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.
Eric Pickles has announced a range of proposals such as reducing publication frequency to just four times a year to rein in aggressive council newspapers following a lengthy campaign by the Newspaper Society and its members.
The Press Complaints Commission has ruled that an article in the Southern Daily Echo did not breach Clause 5 ii (Intrusion into grief or shock) of the Editors' Code of Practice in its reporting of a man who had taken his own life.
Peter Williams has announced his intention to retire as Finance Director of DMGT in March 2011.
Vogue.com recently teamed up with Looklet, the digital styling studio, to launch The Stylist. Louise Howells explains Vogue’s strategy.
Even as the sturm und drang surrounding publishers’ wrangles with Apple over how iPad-based subscriptions will be sold continues, writes Karlene Lukovitz, the entrepreneurs behind new, digital-only publishing venture Nomad Enterprises say they have z
Haymarket Network has launched Haymarket Media Group’s first magazine iPad app.
The Queen and the Prime Minister have sent messages of congratulation to the Hull Daily Mail, which celebrated its 125th birthday yesterday.
Dennis Publishing, creator of the UK-based publication iGIZMO, released a digital edition app of the popular gadget magazine created using Adobe tools.
The UK digital publishing industry demonstrates that it is embracing innovation, as emerging technologies are at the heart of business development plans over the next 12 months, according to the latest Association of Online Publishers (AOP) Content a
The Press Complaints Commission has upheld a complaint against the Daily Star about an article titled "Muslim-only public loos", ruling that it was inaccurate and misleading in breach of Clause 1 (Accuracy) of the Editors' Code of Practice.
The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) and the World Editors Forum have condemned a series of attacks on journalists in Uganda.
Since 2005 Trinity Mirror claims to have consistently reduced carbon emissions across its operations, proving genuine commitment to reducing its environmental impact.
Over the past year, retailers’ margins have taken a significant hit on newspaper titles published by Northern and Shell and News International, says the NFRN.
The Wall Street Journal Europe leads its launch of new pan-European lifestyle content with style editor Tina Gaudoin’s take on how to be a fashion leader.
James Cameron is the most influential individual in UK film, according to the Guardian's inaugural Film Power 100 list.
