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.
Baroness Thatcher’s death on Monday has lead to wall-to-wall coverage of her life and legacy, and this will no doubt continue through the weekend and up to her funeral at St Paul’s on Wednesday. Jon Slattery looks at her impact on the media world.
In 2002 less than £200 million was spent on UK internet advertising – 10 years later, digital advertising spend crosses the £5 billion mark.
Sylvia Auton, Chairman and CEO of IPC Media, is to retire on 3 May after 36 years with the company.
Two home-grown talents have been promoted within Archant South West’s Devon newspaper team.
Country Life has announced that HRH The Prince of Wales is to guest edit a special issue of the magazine to be published on his 65th birthday.
Four newly qualified senior reporters are celebrating after winning awards for exceptional performance in the March National Qualification for Journalists (NQJ).
Two former Journalism Diversity Fund recipients have achieved senior reporter status after passing the first ever National Qualification for Journalists (NQJ) exam.
Fifty-nine journalists are celebrating achieving senior status after passing the first ever National Qualification in Journalism (NQJ) exam.
100 Greatest Fights, a oneshot from Boxing News, goes on sale 19 April, price £9.99.
IPC Advertising has launched Amplify, a new digital advertising product.
The Guardian has announced that award-winning journalist David Marr will be joining the Guardian's digital edition in Australia, which will launch later this year.
New research shows email marketers ‘could do better’ based on their campaign performance.
Cutting the cover price of TV Choice to 20p and giving magazine retailers a margin of just 5p per copy is a step too far, says the NFRN.
Kevin Beatty, the CEO of dmg media, where digital advertising growth is offsetting lost print revenues for the first time, has joined a session on “New business models for news” at the 65th World Newspaper Congress, to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, f
Informa has published its Annual Report for 2012, which is available to read online.
