Former Independent media editor Ian Burrell joins The Drum as a columnist
The former Independent media editor Ian Burrell has joined The Drum to write a weekly column on the news business.
Burrell is a familiar face on the media beat having spent 20 years at the Independent where he enjoyed a longstanding role as media editor until the newspaper's closure in March.
His weekly column, The News Business, will be published on The Drum each Thursday and will offer an inside look at the inner workings of the industry's most notable media companies.
In his first piece, he reveals how City AM is planning to tear down the hallowed 'church and state' divide between editorial and commercial departments by giving advertisers unprecedented access to its journalists' content system.
Burrell said: "The News Business will examine the fraught problem of how news is funded in 2016. I plan to investigate the business models of news providers, from the most powerful to the smartest startups.
"Some organisations will fund their journalism through old-school circulation revenues, others by myriad forms of advertising, digital subscriptions, membership fees, crowd-funding or philanthropy. It’s a subject that’s vital to society and I hope The News Business will be essential reading across not only in the media industry but for all those who care about news.
"I am delighted to be working with the media brand of the year, The Drum, which I have admired for some time and is fast building a fine reputation for its authoritative coverage of the media world."
Cameron Clarke, The Drum's commissioning editor, added: "Ian is one of the finest journalists in the business with an enviable contacts book and I'm certain his weekly column will become an indispensable read for all those interested in our industry.
"This is a tumultuous but fascinating time for the news business and there is no one better equipped to help us make sense of where it's heading than Ian. He is a superb addition to our roster of outstanding contributors."
Read Ian Burrell's first column: ‘There's no longer this church versus state’ – How City AM is tearing down the editorial/commercial divide