Decline of Printed Newspapers

Even though this blog has focused most on CNN, it’s impossible to talk about news media and new communication technology without acknowledging the current decline in print journalism. Most newspaper companies are being forced to either stop their printing presses forever or find alternative ways to reach their audiences. Most papers, like the New York Times, have adapted to the new trend in journalism and put their papers online. By using the internet for journalism, newspapers are able to reach a wider audience and update stories faster. Most online newspapers still require that users buy a subscription so they can make a profit.

Even with adapting to modern technology to appease readers, newspapers still face fierce competition. Online newspapers must compete with websites such as Google and Yahoo! that provide news headlines and stories free of charge. According to Straubhaar, LaRose, and Davenport in the book, Media Now, search engines are not only providing the news headlines, but also include links to only newspapers for the full stories. This gives the search engines an increase in web site traffic that leads to more advertisers.

Online newspapers also face competition from television news networks like CNN who have websites that keep viewers up-to-date on the day’s top stories and provide the service at no charge to web site visitors.
To compete with this, newspapers pride themselves in being more in-depth in their coverage. Some newspapers provide stories on their websites but promote more thorough and comprehensive stories in the actual printed newspaper. Most online newspapers must depend on their reputation to attract readers. The more readers, the more subscriptions for the newspaper and the more advertisers will want to pay for ads on the website.

Personally, I think there is not much hope for newspapers. I know that I personally get my news from either television or from a cable news website. I don’t think I could justify paying for a subscription to a newspaper, even an online paper, unless it was a special niche market such as the Wall Street Journal for business purposes. I think that as the internet grows and more people begin to depend on technology for every aspect of daily life, printed newspapers will become obsolete. It’s a sad reality, but the way things are going now I think it is inevitable.

I found this funny video from The Onion, which is a fictional and satirical online publication. It’s a comical take on the decline of printed newspapers: