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.
East Anglian newsagents have received a welcome boost, with the Eastern Daily Press raising the cover price across all six editions of the paper, accompanied by pro-rata terms for retailers.
Grazia, Bauer Media’s weekly glossy for upscale women, today announced the launch of a brand new iPhone app.
Radio Times is sponsoring the Reader’s Choice Award at the Grierson British Documentary Awards 2013 - the first time the prestigious awards have had a category decided by public vote.
Future, the international media group, today announces that Graham Harding will step down as Chief Financial Officer and leave the company in November. Future also announces the appointment of Zillah Byng-Maddick, formerly CFO and interim CEO at Trad
Imagine Publishing has announced that it has made a key appointment to its senior management team. Matthew Balch joins the company as Advertising Director, overseeing the print, digital and mobile portfolio, including magazines, bookazines and apps.
Yesterday, the Financial Times announced the appointment of Roula Khalaf as foreign editor and assistant editor, effective October 15.
The Association of Online Publishers (AOP) has revealed the results of a study into the effectiveness of advertising on premium mobile content sites.
Johnston Press plc is offering an enhanced voluntary redundancy package to staff.
Centaur Media has launched Celebrity Intelligence.
Centaur Media has launched a new consumer facing website for investors.
Henry Faure Walker has been named CEO of Newsquest Media Group Ltd, effective April 1, 2014.
Weddingsite.co.uk, the online wedding planning tool provider from Archant Digital Ventures, has had a double celebration this week by launching a new Supplier Finder web and mobile tool and signing up its 50,000th customer.
Archant’s local recruitment website Jobs24 has launched a new Facebook page and blog site to provide jobseekers with the latest in recruitment news, tips and advice.
The Guardian has announced that it has hired Alex Koppelman as US news editor. The announcement was made by the Guardian's US editor in chief Janine Gibson.
Walter Greenwood, an expert on journalism law and a fellow of the Society of Editors, has died at the age of 87.
