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.
Joseph Plummer, a co-author of "The Online Advertising Playbook", which focuses on the emergence of the internet as a marketing platform, has joined the programme of the 21st World Newspaper Advertising Conference and Expo, to be held in Malta on 24
The Press Complaints Commission has ruled that a regular share-tipping column in the Daily and Sunday Telegraph was making investment recommendations in a way that did not breach Clause 13 (Financial Journalism) of the Editors' Code of Practice.
NewspaperDirect has appointed Igor Smirnoff to vice president, Digital.
Future, the special-interest media group, has announced the launch of 14 new iPad apps as the next stage of a digital strategy aimed at positioning the company as a leader in multi-platform publishing.
Imagine launches the first iPad/iPhone digital edition not linked to one of its 20 print magazines.
Last weekend, the Sunday Times launched its first ever iPad Edition. With all 12 sections from the newspaper, including three magazines and a new interactive TV guide, it aims to deliver a whole new, richer experience to readers.
In the new digital publishing world, experimenting with tiny ideas is the way forward, according to speakers at the recent IPAC Independent Publisher Conference. Carolyn Morgan summarises the main themes from the event.
The Economist Group has announced the global launch of Intelligent Life, the quarterly lifestyle and culture magazine from The Economist, on iPad.
News International has announced the appointment of Chris Longcroft to the newly created role of Managing Director, Operations.
Healthcare Republic Jobs aims to strengthen its position as a key destination for GPs and primary care professionals looking for a new role, with the announcement of two key developments.
The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) has called for socially conscious investors to join its efforts to increase social investment in newspapers in developing markets and contribute to the economic viability and independ
Prince William has described as "truly heartening and extraordinary" London's response to an Evening Standard campaign to help those in need in London.
The European Newspaper Publishers’ Association and WAN-IFRA, have expressed concern at a draft law in Hungary that would impose extensive fines against journalists and publishers if they refuse to disclose their sources or publish information deemed
IPC Inspire Men & Music has announced the appointment of Keith Walker as editor of its UK-based-free-to-play games site www.mousebreaker.com.
Aboubakr Jamaï, the co-founder and former managing director of the weekly newspaper Le Journal Hebdomadaire and a pioneer of the independent press in Morocco, has been awarded the 2010 Gebran Tueni Award, WAN-IFRA’s annual prize that honours an edito
