The News Media Association (UK)

Overview

The News Media Association (NMA) is the UK trade body for national, regional and local news media publishers. It represents publishers’ interests to government, regulatory authorities, industry bodies and other organisations whose work affects the industry. The NMA describes the sector it represents as worth £4 billion and read by 45.9 million adults every month in print and online. Its legal name is The Newspaper Organisation Limited, a private company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (company number 08963259).

Mission and key functions

The NMA’s stated aims are to serve the shared interests of UK news media publishers and protect members’ general interests in political, legal and regulatory matters; to promote newsbrands as news and marketing media; to act as a source of information on industry issues of general concern to members; and to facilitate the sharing of best practice on commercial, marketing and technical issues. Its services are directed by its membership through a committee structure. Its listed areas of focus are digital markets, the sustainability of local journalism, press freedom, AI and copyright, the safety of journalists, and media and the environment. The NMA also promotes the activities of the local and national media marketing bodies Local Media Works and Newsworks.

History

The Newspaper Organisation Limited was incorporated on 27 March 2014. The NMA was launched in November 2014 through the merger of the Newspaper Society, which represented regional and local publishers, and the Newspaper Publishers’ Association (NPA), which represented national publishers. Press Gazette reported that the Newspaper Society was launched in 1836 and the NPA in 1904; HoldTheFrontPage’s report of the merger gave the NPA’s formation as 1906. Before the merger the two bodies shared a director, David Newell, and a London office; Newell became chief executive of the new body, and former Newspaper Society president Adrian Jeakings became its first chairman. On 13 April 2026 the NMA announced that chief executive Owen Meredith would leave to join dmg media in May and that Theo Bamber would succeed him; Bamber joined the NMA on 18 May 2026.

Leadership

Lord Black of Brentwood, deputy chairman of Telegraph Media Group, became NMA chairman on 1 January 2026, succeeding Tindle Newspapers chief executive Danny Cammiade. Jeremy Spooner, chief executive of Baylis Community Media and chair of the NMA’s Independent Publishers Forum, became vice chairman at the same time. Theo Bamber is chief executive, appointed in May 2026; he was previously chief policy and public affairs officer at the Music Publishers’ Association. Sayra Tekin is general counsel and leads the NMA’s legal, policy and regulatory affairs team.

Notable Works

Journalism Matters (NMA-run campaign). An annual industry campaign run by the NMA in which national and local titles highlight the role of journalism. The 2025 campaign opened with an open letter from the NMA, BBC, Sky News and ITN calling on the government to back trusted journalism and address AI-generated misinformation, and a parliamentary reception addressed by Guardian editor-in-chief Katharine Viner and James Frith MP. The 2025 campaign also highlighted the Defend Your Right to Know initiative, in which local newspapers opposed government plans to remove alcohol licensing notices from print.

Making a Difference (award presented by the NMA, not received by it). A showcase of newspaper campaigning, with a public online vote held during Journalism Matters for the best national and local campaigns. The 2025 winners were The i Paper (national) for its investigation into the second Post Office IT scandal, and The Courier and The Press and Journal (local) for the Trapped by RAAC campaign.

Make It Fair (campaign, 25 February 2025). Launched with the UK creative industries on the final day of the government’s consultation on AI and copyright, opposing proposals that would let AI developers use creative content without permission or payment unless creators opt out. On launch day, regional and national daily news brands ran the same cover wrap and homepage takeover; weekly titles ran the campaign over the following week.

Awards received. No journalism or industry awards received by the NMA as an organisation were identified in the sources reviewed.

Location and contact info

News Media Association
c/o Crowe LLP
2nd Floor, 55 Ludgate Hill
London, England EC4M 7JW, UK
Email. nma@newsmediauk.org
Website. newsmediauk.org

Email. nma@newsmediauk.org
Website. https://newsmediauk.org/