News Frontier, to print or not to print?


“The reality is that most newspapers simply don’t appreciate how different the online world is when it comes to content” (Ingram, 2010).

The new world of information on the internet is a new and exciting frontier for digital media. However, it also questions the validity of print news in a world where digital is often becoming the mainstream way to obtain information.  However, it is hard to deny that print newspaper is slowly going out of style, like that of analog into digital when it comes to television and telecom. 

It is apparent that how news is delivered is now more instant than having to wait for a morning paper.  That being said, it also changes how journalism will also evolve.  The way that news appears and is being reported is starting to change in a matter of years.  The death of several newspapers is already heralding the new age of mass media.  In terms of local newspaper, the Rocky Mountain News, which had been in existence for the last 150 years, was finally shut down in 2009.  The question of whether print newspaper will cease to exist in the next 20 years is a question that is present for all the newspapers that are still in print.

Readers today access their information in a variety of ways, all seemingly via a device.  The popularity of iPads and mobile devices, make it easier for readers to access the newspaper wherever they go.  It is easier to access the information within a touch of a few keystrokes, rather than dealing with different pages of a news print to get the information that is needed.  Also, with the push to be green, it is becoming more common for information to be digital rather than on paper.  Almost any type of news is now accessed through Twitter, Facebook, and websites.  There are fewer and fewer newspaper stands.  Readers are also now being directed to subscribe online for their usually newspaper, such as the Wall Street Journal.  So the question is, Do print newspaper stand a chance in today’s digital world?

Ingram, M. (2010, Mar 28). Gigaom. Retrieved from http://gigaom.com/2010/03/28/what-does-the-future-hold-for-newspapers/

2 comments:

Antonio Arellano said...

There is no way that print newspapers can compete with digital. The production costs alone will/has destroyed them. Digital also offers real time news that used to only be available through TV or radio. By the time you read a paper today it's old news.

Matt Schwall said...

I agree that print newspaper will eventually be replaced by electronic media. The delivery system will change, but I also believe that people will pay for news providers that are found to be accurate. While the internet is free to all (for now), sources that are deemed reliable, may require a fee to offset the cost of research.