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.
Thirteen years after being named as Golden Pen of Freedom laureates, Myanmar journalists San San Nweh and U Win Tin finally received their awards in Yangon last week.
The winners of the 14th .net Awards in association with Internet Explorer were announced last week at a ceremony at the Grand Connaught Rooms, London.
Community media company Archant has appointed David Hill to its main Board as a non-executive director with effect from 1 June, 2013.
Have you ever fancied a trip to the fun-filled Beanotown? This summer, kids of all ages really can visit the hometown of Dennis the Menace as Beanotown is being brought to life for the first time ever.
The NFRN is stepping up its pressure on wholesalers to rethink the whole area of carriage charges made to newsagents.
Newspaper publishers and national newspaper associations from around Europe have spoken out against the increasing calls for press regulation and monitoring at European level.
Flightglobal Advisory service Ascend has launched a new index, The Ascend Aircraft Investment Index (AAII).
This week saw the launch of the Irish Daily Mirror’s brand new standalone website in the Republic of Ireland.
Archant London’s Ham&High flagship newspaper was looking to the future last week when it handed over the reins of the newspaper to aspiring young journalists for its landmark Young Readers’ Edition.
The Financial Times’ news and expert analysis is now available on FactSet, providing the global investment community with easier access to business critical intelligence within their workflow.
The NCTJ is to stage its sixth annual Journalism Skills Conference in Bournemouth on 27 and 28 November 2013.
ELLE UK, the fashion magazine and website published by Hearst Magazines UK, has hired Coty PR Director Kirsty Dale as Executive Fashion Director.
A local news website covering a South Wales community has gone into print this week.
The Vogue Café Dubai, located in The Dubai Mall, held its official launch party this week.
Consolidation will not save the regional and local newspaper industry in the UK – but, writes Neil Fowler, it is one of a basket of measures that, if operating in tandem, could give the sector a boost.
