Today's New York Times gives you a look at what is happening in the newspaper industry. You can't hide the fact that the industry is undergoing a transition that isn't pretty. At the same time, author Richard Perez-Pena points out that readership is actually growing. The article says: "The paradox is that more people than ever read newspapers, now that some major papers have several times as many readers online as in print. And papers sell more ads than ever, when online ads are included.
But for every dollar advertisers pay to reach a print reader, they pay about 5 cents, on average, to reach an Internet reader. Newspapers need to narrow that gap, but the rise in Internet revenue slowed sharply last year."
If you doubt that there truly is a shift to journalism online, take a look at the Peter Zollman's report on the Madison Capital Times, a newspaper ditching print (mostly) and going online. Be sure to read Amy Gehran's post in that same column on why she's optimistic about the evolution in the industry anyway. And then check out blogger Dan Kennedy's take on the Times' article and where he thinks the news business is headed.
I think, too often, journalists are so nostalgic for the good old days of print, they ignore the upside that the web and other new technologies bring to journalism - particularly much broader reach and new audiences. What do you think?
Are you ready for a new kind of journalism and a new future?
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