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.
As London 2012 celebrates the one year to go milestone, Telegraph Media Group (TMG) announces Olympic Gold medallist Denise Lewis OBE as columnist for The Daily Telegraph and The Telegraph.
From Twitter and Facebook, to crowdsourcing and gathering readers’ photos, to community events: newspapers now have abundant ways to interact with their readers online.
Following recent price changes by the Sunday Express and disputes over retailer margin, the NFRN put out the following statement on 26th July.
www.sportsvibe.co.uk, the sports entertainment website, has unveiled a new, more interactive design, that makes existing content and a raft of new site features more easily accessible and engaging to site visitors and members.
The KM Group has announced that it is making a formal submission to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) informing them of its intention to acquire the seven newspaper titles currently owned by Kent Regional News and Media (KRNM).
Business secretary Vince Cable recently launched a £1 million growth fund for the Northcliffe-owned Western Morning News to help small businesses in the South West.
News Corporation recently announced that it has completed the sale of its 79 percent stake in News Outdoor Russia and News Outdoor Romania to a group of investors led by VTB Capital.
News International has bowed to pressure from the NFRN and has promised to refund to new retail entrants the News of the World element of their deposits.
Associated Press (AP) photographer Matt Dunham has won first prize in the royalty and entertainment section of the Press Photographer’s Year Award for his famous Charles and Camilla picture.
News Corporation's Management and Standards Committee (MSC) has published its Terms of Reference (ToR).
The Press Complaints Commission has upheld a complaint under Clauses 3 (Privacy) and 6 (Children) of the Editors' Code of Practice against the Cambrian News.
Following strong protest from the NFRN, the Sunday Express has confirmed that whilst this weekend’s edition will continue to be discounted, retail margins will be maintained at the full cover price of £1.35.
Chris Bunyan looks at how online video advertising can help regional publishers.
Wallpaper*, the international design, fashion and lifestyle magazine, has launched its first iPad edition of the magazine.
Prior to his appearance before the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee yesterday, Rupert Murdoch, Chairman and CEO, News Corporation, prepared the following statement:
