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.
The Hull Daily Mail is campaigning to retain the Brough plant as a manufacturing facility, following BAE's announcement on Tuesday that 900 jobs will go at the site, ending 95 years of aviation manufacturing there.
The Barnsley Chronicle has expanded its web presence with wearebarnsley.com and recently branched out into online radio broadcasting.
Newspaper publishing groups have raised concerns about the lack of mid-market, tabloid and regional newspaper experience among the six assessors appointed to the Leveson Inquiry.
The Association of Online Publishers (AOP) has announced its first hack day, which will run on 13-14 October.
Prince Michael of Liechtenstein has joined the programme for the 63rd World Newspaper Congress, where he will join news industry notables is a discussion of the world economic crisis and its impact on the news publishing industry.
The Ascent of Media, a major new book by Roger Parry, will be published on 7 October.
The apps no iPad, iPhone or iPod touch should be without are revealed this week by Tap!, an authority on Apple’s iOS devices.
An industry first, Spain's top publishers collaborate to create a multi-platform news destination that aggregates more than 30 full-content digital edition newspapers and 60 magazines, making them instantly available online and on iOS and Android.
Loop Digital Media is the first business to be shortlisted for the 2012 Media Pioneer Awards. Carolyn Morgan looks at how a niche publisher built a global app in-house.
Publishers are becoming increasingly active in the social media space, but a lot of the activity is unfocused and unlikely to lead to long term profitability, writes Adestra’s Parry Malm.
For several years, the craft of the journalism profession has changed dramatically, writes Ravin Sampat, editor of Blottr.com, the people powered news service.
Atex has announced its new management structure, which will strengthen the business’s position as a leading software company selling solutions for media-rich industries and support its accelerated growth into the digital marketplace.
This week, Amazon has launched four new Kindles, including the Kindle Fire.
Archant, the independent regional newspaper group, has announced a new partnership with Motors.co.uk, to relaunch its motors website drive24.co.uk.
Incisive Media has launched an exciting new corporate website that provides a dynamic platform for its brands and content.
