How Newspapers Can Avoid Dying At The Hands Of The Internet
It’s not the newspaper vs the internet; it’s newspapers against old ideas. They just need to reevaluate what they put out.
I don’t understand why, with the popularity of accessing news through the net, newspapers are losing relevance or are worried about losing relevance. To me it sounds the same as if the papers became frantic when television started airing news programs.
The reason I say this is because newspapers still hold the same value they always have. Sure, they will never be as up-to-date or comprehensive as their internet cousins, but there is still a great deal of value in what they offer.
Let’s look at two things to focus on.
The first is convenience. It is still natural to pick up a paper and read during your commute, while you’re sitting in the park or in the morning at the breakfast table.
I will admit that this convenience may be overshadowed by mobile internet access; but the way a newspaper feels and reads will remain wanted. Just think of columns! Internet sites still can’t divide text into easily readable columns like those in the paper [until CSS3 or something].
Compare reading between a paper and a mobile. It isn’t comfortable to read large quantities of text on a mobile device. Don’t even pretend like a 4inch screen is enough. When we get devices like a 10inch tablet becoming popular, then we can evaluate this.
What’s more is I may not want to carry such a device. When I want news or something to read, I can pick a paper up. I can read it and then throw it away, make paper mache or swat flies with it.
My second, and maybe more important point, is that newspapers aren’t looking at what makes them great: the writing.
Blogs and online news sites are always going to beat print media to the punch - it’s not printed! So why are they focusing on an issue they will always lose?
Instead of trying to be first, why are they trying to be better? I’m talking about editorial, comprehensive writing with quality research. The internet is full of writers that don’t do this and people are happy to read that so as long as they get the headlines.
But if you’re running a paper, you should be putting your staff and connections to better use and publishing a quality magazine, instead of a completely disposable newspaper.
I see the papers in my city trying to emulate blogs now. Making stories shorter, dumbed down and increasing puff and opinion pieces. It’s such a dumb idea. I’ve got a million arseholes on the net to choose an opinion I like, why should opinion take up print real estate? There are some things you just can’t compete with the internet on, particularly bullshit and people’s bullshit ideas.
Instead of trying to amalgamate what works on the net with print, newspapers should be standing out with quality. Print writers, generally, get paid more than bloggers. When I read a paper, though, it seems like the opposite.
