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.
The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) and the World Editors Forum have protested to Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych against the attacks by security services on journalists who are covering pro-European Union protest
The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), has called on the Turkish government to stop jailing journalists and to guarantee freedom of the press in Turkey.
Kate Scally has been appointed Head of Marketing and Communications at Mail Publishing.
Independent newsagents have applauded regional newspaper publisher Local World for a forthcoming cover price rise, accompanied by a pro-rata increase in terms, on one of its weekly titles.
The Yorkshire Post, the 259-year-old daily broadsheet owned by Johnston Press, published its first-ever cover wrap last week, after securing a deal with train operator East Coast.
Bauer Media has appointed Jane Johnson as Executive Content Director, London Lifestyle, working across its portfolio of multi-platform brands.
UsVsTh3m hit seven million monthly unique users in November.
Digital Spy, the entertainment and tech website published by Hearst Magazines UK, has undergone a striking redesign.
Tropical Habitat, a new alternate monthly title about keeping tropical freshwater fish, from Fish Junkies Ltd, goes on sale on 5 December, priced £3.99.
The Vogue Festival, returning for a third consecutive year on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th March 2014, will be held in partnership with Harrods, it was announced yesterday.
DC Thomson Family History has announced the appointment of Matthew Batchelor to the new role of Chief Technology Officer.
Steve Auckland has been appointed Managing Director of Metro and will join the business on 10 December.
DC Thomson Family History has appointed Juliet Bauer to the new role of Chief Customer Officer.
Paul Burton, editor of the Express and Echo has been promoted to editor of The Herald.
Condé Nast Traveller has announced that the inaugural Condé Nast Traveller Journalism Course, in association with Nikon, will take place in January 2014.
