Industry

• Newspapers used to be hugely profitable but the industry was not prepared for the arrival of the internet in the 1990s. Premium news was given away for free, and publishers didn't take control of advertising, opening up a gap for Google and Facebook to fill. As a result, the modern business of news is in relentless decline.
• The bulk of advertising income is now hoovered up by Google and Facebook and newspapers have had to make significant cuts to their costs, including staff. Over the past decade, media groups have tried various strategies to boost their revenues, from subscription and membership models to relying solely on advertising and diversification
• Newspapers are self-regulated, with editors expected to follow the Editors' Code of Practice. If readers find any content that's in breach of this code, they may complain to IPSO
• Newspaper Production consists of a series of stages, each overseen by the newspaper's editor (Pre-press then press)

  Pre-press includes:

  Newsgathering- the editor sets the agenda for the paper, ideas are generated by journalists, stories are written, photographs taken, and the editor signs off on stories.

  Advertising- the sales team sells space in the newspaper and on the website to brands looking to promote themselves.

  Design- the newspaper is laid out by a page designer, arranger stories and advertising according to guidelines set by the editor and advertising teams
• Newspaper Production consists of a series of stages, each overseen by the newspaper's editor (Pre-press then press)

  Press includes:

  Publishing - after editorial sign-off, the paper is published on paper or online

  Distribution- the finished print paper is sent to newsagents and supermarkets. The digital paper is distributed on The Sun app meanwhile digital stories are pushed out to Apple News and social media platforms
• Print newspapers earn revenue from their advertisements and so journalism is being seen more and more as a commodity, whose purpose is both profit and power. In addition to adverts The Sun also features advertorials (content written by journalists, which although looking like an editorial copy is an advert that has been paid for by the brand.) These carry more weight with an audience as it seemingly has the validation of the publication and journalist.
• As circulation figures of print news continue to drop, newspapers are under increasing pressure to capture audiences. Therefore online advertising brings in revenue for the Sun as well as diversifies into different areas.
• Readers can consume all the content from the print newspaper on their website for free. They can also subscribe for a digital edition each week which is available on their app.
• From a study in 2021 The Sun online reached 6 million people a day. However rivals may argue that it is not quantity but quality of engagement that matters as the Sun has only 3.1 billion minutes of engagement
• To boost its engagement beyond its target audience The Sun supplies free content to Apple News and the click-throughs from the UK's most popular news app supply 23% of The Sun's page views
• Readers can follow The Sun on social media platforms too- Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram. Each account offers two different content to different audiences