Living in the 21st Century, has certainly raised questions as to what the future of journalism is. The main argument surrounding this issue, is whether or not newspapers are still relevant, especially with more and more people turning to the internet to get their news. However, for the time being, newspapers are considered to be relevant. To illustrate this point, according to public opinion, newspapers were still relevant in 2009. A survey conducted by the Rosen Group in the United States found that of the 316 individuals surveyed between the ages of 12-72, 82.8% believed daily newspapers were still relevant. The figure drops to 45.5% when the same respondents were asked whether or not newspapers will still be around in 2019. This definitely bodes well for the immediate future of newspapers, especially in Australia where readership is only down .7%.
However, newspapers are struggling with advertising revenue online. One of the central arguments to fix this problem is that they should change their traditional business format and start charging for online content, which was brought up during the presentations. While the days of free online content are indeed coming to an end, the fact remains that it will only ever work with niche markets, including the Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal. This is because consumers of these newspapers seem vitally important to the Finance Industry. However, when it comes to other forms of news, the answer from the general public, as found out by Rachelle Money is a distinct “no.” In the same article, Money cites Arianna Huffington of the Huffington Post, who says that “the money making potential lies in search engines, online advertising, citizen journalism and independent outfits.” She states that, “the future does not lie behind a pay wall, and the restriction of information is not the way forward.” Instead, she recommends a hybrid system in which old media and new media work together. Money also believes in this idea. (http://www.wordtracker.com/academy/newspapers-make-money-online) . The video from Reuters shows just how newspapers are expanding their websites to remain competitive. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMn3SaFUdQQ&NR=1&feature=fvwp)
The argument mentioned above is definitely one of the ideas for the future. However, much like whether or not there should be pay walls, there is a huge debate as to the future of newspapers. Two examples of this are, Scott Bosley, Executive Director of the American Society of Newspaper Editors, who states, “The word newspaper is going to disappear. We'll talk about news' rather than newspapers” because there are going to be so many other ways that people get their news.” This is an interesting argument considering websites including Facebook and Twitter are allowing people to post their own feeds of news online before the newspapers can do so. In the same instance, John Hartigan, News Ltd Media Chairman and CEO, believes that Australian newspapers are holding up well compared to the US and UK. However, he states that newspapers will need to change to survive by “delivering more relevant stories written by highly qualified, specialist journalists.” The future of newspapers is definitely a talking point, but it seems as though they will still be around for quite some time, and are thus still relevant. Some of the editors that met at the World Editors Forum in Cape Town in 2007, explain how the digital age is influencing newspapers. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y68dySUNtZ4&feature=related).
All in all, the future of journalism is unclear, but it seems as though newspapers are still well and truly part of that future.
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