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.
Hacked Off, the campaign group which represents victims of press intrusion, is stepping up the pressure on politicians to act swiftly to adopt reforms to press regulation, opening a consultation on four draft bills which implement the recommendations
Multi-channel content and commerce solutions company Group FMG has announced the launch of Sneak as its specialist video arm.
Beatrice Farina has been appointed Director of Corporate Marketing & Communications at Immediate Media.
Forbes has announced its first French language edition, Forbes Afrique.
Groupe Marie Claire and Shortlist Media have announced the establishment of a joint venture company to publish a weekly French edition of Stylist.
ELLE has, according to Hearst UK, become the first UK women’s magazine to reach over 400,000 Facebook users.
Cross-media publishing software developers Oppolis, has announced the appointment of a new Sales Director.
Total advertising expenditure increased 0.8% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2012, to a total of £4bn, according to AA/Warc figures.
Vogue.fr has launched a new channel dedicated to men’s fashion and trends.
The BBC’s Newsnight controversy, the future of investigative journalism and anxious debates ahead of Leveson all provided timely content at the Society of Editors annual conference. But were there enough actual editors among delegates? Steve Dyson re
August, which won a 2012 CMA award for its work with Ocado, has announced the launch of a new magazine from Ocado, the online supermarket.
The Guardian has announced it will be extending its global reach with the launch of a new digital edition in Australia.
Hearst Magazines UK, Hearst Corporation’s principal business in the UK, has announced the appointment of former Harper’s Bazaar UK Deputy Editor, Sarah Bailey, to the role of Editor-in-Chief of Red.
Diane Kenwood, editor of Woman’s Weekly, has taken up the role of Chairman of the British Society of Magazine Editors (BSME), a voluntary position that will involve her leading the organisation until the end of the year.
Telegraph Media Group (TMG) has appointed Gemma Hennen to Head of Recruitment, within TMG’s commercial team.
