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.
Popular science and technology monthly Focus recently became BBC Worldwide's first interactive magazine for the iPad. Creating an iPad app isn't easy – but it is the future of digital magazines, says Features Editor JV Chamary.
The Economist Group has announced the global launch of its flagship title, The Economist, on two new apps - The Economist for iPhone and The Economist for iPad - available now on the App Store.
The European Edition of China Daily, distributed by Quickmarsh, will be on sale every Friday, priced £1.
Informa has announced an agreement with Vizrt Ltd, a leading provider of content production tools for the digital media industry.
The Financial Times has announced the appointment of Richard McGregor as Washington bureau chief, leading the FT’s coverage of American politics and managing its DC-based team of reporters.
LexisNexis UK, a leading provider of legal, tax and business information and content-enabled workflow solutions, has announced the launch of 13 texts in eBook format.
One year after the murders of 57 people, including 32 journalists and media workers in the Philippines, more than 100 suspects remain at large as the culture of impunity continues to erode justice in the country, says the World Association of Newspap
The Irish Independent is now available as a complete digital replica of the printed edition, optimized for the Apple iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch.
The Daily Mirror has announced a series of changes to its senior editorial team.
Ravelry, an online community for crafters, has beaten social networking titans Facebook and Twitter to the “Community Site of the Year” honour at the .net Awards 2010.
Hearst’s The Houston Chronicle has launched its second Wave2 site, which is primarily focused on real estate.
The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) and the World Editors Forum have protested against the latest series of journalist arrests in Zimbabwe and have condemned the increasing climate of intimidation for the country’s crit
As 2010 draws to a close, consumer magazine publishing indicators remain decidedly mixed, but there are reasons for some optimism for the coming year, writes Karlene Lukovitz.
Hubs have been all the rage in the last couple of years, as regional publishers have sought efficiencies through centralising functions. Well, has it worked? Allan Prosser investigates.
Even though publishers are increasingly looking at charging for content models, there is little doubt that advertising will continue to provide the bulk of online revenue for some time to come. Trends in online targeting, says Jack Wallington, show a
