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.
Over the past fifteen years, the internet has turned the media world on its head and, with few exceptions, traditional media companies have been slow to adapt. Tim Brooks looks at why the industry has struggled to come to terms with digital technolog
And then it was over! After many months of sometimes shocking testimony, Lord Justice Leveson brought proceedings in Court 73 to a close at the end of July and retired to the thankless task of drawing up his recommendations. Jon Slattery looks at wha
Some jobs are more challenging than others, and the task of marketing newspapers to the media buying community in the current climate is probably one of those. Ray Snoddy talks to Rufus Olins about what he hopes to achieve at Newsworks.
BGP has announced that it has signed a new three-year print contract with Dennis Publishing, a contract worth in the region of circa £3m per annum.
Less than twelve hours after the launch announcement of the new iPhone 5, Future’s MacFormat and Tap! The iPhone and iPad Magazine unveiled an interactive digital magazine to help customers find out about the new iPhone 5’s technology.
DMGT has announced that it has established a sponsored American Depositary Receipt ("ADR") facility to facilitate investment in DMGT stock for US residents.
Bauer Media has issued the following statement by Paul Keenan, Chief Executive of Bauer Media, in connection with the publication by Closer France of pictures of Prince William and his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge.
Society of Editors’ Executive Director Bob Satchwell has pointed towards decisions by British newspapers not to publish photographs of Kate Middleton as a sign of ‘self-regulation working.’
Best Baking, a new fortnightly collection from Eaglemoss, goes on sale 25 September.
The Korea Institute of Science & Technology Information (KISTI) and IOP Publishing (IOP) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on a new strategic collaboration for the provision and dissemination of scientific research.
White Dwarf, the monthly magazine from the Games Workshop, is being relaunched with the October issue, on sale 27 September, priced £5.50.
The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) has revealed that inserts in newspapers and magazines have grown in popularity by more than 10 per cent in 2012.
The Financial Times and Bodley Head have announced the launch of the Financial Times/Bodley Head Essay Prize, aimed at attracting future talent in long-form essay writing from around the world.
The Wall Street Journal has announced that WSJ. Magazine, the Journal's luxury lifestyle magazine, will increase its frequency for the fourth time since launch and will publish 11 issues in 2013, up from 10 issues in 2012.
Leading specialist children’s publisher Egmont UK has appointed Stephanie Gauld, former Head of Disney Online Studios, to the new role of Digital Publisher.
