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 representing victims of phone hacking and other forms of harassment by newspapers, this week published the Leveson Bill, a short parliamentary bill to put into law Lord Justice Leveson’s recommendations on press regulat
Classic Rock Magazine will be exclusively releasing Jimi Hendrix ‘People, Hell and Angels’, twelve previously unreleased studio recorded tracks from the ‘Jimi Hendrix Experience’ sessions.
Sparkle World, from Redan Publishing, is increasing its frequency from 17 issues per year, to 26.
Two Sides has sent an open letter to Eric Schmidt, Chairman and CEO of Google in response to the newly announced ‘Go Paperless in 2013’ campaign.
Baked & Delicious Valentine Special, a oneshot from Eaglemoss Publications, goes on sale 17 January, priced £9.99.
Bluetel Solutions have updated and improved their website for the new year.
Maxine Briggs is the new editor of leading bridal brand You & Your Wedding, Immediate Media Company has announced.
Local World announces the completion of its acquisition of Northcliffe Media, the regional publishing arm of Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT), and Iliffe News & Media, the publishing subsidiary of Yattendon Group, with effect from 30 December 2012
Hello! Magazine, the celebrity and fashion newsweekly, has signed with MagazineCloner who will produce Kindle Fire Apps for the company.
The Press Complaints Commission has released the results of its complainant satisfaction surveys from 2012.
Golf Monthly has announced two senior promotions as part of a restructure aimed at taking advantage of what the publisher describes as an explosion in demand for its digital content and building on its strong newsstand performance.
Publishing software developer PCS is preparing for a busy 40th anniversary year in 2013 by remodelling its senior management structure.
The Press Gazette has announced that it will be ceasing publication of its print title, Press Gazette – Journalism Quarterly.
Auto Trader is planning a strong start to 2013 with a new TV, radio, digital and mobile marketing campaign that will kick off with ITV’s coverage of the FA Cup on Saturday, 5th January.
The Newham Recorder in east London has succeeded in raising 15,000 toys for underprivileged children.
