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.
First Life, the in-flight magazine produced for British Airways first-class customers, is now available to download for free on the iPad and iPad mini,opening up the luxury title to a wider global audience.
Dennis Publishing’s Know Your Mobile has announced the relaunch of its website.
Telegraph Media Group (TMG) has partnered with BAE Systems for a series of discussions about the future of British engineering skills.
The shortlist has been announced for The 2013 Newspaper Awards, the awards that celebrate success in news media production.
Sailing Today, recently acquired by The Chelsea Magazine Company, is to be re-launched and repositioned with effect from the May 2013 issue.
The Press Distribution Forum has launched the second edition of the Press Distribution Charter (PDC) online.
The Professional Publishers Association (PPA) has announced details of its annual conference taking place on May 8, 2013 at the Hilton London Metropole.
Archant, the community media business, has seen a fall in operating profits while continuing to invest in its future business development and generating increased digital media revenues.
The April issue of BBC Good Food magazine is an interactive special with readers able to design their own magazine cover with the help of Blippar technology.
Bauer Media has announced the appointment of Mark Hardy as Group Digital Director for its London Lifestyle magazine and radio brands.
Harper’s Bazaar, the luxury fashion magazine published by Hearst Magazines UK, has appointed Sacha Bonsor as Digital and Development Editor.
Businesses and corporate offices across London are to receive targeted business news from the Financial Times via the digital network of ECNlive.
The crossbench peer Lord Skidelsky has tabled amendments to the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill (ERR), to give full effect to the majority of the Leveson recommendations for reform of press regulation.
The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) and the World Editors Forum have announced their support for the International Friends of Media Alliance on Safety, a new coalition that will work to protect journalists in Pakistan.
The Racing Post, the racing and sports betting newspaper and website, has selected AdPortal3 from Wave2 Media Solutions to extend its online advertising presence.
