller, CEO, Guardian Media Group (GMG), has announced a series of executive management changes intended to solidify the Guardian's position as a leading global news organisation.
USA Today, The Asahi Shimbun, the Guardian, The Associated Press and RCS MediaGroup are among the leading news media companies to be featured at the 2014 World Newspaper Congress, World Editors Forum and World Advertising Forum, to be held in Torino,
Cycling Plus, Future’s cycling magazine, has launched Cycling Plus Weekenders – exclusive riding weekends for 2014.
The Official Star Wars Fact File, a new national partwork from De Agostini, goes on sale 1 January, initially priced at 50p.
IPC Media has announced that Marcus Rich is to be its new CEO. Marcus takes up his role in the Spring, and joins the business from DMG Media where he is commercial managing director.
For the second year running, according to new research from Newsworks, predictions of a ‘tab-tastic’ Christmas in the UK are likely to be proved correct, with current ownership up to almost 40% and many more consumers hoping to either buy or receive
Autism Eye is now offering digital subscriptions to its quarterly magazine free of charge.
News UK yesterday donated £1,000 to Southwark Cathedral’s All Hallows community project as it held its annual carol service at the church ahead of its relocation to London Bridge Quarter next summer.
Haymarket’s Marketing Magazine commissioned Celloglas to give the cover of their special Power 100 issue a luxurious feel and elegant silver foil.
Mike Newman has relinquished the position of chairman of the Press Distribution Forum (PDF) and passed the baton to Mike Mirams who will now steer the PDF through the challenges and changes of the next 12 months.
The Drum has been named Magazine of the Year at the 2013 Scottish Magazine Awards hosted by PPA Scotland.
UBM plc has issued a pre-close trading update for the year ending 31 December 2013.
Dennis Publishing has announced the results of its campaign for Rosie’s Rainbow Fund in 2013.
ICIS has announced a range of improvements to its EU ETS Portal which re-launched on 11 December.
The Financial Times and IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, have launched an awards programme to showcase business initiatives that can create long-term, transformative solutions to environmental, social, and corporate governance challenges, parti
