The landscape of Journalism is changing dramatically - there’s no doubt about that. But it’s not the first time. As The secretary of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance Christopher Warren points out: “From moveable type to linotype, from print to broadcast – each shift has opened new opportunities for communication. Each shift has also transformed the economic model that underpinned journalism, often in ways that could not be foreseen”.
The current changes we’re witnessing in the media environment are opening unprecedented opportunities for communication. New media technologies allow news stories to reach more people at a much faster rate than ever before. Communication is no longer one way with the audience being able to respond in a matter of seconds. Not to mention the amount of choice readers have online in terms of news sources. The internet also has the power to combine all three major news mediums: Print , radio and television.
The burning question is, however, who will pay for this new style of journalism? Readers have the assumption that online news should be free and that this is a basic right. As more readers source their news and entertainment online the circulation of print publications is declining and advertisers are going online - this as warren points out - is ‘shaking their (print publications) business model to the core’.
Roy Greenslade, one of Britain’s leading media commentators, went as far as to predict the death of newspapers at the 2008 Future of Journalism summit - “newspapers, are dying and will die. They have no future whatsoever. I’m sad to see newspapers go. I worked on them for 40 years.” If this were to be the case (and fingers crossed it isn’t , as it’s one of those beautiful pleasures in life to sit down with a newspaper in hand over breakfast or a warm cup of tea) then It is vital that consumers pay for quality online Journalism. Will they be willing to do this though? Apparently not according to a survey from the International World Internet Project which found 70% of respondents wouldn’t be willing to pay any money at all for online news. You can read more about the survey here http://www.crikey.com.au/2010/01/13/murdochs-grand-paywall-experiment-will-aussies-pay/.
So people aren’t willing to pay at the moment, but what would happen if a charge actually came in? A girl in class yesterday argued that there would be ways to get around it and that people would just find other news from other sources which are free. Given the endless scope of the internet I realise there always seems to be another option but what if these other options weren’t quality news? This I believe poses a threat to society. We could end up with a very misinformed public if people are sourcing their information from random news blogs or sites.
Journalists are an asset to our society. We have learned the art of interviewing, how to go about getting the story and the absolute importance a verifying the facts and then verifying them again and again! I don’t think the need for good quality journalism will die there’s always going to be a market for quality news. Our media model will undoubtedly change but in the end I think people will budge and pay for top quality online news from our major news outlets.
For the meantime I shall continue savouring my papers in the morning.
As someone who reads a newspaper every day, I will be sad to see the newspaper disappear. Although there is strong evidence that more and more people are going online for news, I think the newspaper still plays an important part in society. Older generations do not always have access to the Internet or know how to navigate their way around web sites. My boyfriend and brother, who are both tradesmen, complain if there is no newspaper to read at work. The same goes for the customers who come into the cafe I work at. So if the newspaper is to disappear, we will need to know that what we are reading online is quality journalism. If that means paying for online content, then I'm all for it.
ReplyDeleteThat's a really good point Lindsey. There are so many people who love newspapers. The transient nature of internet news and not nearly as satisfying!
ReplyDeleteDon't worry Lindsey and Nat, newspapers are going to be around for quite some time to come. As you have both pointed out, people still enjoy reading the fine print. And, besides, if the printing side of them dies out, then they will always have a presence on the internet.
ReplyDeleteAs for paywalls, I think people will eventually budge, but not for quite some time. Especially not when we can get our news from so many places. In some instances it works, for example Financial newspapers because they are vital to the industry. The rest however, are not so important as yet.
Still though, newspapers will be around for a long time yet, as they are still very relevant.