Survival? The Future of the Regional Print Industry in Ireland: The Perspectives of Media Owners and Editors

Abstract

The media industry has undergone a myriad of challenges in recent years and in Ireland the impact of those challenges has been particularly acute in the regional print press. Changes in media consumption patterns, a shift from mainstream and digital media, advances in technology, reduced income from advertising and a decrease in newspaper circulation have all had a significant impact on the regional print press in Ireland. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with five owners and five editors of regional print newspapers. An overall negative view of the future of the industry, from a regional print perspective, was found. Survival is a priority and a lack of resources is a concern, as recruitment of staff—journalists and photojournalists—is limited or non-existent. All participants cited lack of revenue from advertising and struggles to generate any profit from online advertising as major concerns. While all maintained that editorial independence is a priority, in reality, the separation between newsrooms and commercial sections of media organisations has become less pronounced, amid commercial realities which are a source of disquiet.

1. Introduction

The substantial changes in journalism in Ireland—on a regional level—in recent years, due to a multiplicity of factors—including digitalization, changes in media consumption patterns, a reduction in newspaper circulation and reduced income from advertising—are examined in this paper, from the perspectives of those who run media organisations and manage newsrooms: media owners and editors.

The array of changes experienced by the industry have resulted in wide-ranging adjustments to practices experienced by those working in the industry. In fact, Wahl-Jorgensen (2019, p. 63) described the provision of local news as “the greatest challenge facing journalism today”. Hutchins (2025), researching in the US, argues that despite the proliferation of news, there are fewer journalists hired to produce it. The shortage of journalists is so acute that in more than 1000 counties—one out of three in the USA—there is not even one full-time journalist.

Verza et al. (2024) examined challenges faced by local and community media across Europe and found that remote areas were particularly at risk of reduced news coverage, as newsrooms have become more centralised in the areas of higher population, i.e. cities.

Newspaper organisations have been “beset by the digital revolution and battered by the Great Recession” (Mathews, 2022, p. 1250). “Information consumption has been transformed by technological progress, new devices, and new platforms” (Vázquez-Herrero et al., 2022, p. 3822).

This has implications not just for the industry and those working in it, but also wider society. As newsrooms are stretched in terms of resources, this has a profound impact on the quality of content produced and this, in turn, affects how issues of public importance are explained to media consumers. This is pertinent in a social media era where ‘fake’ news—false or misleading news—has become more prevalent (Broda & Strömbäck, 2024; Van der Linden et al., 2020).

The industry is in a “crisis” (Viererbl & Koch, 2019, p. 2) and this is evidenced within the newspaper industry in particular (Usher, 2014). And while local newspapers have faced challenges over the past few decades, these have been exacerbated in recent times: “These downward trends have rapidly accelerated in the digital era” (Wahl-Jorgensen, 2019, p. 163).

As was evidenced throughout this research, it is clearly a challenging time for those who have worked in newspapers for several years, as the changes have transformed their daily work, in many cases beyond recognition. The industry is in “a period of transformation where an old media system is disappearing and a new media system is budding” (Alejandro, 2010, p. 16). “Journalists must reckon with how to adjust to the demands of a 24/7 news cycle, an environment of interactive engagement and a world where one-to-many has been upended” (Usher, 2014, p. 5).

The changes in the news industry came about in a time of “economic collapse and incredible innovation” (Usher, 2014, p. 36). At the root of changes in work practices is commercialization, commodification and marketisation. Powerful media companies control content, make decisions regarding resources and ultimately create an environment whereby the public sphere—which enables citizens to discuss matters in the public interest—faces further decline. The changes raise questions in the industry about its future: as commercialization and profit-maximisation intensify, quality media content becomes less and less of a priority. Quality content is essential in explaining the world to ‘ordinary’ people and as content is diluted, the societal impact is magnified. A weaker quality of copy is generated; there is more ‘desk’ journalism and less ‘field’ reporting. Baisnée and Marchetti (2006, p. 114) describe this as “sit-down” journalism, while Davies (2008, p. 60) cite it as “churnalism … repackaging of largely unchecked second-hand material”. Vasilendiuc and Gross (2012, p. 1) describe them as “copy and paste office journalists”.

This paper examines the perspectives of media owners and editors in the regional print press in Ireland in relation to the future of the industry. Five owners and five editors of regional print publications—spanning a wide geographic area to include 10 counties—in Ireland were interviewed. The link between media ownership and the allocation of resources to newsrooms is discussed, as well as the connection between media ownership and editorial independence and the influence this has on how journalists do their work. The research question centres around the perspectives of media owners and editors in the regional media in Ireland on the future of the industry and the key contributory factors that shape their views: What is the future of the regional print industry in Ireland and what are the key factors that contribute to this viewpoint?

By focusing on media owners and editors as the participants, it is ensured that their perspectives are represented. Investigating the causes of changes to work practices, from their perspectives, is vital, given their influential roles in the industry in terms of decision-making, selection of content produced and published, and decisions on allocating resources. It is important to try to understand why various decisions are taken regarding the allocation of resources for newsrooms across the media industry in Ireland. This paper is novel, as research which includes direct input from owners in particular is very limited.

2. The Media Landscape in Ireland

The legacy media landscape in Ireland consists of a public funded state broadcaster RTÉ, a commercial television station Virgin Media, various independent national and regional radio stations and a variety of national and regional newspapers, most of which have been bought up by media conglomerates. In terms of media ownership, a number of models are in existence in Ireland: some of the media organisations are privately owned, while the majority of them have been purchased by media conglomerates. There are 10 media conglomerates in Ireland and between them they own 79 titles, which represents almost half of the long-standing media broadcast or print publications.

These conglomerates are Mediahuis—whose headquarters are in Belgium—which owns 22 national and regional print and online publications; Iconic Newspapers—based in Dublin, Ireland—which owns 20 regional newspapers; Celtic Media—based in Meath, Ireland—which owns five regional print newspapers; The Irish Times Group—based in Dublin, Ireland—which owns six national and regional print publications and two regional broadcast organisations; Bauer Media—a German multi-media conglomerate—which owns six national and regional broadcast media organisations; Wireless Group—which owns radio stations in the UK and Ireland—owns six regional radio stations throughout Ireland; Radio Kerry Holdings—based in Kerry, Ireland—owns three regional radio stations; The Connacht Tribune Newspaper Group—located in Galway, Ireland—which owns one newspaper and one local radio station in its geographic area; The Advertiser Newspaper Group—headquartered in Galway, Ireland—which owns three regional newspapers; and Topic Newspapers—located in the Midlands, Ireland—which own four regional newspapers.

Print publications that previously used one platform have diversified in national media organisations. However, the shift to multiple platforms is happening at a much slower pace in most regional newspapers which are not as proactive as their national counterparts in the provision of online content. Print newspaper circulation has been consistently falling in the past decade; there has been a decline—on average—of approximately 10% each year, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) which records circulation figures. However, it is difficult to quantify the exact extent of the decrease, as several newspapers have opted out of having their figures audited and published by the ABC (Morahan, 2019). Revenue in newspapers from print advertising dropped by 75% between 2007 and 2019 and advertising spend on digital platforms is not even close to matching the previous figures for print (Hosford, 2020).

Eighteen local newspapers have closed since 2008, including The Kingdom (Slattery, 2011), The Roscommon Champion, Longford News and Athlone Voice (Cassidy, 2010), the Clare People (Deegan, 2019) and The Northern Standard (Wrona, 2025).

One of the country’s largest media organisations, Independent News and Media—which was purchased by Mediahuis in 2019 (Collins, 2021) and which owns 11 national media titles and 11 regional newspapers—experienced a decrease in revenue from both newspaper sales and advertising sales in 2019 (Paul, 2020). Advertising revenue dropped by 14.6%, while circulation fell by 2.5% (Paul, 2020).

The challenges associated with reduced income due to falling advertising revenue and newspaper circulation has led to changes in the running of media organisations. These changes include job cuts or not replacing staff who retire or leave their posts, and increased workloads for journalists. The extent of the changes in the media industry was highlighted in the Future of Media Commission Report, published in July 2022, which identified huge economic challenges in the long-term. “The question at the heart of the Future of Media Commission report is around how the media sector in Ireland can remain viable and independent in the face of unprecedented technological change and financial challenges” (Bray, 2022, para. 1). The report pledged that a media fund, valued up to €30 million annually, would be set up and it would provide media organisations with finance for digital transformation, news and court reporting schemes and an enhanced sound and vision scheme.

3. Ownership and Media Content

Ownership structures in a news organisation can potentially influence news content and also determine the resources available in newsrooms. This research was informed by the Political Economy of the Media (PEM) approach, which highlights how the media operate in the interests of powerful people. It acknowledges that social, political and economic considerations are at the heart of how media organisations are shaped. The study of PEM is important in creating an understanding of the growth of the media (Wasko, 2005).

McChesney and Schiller (2003) contend that there is a very definite link between ownership and content, where standards of journalism play a subsidiary role to business interests.

Dunaway (2008) asserts that media ownership affects the quality of the journalism produced. Danso’s (2025) recent research found that media owners’ political affiliations have an impact on editorial decisions and journalists working in politically affiliated media organisations feel under pressure to align their reporting with their owners’ interests. This undermines the media’s role as a watchdog for democracy and puts journalists under pressure to conform to the views of their owners (Danso, 2025).

It is plausible that the role of the owners, and also the relationship between the owners and management, can affect content. For example, a decision, on economic grounds, to cut resources in a newsroom can have a huge effect on the newsroom, on journalists working there and on the quality of the product published or broadcast. One of the main areas affected is investigative journalism, which requires time and resources and is essential in a democratic society where holding powerful people to account is essential. Rick and Hanitzsch (2023) argue that investigative journalism has changed as a result of the increased focus on ‘desk’ journalism. “Research and investigation practices of journalists have changed, as they relied more strongly on online research and telephone interviews rather than physical encounters” (Rick & Hanitzsch, 2023, p. 13). Connolly (2023) concurs, having found—through interviews with journalists in Ireland—that lack of time was an issue for investigative journalism and this is a particular issue in the local media.

Bagdikian (2000) finds that short-term profits are the goal and with this in mind newspapers prioritise satisfying advertisers and investors ahead of readers. “The reader may have a primary civic stake in long-range stability of the local paper but for all the others that newspapers must satisfy, long-range stability is, at best, a secondary consideration” (Bagdikian, 2000, p. 201). “Infotainment” or “politicotainment” is now a focus as the media “concentrates on easy and attractive news”, which, Dobek-Ostrowska (2015, p. 215) argues, is driven by commercialism.

Many researchers are definite in their views that the creation of conglomerates is primarily focused on profit. “Growth is only worthwhile if it secures and/or increases profits” (Branston & Stafford, 2010, p. 211). “As for private groups, media are part of a global strategy developed to diversify their activities and make a profit” (Preston, 2009, p. 94).

Online and social media contributes immensely to changes to practice among those working across all levels of the media. Traditional media has faced decreasing readership levels and falling circulation, due to growth in online and social media, resulting in job losses and the closure of newspapers (Costa e Silva, 2015). Both the advantages and disadvantages of online and social media are noted by Lovish et al.: the advantages include increased accessibility and engagement, the speed at which journalism is accomplished and democratisation of news; while disadvantages point to the spread of misinformation, reduced journalistic standards and the creation of economic challenges for traditional media (Lovish et al., 2024).

4. Ownership and Editorial Independence

Editorial independence is “a separation between decisions that are taken by media owners and those that are taken by editors” (Rožukalne, 2013, p. 81). It means that editors have full control over editorial content (Lapena, 2009). Chomsky (1999) asserts that owners should not interfere with the editorial process, while Rožukalne (2013) adds, however, that in reality, the interests of the editorial team and the advertising and finance divisions “interweave, which means that the existing understanding of editorial independence at each media company is crucial” (Rožukalne, 2013, p. 81). In terms of the views of those working on the ground, Rožukalne (2013), researching in Latvia, says while there is a general acceptance among journalists that political and business interests have an influence in the media, they are of the view that this cannot have a major impact on their everyday work.

In an ideal world, the commercial department and newsroom are entirely separate entities but in reality, this is not the case and direction to news teams from advertising staff has become more commonplace. Svensson and Edstrom (2016) hold that commercial interests have more influence on media content than in the past and the distinction between news departments and advertising has become blurred. They point to editorial and commercial departments working together in what they describe as “advertising dressed as journalism” (Svensson & Edstrom, 2016, p. 2). In Bulgaria, a report carried out in 2024—as part of a European report on challenges facing local and community media—found that editorial independence is a huge concern. “Local media are reluctant to investigate issues that could affect local advertisers or the non-media business interests of their owners” (Spassov et al., 2024, p. 26). The same report found that in Croatia, there was some “indirect political control over local media, with owners having close ties to political parties” (Vozab & Čuvalo, 2024, p. 33), while it was noted in Italy that there were “concerns about conflicts of interest and potential political pressure on editorial content for various local media” (Mangani, 2024, p. 108). All of this has a negative impact on the industry where editorial independence should be a key priority.

Dobek-Ostrowska (2015) holds that news organisations and advertisers can work together and are essentially interdependent; however, the problems arise from the need for advertisers to make profit which may impact the relationship.

Carvalho’s (2020) research in Brazil found that the majority of journalists believed there was no editorial interference in relation to their work. Preston (2009) argues that in contrast to the past, journalists are now more aware of the business element of news organisations. Devereux (2013), researching in Ireland, argues that ownership structures have a bearing on media content, while Rožukalne (2013) is of the view that content is influenced by both internal (ownership and business interests) and external influences (sources and advertisers).

In stark contrast, Rafter et al. (2017), in their Worlds of Journalism study (country report for Ireland), found that journalists in Ireland enjoyed good levels of freedom in deciding what stories to cover. “Economic influences—stemming from owners and managers, market competition and profit expectations as well as advertising—seem to have little relevance in Irish newsrooms” (Rafter et al., 2017, p. 4).

Hanretty (2014), who examined owner influence in more than 200 different print and broadcast outlets in 32 European countries, concluded that there was likely to be a higher level of owner influence in media organisations owned by individuals and families than in those owned by companies.

Ownership intervention on coverage is “rare and cautious”, as there may be a reluctance to issue “written orders” (Chomsky, 2006, p. 3). Preston (2009, p. 100) noted that media professionals “are usually very reluctant to acknowledge direct intervention from owners in editorial matters”. Yet, when Stetka (2012, p. 448) looked at the issue of business tycoons taking ownership of media organisations, it was argued that even if they did not get involved with the editorial policies, “the sheer fact of ownership by a powerful figure with multiple non-media interests might act as a deterrent of investigative reporting about issues perceived as related to the owner’s business or political activities”.

Against that background, Witschge and Nygren (2009, p. 55) highlighted a shift away from editorial independence and described journalism as “a profession under pressure”.

“Journalism is more connected than ever to finance and the old wall between the newsroom and the advertising and finance departments is no longer the Great Wall of China, but more the Berlin wall, crumbling and seen as a museum piece”.

(Witschge & Nygren, 2009, p. 48)

Journalists face challenges on a daily basis “to maintain editorial independence in the newsroom” (European Federation of Journalists, 2017, para. 2).

5. Challenges in the Regional Print Press Globally

Globally, the regional print press is facing many challenges, as additional hours but without any additional pay, and a curtailment of ‘field’ work, present a bleak picture of the industry. Worsening conditions in local media include “economic pressures and industry changes, increasing political pressure and polarised political cultures, digital disruption and lack of legal protection” (Gulyas, 2023, p. 17). Local newspapers are working with “skeleton staff, against the backdrop of constant waves of redundancies” (Wahl-Jorgensen, 2019, p. 164) and “‘desk’ journalism is prioritised over ‘field’ reporting” (Connolly, 2023, p. 14). Hutchins (2025, para. 6) describes the shortage of local journalists in the US—in both rural and urban areas—as “severe” and “widespread”; Culloty (2024, para. 1) argues that the decline of local journalism in Ireland is a “quiet threat to democracy and community life”.

Novais’ (2018) research in Portugal, highlighted increased working hours as commonplace, particularly among those working in the regional print press, while Olsen (2018), whose research was focused on local journalism in Norway, contends that in digital journalism, journalists are spending more time working in the newsroom and are required to produce more news copy than in the past.

According to Gulyas (2023), local journalists in Portugal were in fear of losing their jobs; in France, local journalists’ job vacancies were not filled or were filled with precarious contracts; while in the Czech Republic, long-term precarious working conditions were widespread for local journalists.

Allied to those challenges, the emergence of artificial intelligence has presented a newer challenge for the industry, according to Eder and Sjøvaag (2025), whose research was based in Germany and Norway. They argue that local news media organisations “risk falling behind industry developments as news organisations grow increasingly reliant on AI systems for news management, production and dissemination… Local journalism was slow to move online, slow to integrate with social media platforms, and is now slow to implement AI” (Eder & Sjøvaag, 2025, p. 2).

In the US, the decline in local newspapers has been so profound in recent years that there is an expectation that one-third of the newspapers that were in existence in 2005 will have closed by 2024 (Fischer, 2023). “Over the past two years, newspapers continued to vanish at an average rate of more than two per week, leaving 204 US counties, or 6.4%, without any local news outlet” (Fischer, 2023, para. 6).

Stiernstedt and Kaun (2024) describe the demise in newspaper circulation in Sweden as “the disappearance of printed news” (Stiernstedt & Kaun, 2024, p. 2) and “the death of the paper” (Stiernstedt & Kaun, 2024, p. 8). They examined a wave of cancellations of printed news distribution between 2022 and 2024 mainly in the local areas but also in regions and in the national media. They found that this paved the way for the acceleration of digital news distribution was a common theme among participants in their research who ranged from journalists and editors to readers and distribution companies.

The models both in the UK and Ireland, have, separately, been described as ‘broken’. In the UK, Joshi Herrmann, who launched Manchester Mill, a local newspaper, in 2020, contends that while quality journalism is still sought after, the focus by regional publications on the national focus was leading to a “broken” model (Sweeney, 2023, para. 33). In Ireland, a similar sentiment has been expressed by the Chief Executive Officer of Celtic Media Frank Mulrennan who argues that the business model for local newspapers is “broken” (Slattery, 2017, para. 1), and that social media and online media were “swallowing up ever-increasing slices of Irish marketing budgets” (Doyle, 2017, para. 4).

6. Materials and Methods

A qualitative methodology was deemed the most suitable method of investigation for this project as it provided an insight into participants’ views on their experiences as owners or editors of regional print media organisations. This research has also been concerned with the subjective meanings that these experiences have for them (Flick, 2006). Interviews are an appropriate method when a researcher is aiming to learn about participants’ experiences, thoughts and opinions (Denscombe, 2007) and this was the case in my research.

A purposive sampling strategy—which is consistent with qualitative research—was adopted. Purposive sampling is where the researcher “intentionally selects participants who are knowledgeable about the phenomenon being studied” (Gill, 2020, p. 580) and is “designed to provide information-rich cases for in-depth study. This is because participants are those who have the required status or experience, or who are known to possess special knowledge to provide the information researchers seek” (Lopez & Whitehead, 2013, p. 125).

Semi-structured interviews provide the opportunity to be flexible and allow a wide range of issues to be explored in more detail (Bryman et al., 2008).

The interviews with five regional print media owners and five regional print media editors—each participant is based in a different geographic area and all have worked in the media industry for between 15 and 40 years—were conducted in person and each interview lasted approximately one hour. Eight of the participants work in independently owned regional print publications, while two work in regional print publications owned by conglomerates. Each participant was supplied with an information letter and consent form in advance of the interview which they read and signed (see Supplementary Material S1). The information letter outlined the title and details of the project, what was required of the participant, some of the sample questions that would be asked during the interview and clear details about what would happen to the information after the interview had taken place. The list of participants is contained in Supplementary Material S2.

7. Findings

The research question focused on the perspectives of media owners and editors in the regional print media in Ireland on the future of the industry and an examination of the main factors that contribute to their viewpoints. Overall, there was much concern expressed by participants in relation to the future of the industry in Ireland. Among the issues that emerged during the interviews were insufficient resources, lack of opportunities for recruitment, challenges generating income from online media, erosion of editorial independence and challenges in responding to changes in media consumption.

Three of the participants use the word “survival” to describe the future of their newspapers. Some participants express the view that journalism is becoming a part-time profession and many experienced journalists are leaving the industry for better pay and conditions in other career areas. There are concerns among participants in this research in relation to the challenges associated with generating income through online and social media platforms and also agreement among participants that there is not enough resources and time available for journalists to pursue time-intensive content such as investigative journalism.

And while participants in this research contend that editorial independence should be a priority and that newsrooms should be separate from advertising departments, two of the media owners accept that it is not always achievable, given commercial considerations. In fact, three participants state that they had softened the tone or left stories out of their newspapers due to commercial considerations.

There are mixed views among participants on consolidation; some believe it is essential to ensure a future for the industry, while others argue it has a negative impact on the industry.

8. Resources in Newsrooms

There was an overall sense, during the interviews with media owners and editors, that recruitment in newsrooms is rare. One editor of an independent regional newspaper says that despite vacancies arising in her newsroom, her requests for new journalists to be hired have been met with a negative response. “I have been told repeatedly the finance is not there to hire new staff” (P6).

Another participant, a regional independent newspaper owner, says opportunities for hiring are rare. “One thing that I have spent very little time doing is interviewing new journalists which is a shame but in a fairly challenged media business, in a very challenged industry, there really aren’t the opportunities for recruitment” (P1).

P4, a regional independent print media owner, says that not only has recruitment stopped in recent years, but newsroom staff numbers were cut and this was key to survival as the income from the newspaper—a relatively new regional publication—was reduced due to decreased advertising revenue and a drop in circulation. “A well-resourced newsroom has become an absolute rarity. I’m not sure there is one left in Ireland” (P4).

An owner of a regional print media conglomerate states that the wage bill is closely monitored, on an ongoing basis. “Resources are stretched, trying to take on the same number of people as you had previously, watching the payroll every week” (P3).

This is presenting difficulties in terms of ‘field’ reporting; four of the editors, three of which are independently run and the other is run by a conglomerate (P6; P7; P9; P10), said that a reduction in resources is invariably leading to more ‘desk’ journalism and fewer opportunities for journalists to get out of the newsroom and report from the ‘field’. One editor said that choices have to be made regarding covering events. “You could have two meetings on the same day at the same time. You have to flip a coin almost and decide which to cover. We just can’t be in two places at once” (P9).

This, they argue, impacts negatively on the quality of content produced and also means that time-intensive investigative journalism is rarely an option, according to two editors of independently run regional newspapers (P7; P9). Another editor of an independent regional newspaper, P8, said that amid a huge increase in online media consumption it is essential to focus on compelling online content, but this is a huge struggle amid a tightening of resources.

“Video would be excellent for local media, but it has to be done well. I can’t see them taking on extra staff in order to do that because the money isn’t there”.

(P8)

The link between revenue and staffing levels was notable during the interviews: as income through advertising decreases, it becomes more difficult to retain the same level of resources, according to P5 (owner of an independent regional newspaper) and P6 (editor of an independent regional newspaper).

While the national print press in Ireland appears to have adequate photography cover, similar to that which existed in the past, the case is different in the regional print press. Two of the independent regional newspaper owners, P1 and P5, say that spending on photography has been curtailed and journalists are now required to take their own photographs. “The reality is that anybody who is coming new into any industry has now got to be seriously multi-tasked and the same goes for journalism, so staff photographers, we just can’t afford them” (P1).

P5 says that there have been cuts in his newspaper, to the extent that the newsroom is very stretched in terms of resources and this has a huge impact on budgets for photojournalism. “In most cases if the truth be told if there was an opportunity to reduce a newsroom at the moment it would probably be done” (P5). Journalists, he says, are now taking photographs and the quality has “slipped” (P5).

P6, an independent regional newspaper editor, concurs that budgets for photography are very limited and there is an over-reliance on inviting readers to submit photographs for publication, instead of hiring staff photographers.

P3, owner of a regional print newspaper run by a conglomerate, says he never hired staff photographers and has always relied on freelance photographers, which helps to cut costs. However, an independent newspaper owner says that he has adequate resources available to cover photography, both from a staff and freelance point of view and photographs are rarely sourced from social media, as quality images are a priority (P2).

9. Income from Online Media

All participants agree that there is difficulty generating income through online platforms, compared to the traditional print product and that it is a huge challenge for their organisations.

One of the independent media owners said that from his experience, it has been hugely challenging to generate income from online platforms.

“I have never found websites, certainly regional websites and national websites, to derive enough income to counteract what we have lost on normal circulation and advertising. That has been the biggest challenge. There is no regional newspaper in Ireland that has a digital platform that works. Very rarely, I don’t think ever, did anyone ring us up and say I want to advertise on the website. We have 7000 or 8000 followers on Twitter and over 10,000 Facebook followers but we cannot transfer that into advertising money”.

(P4)

P3, owner of a regional print newspaper run by a conglomerate, agrees with this sentiment, while P5, an independent regional print media owner, says that while content posted on social media—particularly sport and local elections—has been very popular, “the struggle is how to monetize it”. “Our difficulty is that our bread and butter income still relies on newspaper sales. Online income is small. The core income is still advertising and circulation income. Generating income is the biggest challenge for us” (P5).

10. Editorial Independence

The role of the media is vital in terms of informing the public about events that impact their lives and this includes exposing wrongdoings and publishing information that those in powerful positions may want concealed. “Through dissemination of information, exposing misconduct and facilitating public discourse, the media empower citizens to make informed decisions and hold leaders accountable for their actions… Government interests, ownership influence and media independence are three dimensions that form a triad of forces shaping the media’s ability to function as a robust watchdog in society” (Danso, 2025, p. 1).

While, in theory, editorial independence is a cornerstone of newsrooms, in practice, the lines between the newsroom and the commercial element of news organisations have become clouded. All of the participants express an awareness of the importance of balancing editorial independence with commercial realities, particularly where businesses are struggling financially.

One of the participants, a regional independent newspaper owner, says that editorial independence is a priority in his newspaper as the editor deals with all editorial matters. “I most certainly do not get involved in editorial decisions.” (P1). This view is shared by another media owner, P3, who says that the editorial side of the business is separate from the commercial side. “If there is a story we have to go with it and that is it” (P3). P5, a regional independent print media owner, echoes the same sentiments, but says a story may be toned down on occasion, not for commercial reasons, but to take local sensitivities into account, for example the language used when covering a local tragedy. A similar view was expressed by two editors of independently run regional newspapers, P7 and P8.

One editor of an independently run regional newspaper, P6, said that while potentially controversial stories may be discussed with the newspaper’s owner in advance of publication, the ultimate decision on publication lies with the editor and she has never experienced editorial independence being challenged. Both P7 and P8 said that from their experiences, editorial independence has never been challenged in any of the news organisations in which they worked in careers spanning 25 and 30 years respectively. Another editor, P9, said that management have, on occasion, asked questions about content that may feature an advertiser, but ultimately the decision on whether to publish a story—or on what angle to focus on—rests with the editor. P10, an editor of a newspaper run by a media conglomerate, said that editorial independence was regarded highly across the board in his publication.

“The idea that we would get a call from advertising saying we are doing X with company Y and I notice on the news list there that you are doing a big investigation. Could you kill it? A, they wouldn’t see the news list and B, they wouldn’t ask for it and C, were they to ask for it would be a very short conversation”.

(P10)

Another participant, P4—owner of an independently run regional newspaper—agrees that in general editorial independence is a priority, but he did omit stories for commercial reasons on occasion. He changed his position when he became a media owner, compared to when he worked as a journalist and editor.

“I left out stories as well as put them in. I have made decisions with the commercial hat on. I think many regional newspapers are in that same situation. I was not going to risk or jeopardise the newspaper and the jobs in the newspaper. I’m afraid you cannot do that without resources and I have no doubt lack of resources prevented us from being a bit more crusading than perhaps we should have”.

(P4)

“I, on a number of occasions, would have dampened down the enthusiasm of the journalist writing the stories and I would have said, ‘Listen I’m sorry we cannot come that strong. We need to be a little more aware of who we are writing about.’ I couldn’t say to him, ‘We need this, if we don’t get it we can’t pay wages’. Did I leave out stories for commercial concerns? Yes, I did. And I would do so again. As owner it was my responsibility to keep the doors open. I erred on the side of caution”.

(P4)

One of the independently run newspaper editors (P8) said that while there is no interference from management on selecting content for publication, he said he is conscious of including material from key advertisers and this is particularly prevalent amid challenges attracting advertising revenue.

“There is greater cognizance now of being advertisers than there would have been ever before. Not keeping things out but putting things in. If somebody is doing a fair bit of advertising with you, a hotel say and they have a wedding fair, I’ll be carrying a photograph in advance of that and I will be carrying more of them afterwards. Because that’s the quid pro quo for getting somebody to advertise with you”.

(P8)

11. Perspectives on the Future of the Regional Print Industry

All participants acknowledge the momentous challenges facing the industry, on a regional print level and the findings in this regard are grim.

P1, owner of an independently run newspaper, says he does “not have a lot of confidence” in the possibility of achieving a balance between traditional and modern journalism, amid “twin challenges of an economy which was in bits and the digital disruption which is still ongoing and will continue to accelerate” (P1). Limitations on hiring new staff is a huge concern for all of the editors who are in agreement that it presents a real challenge for the future of the industry (P6; P7; P8; P9; P10).

P1 also describes how an experienced court reporter in his newspaper retired and was not replaced. “He had a tremendous amount of knowledge around courts, and yet he was not replaced because we couldn’t afford it. So how could anyone be positive about a business model that has inevitable negative income?” (P1). Two media owners of independently run regional newspapers, P1 and P5, both cited drops in circulation as having significant impact on local media.

“It is very difficult to plan ahead. It is possible to play for a five-year level. I don’t think there will be local newspapers in print form in 20 years’ time. There may be a new digital printing format which allows for a more efficient printing of smaller volumes, but if the current trend continues whereby circulation volumes are falling by an average of 7% per annum, well that is not sustainable. You have an industry that is intrinsic to Irish life and the life of the community whether that be in upstate New York or north Westmeath but unless there is a major change those businesses won’t be able to sustain themselves”.

(P1)

“Circulation has been hit, hit badly. It has been in significant decline since 2008. The local press has been hit by between 5 and 7 per cent per annum. It is a worrying trend”.

(P5).

Another regional media owner of an independently run publication agrees that the future does not look positive. “I think it is going to be very difficult for print to continue long into the future. I do think for the foreseeable future that there is a role for print, but we need to respond to the challenge of social media by having exclusive stories in our newspapers. The key is to try to dovetail the traditional media service with the new media” (P2).

He contends that the industry needs to be more creative to compete with social media and this includes video content and quality photography. “There are times when you really have to wonder how long more can papers continue?” (P2). One of the newspaper editors—run by a conglomerate— said that the real challenge for journalists is trying to balance additional tasks in a 24/7 news environment without additional resources, which will ultimately lead to burnout for staff and the death knell for many print publications. “Journalists cannot keep working 24/7 for no additional pay, fewer resources to support them, whilst competing with social media. It is not sustainable long-term” (P10).

He states that journalism is likely to become part-time in the future, a view shared by P3, owner of a regional newspaper run by a conglomerate, who expressed the view that journalists with a wide range of experience are leaving the industry and taking on roles in other areas where working hours and pay are better. P5, a regional independent print media owner, says journalism is no longer seen as a sought after job. “A lot of newspapers have cut back on salaries. It is not a lucrative job. There are a lot of very talented people who love the job but the pay is not going to work and they start looking for something else” (P5).

Another of the participants, a regional independent media owner (P4), said that the internet and social media have presented immense challenges for regional newspapers. Looking to the future, he says the focus will be on “directing survival” (P4). He is also pessimistic about the future of newspapers on a regional level. “I don’t see how, physically, a newspaper can survive. Social media has engulfed the commercial aspect of newspapers. People under the age of 40 will not read a newspaper. Every time somebody dies over the age of 50 or 60 we are losing a reader and a buyer of a local regional newspaper” (P4).

“Right now I only see the tide going one way. I do not see it working hand in hand with journalism. I see it engulfing journalism. I see it taking over, not in a good way. The speed, the intensity, the technological upgrades, changes, growth. I think within 5 or 10 years newspapers will become I shudder to think and I fear greatly for the irrelevance they will be at the time. Why would people get up, go across the road to buy a newspaper when they have it all on their phones? We are talking about the physical element, I see that going”.

(P4)

P4 adds that he is very concerned about the future of journalism. “I fear for it. I think it is being led by the nose” (P4). P3 and P5—both regional media owners, one of a conglomerate and the other of an independently run regional newspaper—share similar views. “It has got a lot tougher to keep things moving from week to week. It was a lot easier 10 years ago. There was a better cash flow, there was more advertising going around. Government spend was much higher 10 years ago than it is now. We don’t see any light at the end of the tunnel” (P3).

12. Consolidation

There are contrasting views on consolidation. Some participants contend that consolidation is essential in order for some regional media organisations to survive, while others argue that a small number of media groups taking ownership of a large proportion of the market is detrimental.

One media owner of an independent newspaper, P5, states that consolidation is having a negative impact, from a commercial point of view.

“There are three or four groups that own 80% of the newspaper industry. That isn’t right. That should never have been allowed to happen. A lot of the radio stations are struggling. There are quite a few amalgamations but I think they are struggling too. We are all chasing the one pot for advertising”.

(P5)

His counterpart in another regional newspaper, P3—owner of a newspaper run by a conglomerate—takes a completely different view and believes that in order for some publications to survive, consolidation is essential. Cuts have been made, across the board, and the available measures designed to ensure survival are limited.

“All the low hanging fruit in terms of the cutting has taken place. There is not a lot more that can happen. What can happen is consolidation. Circulation decline will continue. The relationships we are going to have with our advertisers are evolving. We are certainly going to have a beefed up online presence”.

(P3)

13. Discussion

This paper examined the perspectives of media owners and editors on the future of regional print media and the key contributory factors. It is clear from this research that the sector has faced momentous challenges in recent years, not least a shift in media consumption patterns, advances in technology and a decrease in income from advertising, all of which were cited by participants—both owners and editors.

As the perspectives of those who run media organisations and manage newsrooms—media owners and editors—were central to this research, the Political Economy of Media (PEM) approach provided the lens through which we can critically understand how media works.

The emergence of artificial intelligence and its profound impact on the transmission of information is another, newer, challenge that the industry is facing; this, according to Lovish et al. (2024) is worth considering as a positive, as it provides a quick assessment of facts to determine reliability amid the spread of ‘fake’ news and also speeds up the transcription of interviews which is hugely time-saving for journalists.

As is apparent from the analysis of the data gathered during this research, the priority is, all too often, on survival. The reference to “survival” was made by the Chief Executive Officer of Celtic Media Frank Mulrennan back in 2007 (Doyle, 2017, para. 4) and the same sentiments stand.

This research highlights a focus on ‘desk’ journalism as opposed to the essential element of ‘field’ reporting and with that comes a dip in quality of content produced (Rick & Hanitzsch, 2023). Wheatley (2019) argues that building relationships with sources is one of the essential roles carried out by journalists. As highlighted earlier, meeting sources and building rapports with them should be an essential part of the job and if lost, newsrooms start to resemble factory lines centred around rewritten press releases and telephone calls, while stories are missed.

The increased focus on ‘desk’ journalism means there is insufficient emphasis on critical journalism. It points to a weakening of journalism and breaks the link between local news and communities, and the sense of community erodes (Mathews, 2022). The link between local media and the local community is also undermined when local journalism collapses (Wahl-Jorgensen, 2019; Mathews, 2022). Karter (2022, para. 4) argues that local news outlets provide “information that can inform [people’s] everyday decisions and sustain grassroots democracy” and points to a crisis for democracy and for society in an era where ‘fake’ news is having more impact than ever before, in an age where online news is becoming increasingly prevalent.

This research shows that similar to Novais’ (2018) research in Portugal, increased working hours have become commonplace in the regional print press. Similarly, in the US, analysts predict a bleak future for the regional press industry, with further closures widely predicted (Fischer, 2023).

As has been highlighted in this paper, the challenges associated with reduced income due to falling advertising revenue and newspaper circulation has led to changes in the running of media organisations. These changes include job cuts or not replacing staff who retire or leave their posts, and increased workloads for journalists.

The blurring of the lines between the newsroom and the commercial elements of media organisations is a concern, as in reality the interests of both departments “interweave” (Rožukalne, 2013, p. 81). Danso’s (2025) argument that owners’ political interests impact on content is stark.

While media owners and editors are aware of the importance of editorial independence, in reality, it was cited by participants as not always possible, given commercial considerations. Newspaper owner P4’s admission, in particular, is noteworthy: he has left stories out on commercial grounds, citing ensuring the newspaper stays in business as a priority. This is in contrast to earlier findings from Rafter et al. (2017) who found that economic influences had limited relevance in newsrooms in Ireland; this research was carried out during a more stable time for the media industry.

In Ireland, according to those working in the industry, recruitment is not happening in most regional newspapers; rather it is a case of retaining the limited existing staff numbers. This is the reality, in an era where newspaper closures—at regional level—are a very real threat (Deegan, 2019; Slattery, 2011; Hosford, 2020). There is a parallel here with Walker’s (2021) research which highlights falling numbers in newsrooms in the US: in the 12 years between 2008 and 2020, employment in newsrooms reduced by 26%. Newsroom employment in print publications decreased by 57%, but digital-native newsroom employment increased by 155%. While the drop in employment in newspapers is a concern, it is promising to see the huge increase in numbers of staff working on digital platforms.

In the US, staff are being hired to produce content (Walker, 2021), rather than being required to focus on digital as an add-on to existing roles or trying to function on minimal staff numbers. Unfortunately, this is not happening to the same degree in Ireland. Fischer (2023) argues that parts of the US are at risk of becoming news deserts, without any local newspapers, and while the rate of closures in Ireland is a concern, there remains at least one regional newspaper in each county and in many cases there are still two.

The Future of Media Commission fund of €30 million annually has the potential to have a positive impact on the quality of content produced, but until the results of this are realised it is difficult to see how it can remove the emphasis on “survival”, as has been identified in this research.

14. Conclusions

The challenges facing the media industry globally have been well documented (Novais, 2018; Olsen, 2018; Fischer, 2023; Connolly, 2023; Hutchins, 2025). However, the perspectives of media owners in particular are less well known, as research in this area is limited; the challenges faced by regional print publications in Ireland are highlighted in this research.

The findings and analysis of this paper contribute to the debate around the future of the regional print industry in Ireland and warrant further investigation. It is clear from those working in the media that the struggles experienced by the industry are not new but have intensified and even more so in the aftermath of COVID-19, where resources allocated to newsrooms are becoming more scarce and journalists are struggling. This, allied to advances in technology, changes in consumption patterns, a decrease in newspaper circulation, erosion of editorial independence and reduced income from advertising are all key factors in challenges faced by the media industry, regionally. Media workers are acutely aware that this impacts on the ability of the industry to produce critical journalism and the ability to inform people about the world around them is diminished, while the link between local media and the community is impacted.

The results from this research indicate that media owners and editors feel curtailed in their efforts to add resources to their newsrooms as well as photography budgets and they cite falling revenue from advertising as a factor in this. The fact that online media channels are not creating the same opportunities in terms of income was also reflected in the findings, as media owners and editors argue that this is a huge struggle for the industry. It was sobering to hear three of the participants use the word “survival” in relation to the future of regional print publications, while the huge challenges relating to balancing traditional and modern journalism were noted as challenging; challenges which have previously been highlighted (Wahl-Jorgensen, 2019; Connolly, 2023; Stiernstedt & Kaun, 2024).

This research also identifies concerns among some media owners and editors that, in reality, editorial independence is eroding, because of commercial realities, reflecting previous research (Rožukalne, 2013; Svensson & Edstrom, 2016). Similar concerns were expressed more recently in several European countries as part of research on challenges faced by local and community media (Verza et al., 2024).

With regard to the future of the industry, this research finds an overall pessimistic view among those who are running some of the regional print media organisations, many of who cite planning for the future as impossible. One participant expresses the view that in order to survive, the industry needs to be more creative and I argue that unless this is done, further closures will be unavoidable, as on their own regional newspapers will not survive. For example, a stronger focus on online platforms, social media, audio, video and interactivity, is essential. The government introduced a 0% VAT rate for newspapers in the Budget 2023 (Slattery, 2022), but this is a short-term initiative and when lifted is likely to create problems for regional publications in particular. Longer-term projects, developed by the industry, need to be explored. Eder and Sjøvaag (2025) argue that long-term incentives and support schemes need to be implemented in an effort to tackle the challenges facing local journalism; given the struggles many of them are facing, these will be essential to the survival of many local newspapers. For example, in the Netherlands local media organisations receive subsidy funds for investigative journalism, including the Dutch Journalism Fund and the Investigative Fund (Tomaz, 2024).

A limitation of the current study lies in its focus on one element—albeit a significant element—of the industry. Further research would focus on an analysis of the content published in regional print newspapers in Ireland and would specifically examine whether the concerns raised in this paper—particularly in relation to ‘desk’ journalism and a dearth of ‘field’ reporting and the severe shortage of investigative journalism—are real, particularly in relation to the content produced. For example, it would explore if there is sufficient original journalism (Usher, 2014), or an over reliance on press releases. Critical issues for future research would also include an audit of journalists’ working hours and workloads in a wide range of regional print publications in Ireland, as well as comparisons drawn within a specific timeframe, i.e. 10 to 20 years ago. This is particularly important in an industry that is evolving at a fast pace.