One of the UK's largest local news publishers, running around 200 newspaper and magazine titles and local news websites across England, Wales and Scotland.
Newsquest is a British local news publisher. It runs around 165 news brands and more than 40 magazines, in print and online, and reaches communities across England, Wales and Scotland. Titles include the Glasgow Herald, The National and the Evening Times in Scotland, plus many local papers such as the York Press and Worcester News. It also publishes specialist titles such as Insurance Times and The Strad.
Newsquest says its aim is to "deliver local news and information via various platforms" and to champion issues that matter to the communities it serves. In evidence given to a UK parliamentary committee in 2024 it described itself as the largest news publisher in the UK that is just focused on local, and said its editors have complete editorial independence. Newsquest also reports that readers are loyal: in its evidence, 78% of York adults visit the York Press monthly, and over one million print papers are sold each week. The company has bought smaller local publishers at risk of closure, such as Romanes Media in 2015 and the Archant group in 2022.
The business began in 1995 as a management buy-out of the Reed regional newspapers, and it has been part of the US group Gannett since 1999. It is headquartered in London but runs with a very small head office. According to its own evidence, almost all of its staff live and work in one of the communities where its titles are published, so newsrooms are spread across the country, from Scotland to the south coast.
In early 2024 Newsquest reported about 2,000 employees, around 800 of them editorial staff, and about 48,000 local stories published in a single month. That tells you the range of jobs involved: reporters and photographers, sub-editors, digital and audience specialists, sales and advertising teams, designers and print and distribution staff. The company reported 54.5 million users on its local sites in January 2024.
On culture, Newsquest's careers page says it fosters "a culture of creativity, collaboration and limitless aspirations", with training and development to help people reach their potential. These are the company's own words, so it is worth asking current staff what the day-to-day reality looks like. For anyone who enjoys telling stories about the place they live, local news is one of the most direct ways to do it.
Website: www.newsquest.co.uk
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