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.
Significant progress has been made in establishing IPSO with national and regional newspaper and magazine publishers meeting to finalise the documentation that will establish the new independent regulator for the press industry.
Intermedia Brand Marketing Ltd, a provider of magazine brand marketing and distribution solutions, has announced the launch of its Subscription Bureau services.
The Eastern Daily Press, Evening News and their sister Archant Norfolk weekly titles are looking to employ two trainee reporters and pay for them to attend a nationally respected training school where they will gain the vocational qualifications nece
News of cover price rises from two national newspaper publishers, accompanied by pro rata margin increases, has been warmly welcomed by the NFRN.
Paid Digital Content: The Journey Begins, is a new report from the Shaping the Future of News Publishing (SFN) project of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers, WAN-IFRA.
Bestival Presents, a new twice yearly title about the annual music festival, goes on sale 12 September, priced £15.99.
Telegraph Media Group has appointed Jason Seiken, currently Senior Vice President and General Manager (Digital) of Public Broadcasting Service in the United States, as its new Chief Content Officer and Editor-in-Chief.
Responding to the Prime Minister's comments to the Commons Liaison Committee regarding the Royal Charter for self-regulation of the press, a spokesman for Hacked Off released the following statement.
Outbrain, the content discovery platform, has announced that Jeff Davison has joined the company as Chief Financial Officer.
Champagne, coffee and cake heralded the arrival on Monday of the first new Fenland edition of the Eastern Daily Press shortly after the initial copies had hit the newsstands.
The Veyron tops the countdown of the most important cars of the last two decades in Top Gear magazine’s bumper 20th anniversary issue.
Company has once again turned its October issue into a fashion graduate ‘takeover’.
GQ has announced that James Mullinger has been appointed Comedy Editor of the magazine, with effect from the forthcoming November issue, on sale 3rd October.
Ben Reardon is stepping down from his position as Editor of GQ Style, while continuing to work as a Contributing Editor, it has been announced by Dylan Jones, Editor in Chief of GQ Style and Editor of GQ. Luke Day will now take on greater responsibi
The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) and the World Editors Forum have welcomed news of the release of journalist Shi Tao and called on Chinese authorities to do more to respect freedom of the press.
