The future for print newspapers is not looking good as the recent demise of the Rocky Mountain News reminds us. While no one wants journalism to disappear, it is clear that ink squirted on wood pulp has run its course and we need to look at viable alternatives. The problem is, the obvious alternatives are not looking very viable. Sure, we can report and publish the news online--but so far subscription and advertising revenue streams have been unable to support these efforts.
So what are the options. Here are a few ideas that I've heard recently. 1) Switch from commercial to non-profit and ask wealthy patrons to endow the organization to cover operating expenses. Universities use this model and many believe that there are well-to-do benefactors who would hate to see newspapers disappear. 2) Increase subscription prices and sell papers/newsletters to those who value news and can afford to pay a premium price. 3) Charge a small fee per news story (similar to an iTunes model) for content. Even music fans are starting to "pony up" even though free downloads are often just a few clicks away. 4) Allow readers to "contribute" a small fee to websites where they find content of value. This approach is being promoted by companies like Kachingle, a micro-payment service that hopes that people will voluntarily give if given the opportunity. 5) Get in line for a government bailout. Some would argue that newspaper are too important to let them fail.
It's clear that some of these alternatives have more promise than others. It's also likely that the final solution may be some combination of the above, or something else entirely. There are some journalists whose jobs depend on figuring it out, and the sooner the better. To find out what they're up to, check out the I Want My Rocky website, or the San Franciso Post Chronicle wiki. At the Rocky website journalists who are out of work are continuing to publish stories as they try to figure out their future. At the SFC wiki, journalists who may soon be out of a job are trying to be proactive as they face the future. In both cases there is much at stake and little time to waste.
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The anticipation has been building, and now the story is about to climax. Newspapers all round have folded, and some have switched formats and their means of distributing. They are frantically searching to find the antidote to reverse the dooming and frantic state they are in.
The truth is newspapers are not going to go away. They just need to hold tight during the storm. Some may have no choice to switch formats to stay alive and keep up the advances new media.
The truth is there needs to be a toll readers must pay. People everywhere are saying they would not pay for news on the internet because they can get what they need to know for free. That may sound realistic when you are a twenty- something kid, living within reach of your parents money and are used to lining up for handouts, but the free ride won’t last forever.
Become a contributor of society and then you will realize you need your local stories and you will want to know what is going on right around the corner of your home, office, children’s school, local, state and national government. PEOPLE WILL NEED THIS NEWS – AND IT WON’T BE FREE!
Funding issues are dominating issue. Thus, if the people want the news, real news, they are going to have to pay for the in-depth reporting. If there is no cost for news , I ask, how will journalist be paid? How will they live?
To produce a quality piece time, effort, journalistic standards are needed. We need the news to survive as a country and keep democracy.
A class member of mine said that newspapers will no longer exist within a short amount of time, and everyone will just be journalist on top of their everyday profession. But what other person other than professional journalist will take the time, unpaid time, and deliver the stories we need? The answer is few, and maybe none. P.S. You can’t rip-off stories because people will make extreme stipulations for you to access them.
Pay for journalism, story by story or page by page. Make them non-profit, for-profit, bailout, but keep the paper for the people and respect it.
Since print newspapers play such an important role in keeping democracy alive and helping it thrive, it is alarming to watch them struggle. But, change is never easy even though it is a necessary part of life, and even though it often brings new innovations. This is another chapter in the human journey. Because we live in a free society, I am confident that the journalists will find viable ways to still get the news to the masses. The learning curve may be steep, but the perseverance of the American spirit will prevail.
Being open to change is crucial to survive and thrive in these uncertain times. In some respects, this crisis may result in a broadening of the issues being reported, which could lead to a higher quality of news and even more integrity among journalists. This in turn could create a greater demand for cutting-edge journalism. The focus of the average American is being drawn away from idolizing the "rich and famous" to issues of survival due to the economic crisis. This could be a window of opportunity for Americans to return to the core values America was built on. The journalists who are building the I Want My Rocky website are drawing on the sense of community they believe is out there. More interactive dialog is resulting as they reach out to the Rocky Mountain community. And it could be the start of a new era in mass communications. -- K. Drotar
Newspapers are still quite useful due to the wide array of information they give, but the intant information the internet gives people is proving to be too much for them.
As someone who quit reading newspapers a very long time ago, except while waiting where one is available, , I don't miss them. The main reason I stopped my subscription to the Pueblo Chieftain is that I believe in reducing the trash I make and that it is hard to recycle in Pueblo. I realize that many love their newspapers and would be devastated by their demise, but 75% of a landfill is full of just paper products, including newspapers. Also, don't forget the chemicals used in the making and printing of newspapers.
Yes, journalists and honestly reported news is extremely important, but as with each media that faced the same problem, solutions will come and they will figure out how to make money. Journalists and honestly reported news is extremely important, but as with each media that faced the same problem, solutions will come and they will figure out how to make money, but I won't buy a newspaper again.
The new age of media has created content that is available through television and the internet as well. With the use of media content being accessible online, it has created the question of whether or not news papers will prevail in the long run. Personally, I believe that newspapers are a waste of paper and create environmental problems that most people refuse to discuss. A government bail out would sound like the easiest route to help the newspaper industries, but again the question remains, why? With the technological advances made in this generation, people should be able to learn simple functions of a computer to access the internet for news content. Television requires nothing more than a click of a button, which covers day by day news of both local and national coverage. The need for hard copies of newspapers is weakening faster than people would expect; especially here in Colorado with the demise of the Rocky Mountain News. Journalists should focus on the future of online journalism, because journalism should always be a factor of our society. With future online news sites, journalists will be paid as they once were for actual hard copies of former newspapers. It is 2009 and people need to realize that the future is now and we should not be wasting anymore paper on the news.
I feel that the overall outlook for newspapers is getting grim every day. The idea that I like d the best was to raise the subscription price, because those who truly do value the news that a particular newspaper provides should be willing to pay the premium price for it.
I don't necessarily agree with the idea of a government bailout for newspapers, but I do feel that they should receive more government funds to support them because in a way, they are an archive of american history.
I feel that newspapers are really important in todays society, there are still some people out there that dont have internet access, so how what other way can they recieve their news. Dont get me wrong on the other hand, the internet is way more usefull and informational then a newspaper so I see why the Rocky Mountian Post could stop printing.
I feel like we are losing something great with newspapers. I will greatly miss them. while I dont mind paying more to keep them around, I know that others wont share the enthusiasm. I will greatly miss the smell of newsprint in the morning.
Basically, instead of me describin the downfall and why people arent reading newspapers as much anymore, there next move should focus on getting there information out via the radio and internet. Alot of older citizens still read the newspaper and arent accustomed to the internet. But they are accustomed to the radio, so maybe they shud adopt there own radio station and see how that works.
I do feel as if newspapers are vanishing little by little everyday that goes by, but I feel as if newspapers are very important to have even though the majority of the people in America are reading the newspapers on the internet because some people don't have computers or internet access.
I Also feel that newspapers are slowly becoming obsolete. Newspapers are no longer a daily thing like they used to be. People get their news, weather, and information through other means such as phones, internet, and so on. Although I hate to see it happen I do see newspapers becoming extinct in the media in the future. It's a waste of paper and time. People can find the news they want to know when they want to know it just be turning a computer or powering on a cell phone or even an Ipod. I do feel that the government might try and save newspapers but it wont last long once they realize the resources going into saving a dyeing bread. We live in a futurist media world. Its time to move in. The newspapers have been a prime contributor of everything we used to want to know. But with the invention of the internet and phones its just no longer needed.
-Manuel Crespin-
I just want to comment on idea 4 "leave a small fee..." If online newspapers are going to start doing this, why think that it's going to change anything? I think government bailouts are the smart way to go because newspaper publications are going to give way to online publications. I see the online print models of writing as magazines and small town newspapers (simply because personal in town newspapers have been proving successful) in the near future.
Newspapers are a dieing art. And I fear it will take some creative thinking and a real paradigm shift to find an answer. I woudl suggest looking to the alternative press for answers they offer free papers and are becoming a much more widely read source for local news than in the past. The Independent out of Colorado Springs is perhaps the only paper I read. It may not have the same news stories you find in the New York Times, but it carries an alternative feel to it that makes it more interesting. In Austin there is the Austin Chronicle and for 10 years I lived there and read no other paper. I still find myself online from time to time reading the latest Austin Chronicle. If these papers are growing then why are other dieing. Big newspapers should change to a free format while they still havethe readers and can hold on to advertisers. It will require they cut off some of their employees but perhaps they could move to a more localized paper and create multiple papers instead of one big one. Just thoughts here. I am not knowledgable on the subject to offer a real solution, but I would think these ideas have some merit.
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