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.
Rob Kolkman has been appointed CEO of Reed Business Information Netherlands with effect from January 15, 2014. Rob (41) succeeds Peter de Mönnink who is leaving the company at the end of 2013.
The PCC has upheld a complaint from Sir Christopher Geidt, Private Secretary to HM The Queen, against The Guardian about three articles published on 8 May 2013.
Retailweekjobs.com, Retail Week’s recruitment site, has launched its first Salary Tracking system.
Stream Publishing has confirmed its acquisition of 50% of the Amsterdam-based publisher, Mate Media Group, and with it the English language rights to Winq magazine and an International Edition already sold in 32 countries worldwide.
vjoon, a leader in cross-media publishing software, announced yesterday that Condé Nast International has opted for vjoon K4 as its publishing platform.
Imagine Publishing's PlayStation magazine repositions itself for Sony’s PS4 launch in November.
The Financial Times has launched a new ‘gift article’ feature for subscribers which simplifies the sharing of articles with their networks.
Radio Times is celebrating Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary with an interactive special edition and a choice of 12 collectable covers - one for each of the Doctors who’ve appeared over the last 50 years.
Friday 15th November saw the doors to Condé Nast International’s latest restaurant venture open with the Vogue Café in the historic podol area of Kiev, Ukraine.
Glamour magazine has announced that its eleventh annual Women of the Year Awards will be held in association with Next.
Future unveils a new launch: Science Uncovered, a brand new monthly print and digital magazine celebrating popular science.
The Press Complaints Commission has published a guidance note for editors on the researching and reporting of transgender issues.
Richard Best, Editor of the West Briton, will be leaving Cornwall & Devon Media in January 2014.
i-D, the fashion and lifestyle publication, last week debuted a reimagined online presence.
The PPA unveiled the winners of this year's Customer Direct Awards at a ceremony at The Brewery on November 14.
