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.
Archant Norfolk’s newspapers, led by the Eastern Daily Press, have launched an initiative to help police track down those responsible for murders, attacks and rapes – and help crack missing person inquiries – which have gone undetected for up to 50 y
The Mail on Sunday has announced the appointment of Amy Iggulden as Assistant Editor (Features).
A new report into children’s reading by leading children’s publisher, Egmont UK reveals key benefits of reading for pleasure in childhood are being over-looked by parents who feel they need to focus on academic and future career success.
MPs, council leaders and colleagues have paid generous tribute to John Adams, former news editor of Archant Herts & Cambs weekly paper The Comet, who died on Tuesday (April 9) aged 65.
Apptitude Media has announced the launch of Apptitude Studio, the creative services arm of its digital publishing business.
Customers have been popping copies of Sainsbury’s magazine into their baskets each month since it was launched by Delia Smith, and her publisher husband Michael Wynn Jones, back in May 1993.
Factory Media’s DirtTV will be covering the newly formed Enduro World Series in 2013.
The FT has launched its inaugural Financial Times 400 list, recognising the top financial advisors at broker-dealers across the US.
The Financial Times Non-Executive Directors Diploma, the first post-graduate course designed specifically to train independent non-executive directors, is going global and expanding to Hong Kong.
Shortlists for the Society of Editors’ Regional Press Awards celebrating the best of British regional newspaper journalism in 2012 have been announced.
Rapha, the majority shareholder of Rouleur Limited, have sold their stake in Rouleur Limited to Gruppo Media Limited.
Brides The Show, the luxury bridal show, and, say the orgnaisers, the first new event addition to the market for a number of years, will be held from 11th – 13th October at Battersea Park, London, Condé Nast announced this week.
The 13 April issue of The Specator will feature a special 16-page commemorative tribute to Baroness Thatcher. The issue goes on sale 12 April, priced £3.50.
Bob the Builder magazine is celebrating its 200th issue with the launch of a national competition to win a visit from Bob the Builder at the winner’s nursery or school.
Jules Barton-Breck, editor of Essentials, is to step down from the role and will be leaving IPC Media on Friday 24 May.
