Allow me to preface this post by saying I am an ardent believer in the power of newspapers. These are unique times for the medium and I believe to guarantee its future success (as a product and economically) challenging questions must be asked, and this is one of them.
Ask any newspaper reader what content they consider worthy of their attention and as sure as the sun sets you will recieve a myriad of responses based on their individual interests. Merriam-Webster defines the term 'Newsworthy' as "interesting enough to the general public to warrant reporting". While it could be said that almost any subject, story or issue may be considered newsworthy by any one sector of the population, allow me to forward the argument that this very dictionary-definition could form the basis of the epitaph of the newspaper industry.
Seminal moments have played out in the pages of newspapers (and most recently on their equivalent websites). From Watergate to Apartheid to Nigerian yellow cake, the dogged determination of news print journalism has shed light on many of the key events in modern political and social history.
Ask any newspaper reader what content they consider worthy of their attention and as sure as the sun sets you will recieve a myriad of responses based on their individual interests. Merriam-Webster defines the term 'Newsworthy' as "interesting enough to the general public to warrant reporting". While it could be said that almost any subject, story or issue may be considered newsworthy by any one sector of the population, allow me to forward the argument that this very dictionary-definition could form the basis of the epitaph of the newspaper industry.
Seminal moments have played out in the pages of newspapers (and most recently on their equivalent websites). From Watergate to Apartheid to Nigerian yellow cake, the dogged determination of news print journalism has shed light on many of the key events in modern political and social history.
In fact newspapers have done such an incredible job of playing the vital role of the 'check' in the system of 'checks and balances' that the general public expects to find the most exceptional brand of investigative journalism within the pages of newspapers (or their online equivalent). A study by the Newspaper Association of America in 2012 revealed that 74% of all internet users surveyed rely on local newspaper media as the key source of news and information. With this in mind it is easy to consider the importance that the newspaper industry places on journalistic integrity and providing information that is considered free from any interference.
Now what if the subject considered as newsworthy is a Harris Media survey result published in 2010 that showed that 55% of Americans polled believe that traditional media would no longer exist within the next decade? Or that a Pew Research poll showed that since the year 2000 the percentage of Americans reading the newspaper had dropped by just over half to 23%.
This is the struggle where a newspapers duty to report directly impacts their ability to sustain marketability. In no other industry will you find the biggest players trumpeting their own ills in the same fashion as print media. Yet in September of 2011 the New York Times created a large infographic specifically designed to illustrate how many newspapers were in financial trouble that year.
Ask yourself this - would any major automobile manufacturer hold a sale and call it the "We Need to Move These Cars Because the Last Major Recall Killed Us" event? It would be a veritable marketing nightmare. Yet print media does this, and why? In editorial terms financial reporting is newsworthy. So the question then becomes - While editorial content is the cornerstone to a truly credible news organization, would that credibility be damaged if said organization didn't report the sadness of its own state of affairs?
This is the struggle where a newspapers duty to report directly impacts their ability to sustain marketability. In no other industry will you find the biggest players trumpeting their own ills in the same fashion as print media. Yet in September of 2011 the New York Times created a large infographic specifically designed to illustrate how many newspapers were in financial trouble that year.
Ask yourself this - would any major automobile manufacturer hold a sale and call it the "We Need to Move These Cars Because the Last Major Recall Killed Us" event? It would be a veritable marketing nightmare. Yet print media does this, and why? In editorial terms financial reporting is newsworthy. So the question then becomes - While editorial content is the cornerstone to a truly credible news organization, would that credibility be damaged if said organization didn't report the sadness of its own state of affairs?
