Its true that newspapers have taken a huge hit in recent years. But the question is does it matter?
Check out this clip from Season 5 of the tv series, The Wire, which shows the reality of many newsrooms today. The speaker comments on the current downward spiral that newspapers are caught in, and the reasons newspapers have to cut back on staff. So yes, it probably matters to journalists. And they hit the nail on the head when they point out that the internet being their main source of competition, is a “free source of news and opinion.”
Free being the operative word here. We have become a society addicted to our freebies. take the MX for example, which is much more prevalent on our trains and trams in Melbourne than any other publication, daily or not, fiction or news. Thats because its free, and its available.
And so what are the consequences of our gimme-gimme, freebie freebie attitude? The inevitable staff cutbacks mentioned in the clip. Less people doing more work. The quality has gone down, while quantity is expected to remain high. Journalists are spread thinner than ever, and now must write not only for newspapers, but also re-package their writing for radio, tv and also the web. The problem is that the internet does not make up for the work of 5 employees. It can make jobs easier, but cannot do the work itself.
There were fears when radio was first introduced, that it would put newspapers out of business, however a balance was struck between the two. The same threat appeared when tv came about, yet again there was a comfortable middle ground achieved. The difference this time, with the introduction of the internet, is the ability of anyone to publish news and opinion from anywhere at anytime. The dreaded 'citizen journalism' has become a legitimate source of facts and information.
But where does that leave the true and blue newspaper? Newspapers have been at the centre of what we know as democracy, dating back to a time when print publications were a way to voice opposing political opinions to a wide audience. Today, however, the reader is not necessarily the consumer, but rather being sold as the product. The newspaper stays in business by selling an audience to advertisers. And as the audience declines, mainly because news can be sourced from all over the internet, more quickly and specifically, the advertising dollars are disappearing as well.
The question then is, does it matter? It can be argued that the generation of newspaper readers (baby boomers and gen x) are upset, but gen y, which has grown up with and become accustomed to online news, are not bothered. This would suggest that print newspapers are merely a nostalgic comfort for some, but in reality only an inconvenient and bulky way to get news in the 21st century.
Like climate change, the death of the newspaper is scary but inevitable unless serious changes are made. the one thing about the clip here that stands out to me, is that the boss is not open to suggestions, not asking for bright ideas to increase profit, but rather laying out the facts and just accepting there are no options.
But there are always options. Newspapers need to get creative. I'm going to have a think about this one, and get back to you with any of my suggestions for the future so, as they say, stay tuned...
Well,I don't know about accepting that there are no more options. Like the saying goes, where there's a will, there's a way.
ReplyDeleteThe problem in my view is that print newspapers jumped on the free access of news through the internet bandwagon right from the start. If they had weighed the consequences of that approach instead of following everyone's lead they might not have dug themselves into this hole.
Also I feel the advertising dollars disappeared because newspapers had a monopoly on most print advertising rather than because the audience migrated elsewhere. In addition I think the lack of funds has led to a decline in quality journalism which in turns makes consumers think newspapers no longer worth it.
There is one area I think print newspapers will still have relevance compared to releasing it on the Internet. Small politics involving local councils where residents live, events important within local communities etc. which doesn't really concern the world at large because such things were ignored by major newspapers in any case. However I'll concede this might change when the time comes for Gen Y to become senior citizens.
As for the future what I've heard of are:
The Pay-TV model
The Obama Solution - I suppose this is somewhat like the Obama campaign which relied on donations from the public to bring about positive change
Government Sponsorship
Reliance on Charity - this is different from the Obama Solution because instead of relying on citizen support , it is more like having an foundation established to which money will go in from any source whether govt., private sector or public at large.
Each still has its individual problems still so a solution is still yet to be established, I guess.
Thanks DigMedia,
ReplyDeleteI agree that newspapers are now in between a rock and a hard place having jumped to put their goods on the internet for free, and now that we have had it for free we as consumers are less likely to coff up cash in return. But the harsh reality is that there was little choice. if the newspapers hadnt staked their claim on the internet news generation, then someone else would have. yes we love to hate fox and the age, and praise the new york times, but we would just have easily found someone else to love and hate in their place if they hadnt made themselves digital.
And I like your reference to the Obama solution (or maybe I just like Obama), but practically it wont work unless there is a serious fire under the butt of supporters. I think comparing daily news outlets to the grass-roots campaign that scorched through a nation of proud Black (and white) Americans, some of whom had seen and lived through a generation of slavery, and were on the brink of seeing a black man become the leader of the most powerful country in the world, is a bit of a stretch.
Some good ideas there though. I came across some more ideas for a life-jacket for the newspaper, so see you in my next blog!