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.
Future, the media group and leading digital publisher, has unveiled a major new ongoing research panel, designed to provide a continuous dialogue through which to understand its core audiences.
The NFRN is giving members the chance to score over their multiple rivals with an exclusive Match Attax promotion with the Daily Mirror.
The Press Complaints Commission (PCC) has ruled that the Farnham Herald did not breach Clauses 1 (Accuracy) and 3 (Privacy) of the Editors' Code of Practice.
Outbrain, the content discovery solution, has announced further international expansion into the Swedish market, including the launch of external paid-for links.
NCTJ chairman Kim Fletcher argued that traditional journalism is not dead at a debate held in the committee rooms of the House of Commons this week.
Travel and media entrepreneur Clive Jacobs has agreed in principle to acquire Caterer and Hotelkeeper, the weekly magazine for hoteliers and restaurateurs, from Reed Business Information.
Engine Creative have continued their collaboration with Bauer Media by creating more! magazine’s first Augmented Reality (AR) issue launched yesterday (27th November).
The US Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) has introduced a new brand identity — the Alliance for Audited Media — to, it says, more accurately portray its evolving leadership in media verification.
Top Right Group has announced that it has agreed an approach from Conor Dignam, MD of EMAP’s Media brands, to run Broadcast, Screen International and shots as a separate entity.
The NFRN has broadly welcomed the formation of David Montgomery’s new publishing venture Local World and its aim to revive flagging local newspaper sales, but is calling for an urgent meeting with senior personnel to discuss ways in which the organis
Environment Minister Owen Paterson has spoken out against the need for state regulation of the press, saying: “There is absolutely no need for it and the government should leave well alone.”
Guardian News & Media has rolled out a brand new responsive mobile website, designed to optimise visually across all smartphones and small tablet devices.
August has launched a microsite for international cruise operator P&O Cruises.
Classic motoring title The Automobile is publishing a special collector’s edition to mark its 30th anniversary.
The Times and The Sunday Times have launched Times+ Talks, a new function in the smartphone app which allows subscribers to view Times+ events live whenever and wherever they like.
