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.
Dennis Publishing’s evo magazine, the monthly magazine devoted to the most desirable drivers’ cars, has linked up with Mercedes-Benz to promote the new C-Class Estate Sport on the magazine’s iPad application.
The National Magazine Company and integrated mobile and digital communications business Mobile Interactive Group has announced a partnership which sees the design, development and build of the publisher’s first ever mobile internet sites for Company
Used car website motors.co.uk has launched a new TV ad campaign and national advertising programme as part of the complete repositioning of its consumer messaging.
The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) has launched a series of striking adverts for newspapers and news websites to commemorate World Press Freedom Day on 3 May.
Outbrain, the content discovery platform, has released its inaugural Content Discovery and Engagement Report for the first quarter of 2011.
The Financial Times will host its seventh annual Business of Luxury Summit on June 5-7, 2011, at the Beau-Rivage Palace in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Accountancy Age is to become an online only publication.
Mail Connected has announced that Nationwide will front The Mail on Sunday’s Personal Finance section.
As the spotlight intensifies on Britain’s boardrooms – particularly when it comes to executive pay and relationships with shareholders – the Financial Times is launching the first professional qualification for non-executive directors.
IPC Media’s www.trustedreviews.com has unveiled a major relaunch, broadening its appeal and accessibility and building on its position as the “ultimate source” of technology product reviews and informed, insightful news.
The 2011 Observer Food Monthly awards, in association with Bordeaux Wines, have been launched, marking 10 years of “ground-breaking food journalism” from Observer Food Monthly (OFM) magazine.
Dare has formed an exciting new partnership with Sabotage Times, the digital venture launched last year by James Brown, founder of loaded and Jack magazines.
Guardian and Observer books coverage enters a new era. The books site has been completely restructured to put readers and users at the centre of literary discussions.
News International’s recent admission of liability in the News of the World phone hacking scandal, means that Jeremy Hunt must now refer the BSkyB bid to the competition authorities, writes Steven Barnett.
It’s been a tough decade for publishers, writes Staffan Ekholm, with digital competition eating away at reader numbers and advertising sales. But now, the tide is turning. And we should all be embracing the future.
