The NMA was created by the merger of the Newspaper Society and the Newspaper Publishers Association in November 2014. Its services are under the control and guidance of its membership through its committee structure.
Serving the shared interests of news media publishers across the UK, the NMA seeks to protect the general interests of its members in all political, legal and regulatory matters. It promotes the efficacy of news brands in all their forms to government, regulatory authorities, industry bodies and other organisations whose work affects the industry.
The NMA acts as a source of information on issues of general concern to members, facilitating the sharing of best practice covering commercial, marketing, operational and technical issues throughout membership. By joining, publishers support the NMA’s lobbying and member services.
Member services
The NMA offers a range of services to its members, covering audience measurement, editorial press facilities, newsprint and environmental concerns, newspaper distribution, and technical matters.
Areas of focus
The NMA’s current headline areas of activity are:
- Digital markets and safeguarding copyright in the age of AI: the NMA is currently working to safeguard the intellectual property rights of its member news media publishers, as generative AI models develop, as well as working with the CMA to rebalance the digital markets ecosystem following the passage of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act. Proper execution will ensure a level playing field between tech platforms and news publishers.
- Press freedom: the NMA campaigns to safeguard press freedom, and to promote freedom of expression, open government and open justice. Efforts have included calling for anti-SLAPP measures and working extensively on a pilot launch to open up the family courts.
- Sustainability of local journalism: we continue to call on the government to divert a greater proportion of its ad spend to local media, and we continue to defend the vital revenue stream from public notices for local newspapers. Other initiatives include curbing the BBC’s expansionist plans into online local news and condemning the use of party political literature masquerading as local newspapers.
Join today
If you’re a news media publisher based in the UK, you may be eligible to join the NMA.
By joining, you can help to support this vital work and access the many benefits NMA members enjoy. Contact Laura Skerrett to find out more about becoming a member.