Print Dies, Journalism Lives On
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Technology is rapidly advancing, and everyone must evolve with it. Just as radio stars became film stars when television was invented, journalists today must adapt from print to digital.This article, titled "Journalism not dead, just evolving as a medium" explains that newspaper companies are making drastic changes to approach this situation.
Since 2000, print circulations have decreased by 26 percent. At the International Newsroom Summit last week, newspaper executives discussed ways to remain profitable as the decline in print continues.
Sulzberger, chairman of New York Times, stated, "We will stop printing The New York Times sometime in the future, date TBD." This article, about the conference discussed the economics of these shifts. It informs that starting in 2011, New York Times will still allow readers to access some information free, but will start charging those who use the site heavily.
As news moves from paper to the web, the number of publications charging for their online content will skyrocket. Users may be unwilling to pay for information that's free elsewhere, so companies must take caution to assure that they're accomodating their customers online.
With sites such as Flickr and Twitter and devices like the Kindle and iPad, it's possible for journalists to share news from anywhere, and for readers to access it anywhere and anytime. This instant interaction creates endless benefits for journalists.
As the article author puts it, "Though physical newspapers might soon be doomed to the fate of sheepskin scrolls, journalism itself survives as a highly marketable, in-demand
commodity." The transition from print to digital is inevitable. I believe it will be a long and complicated road, but journalism will continue strong if this evolution is handled strategically.
3 comments:
This is a scary situation for those of us in school for media--especially print media. I wonder if the print media will ever come back into prominence.
What happened to the importance and novelty of the hand written letter? I wonder if the decline in print media will also lead to a decline in other print like books and poetry--actually, maybe it already has. Devices, as you mentioned, like the kindle and the IPad allow a person to read on their device without having to buy the book.
My only thought, is this a benefit to the planet or more just the end of a text/literature era?
Last semester I read a book about the changes in journalism with today's technology. The author of the book used the term "Internet Monkeys" as a reference to anyone who had an Internet connection but did not have the qualifications to post a good, insightful and accurate story as many traditional journalist do. My point is, I wouldn't mind paying a monthly fee to an online newspaper, especially if I get the 'anytime/anywhere' feature, but only as long as I know there are professional and traditional journalists working in the newsroom.
This is crazy to think that we have gone from writing on stone tablets to not even needing books to read stories. Someday all college students will probably have kindles or Ipads. Every generation will be adapting to something new. I know my grandparents would be so confused if they had to read their books and newspapers on a hand held device. However, we would be in favor to adapt easier since we have grown up with tecnology. Still the fact that someday written work on paper most likely won't exist is crazy to think about.
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