29 replies to this topic

[john]

The San Francisco Chronicle is slashing jobs to save itself; so is the Bee. It appears the internet and the economy may kill the newspaper industry once and for all. I'm not sure what to think of this; On one hand, many of these news organizations did not change fast enough to evolve with the digital communication boom; on the other hand, there still is a need for quality journalism. So what does the future hold for newspapers?

I think at some point they will stop weekday papers, and eventually cease printing paper and go web-only; I also think merging with television would be a logical choice. I don't see any other way they can survive. At some point advertisers realize newspapers do not produce a good enough ROI in the print edition.

Magazines still seem to do OK as it's a different medium than newspapers, which are tossed before the end of the day. The internet has made newspapers obsolete, as the "news" is already old by the time you read it. Yesterday's news you already heard about on the internet and TV.

[Darthvader]

The San Francisco Chronicle is slashing jobs to save itself; so is the Bee. It appears the internet and the economy may kill the newspaper industry once and for all. I'm not sure what to think of this; On one hand, many of these news organizations did not change fast enough to evolve with the digital communication boom; on the other hand, there still is a need for quality journalism. So what does the future hold for newspapers?

I think at some point they will stop weekday papers, and eventually cease printing paper and go web-only; I also think merging with television would be a logical choice. I don't see any other way they can survive. At some point advertisers realize newspapers do not produce a good enough ROI in the print edition.

Magazines still seem to do OK as it's a different medium than newspapers, which are tossed before the end of the day. The internet has made newspapers obsolete, as the "news" is already old by the time you read it. Yesterday's news you already heard about on the internet and TV.

Quality journalism? Since when? The Bee, Chronicle, etc all have agendas and bias so what's the point? You can get everything you need from the internet better and faster. Paper news is completely outdated and is falling fast. I am surprised newspapers have managed to stay alive this long.

[john]

True, I do agree that many papers are very biased; in fact a lot of websites have the same issue. I'm talking more the journalistic quality of the writing and such. Citizen journalism certainly has its place but there will always be a need for 'professional' journalism - writers who know how to write.

[Dave Burrell]

Quality journalism? Since when? The Bee, Chronicle, etc all have agendas and bias so what's the point? You can get everything you need from the internet better and faster. Paper news is completely outdated and is falling fast. I am surprised newspapers have managed to stay alive this long.

what news agency on the planet DOESN'T have their own agenda and bias? I do not believe any agency without bias exists anywhere - but if there is one, please let me know - I'm looking for a RELIABLE unbiased news source.

I stopped reading the Sacramento Pravda (Bee) and watching the news on TV over two years ago, the only news I read now is via my iphone using the Associated Press news feed and USA today.

I do agree that newspapers are nearly obsolete, but I do feel we still need good journalists, as John noted, writers who know how to write. God help us all if all we're left with is Fox news, CNN and E entertainment as our news sources.

[asbestoshills]

Personally, I'm all for it.........Those unemployed can create their own newsgroup and actually go out and report the news instead of copyediting what they get from the AP....We need more unbiased and real substantiated reporting.....Or maybe they can make their own news group (a rival to the AP)and report on subjects that are important but not covered in mainstream media...It could actually bring more real news stories to the Untied States.....Every time I watch the news from one of the big networks I just cringe...It's like watching a sitcom without the funny...When is the last time you saw something on the TV news or even your local paper that was different than the AP? There should be more than one Press that can produce quality news stories......

[eVader]

You raise good points John especially the fact print newspapers have not adapted to digital and because of this, blogs and free news feeds have quickly taken over. I recall a survey some time ago that most people under 30 get their news online. I am over that age group but I get most of my news from RSS feeds or newspaper sites. The Bee is good for local and investigative reporting which is tough to find online but the community papers like Folsom Telegraph and Village Life help fill this in.

I found it ironic newsprint was slow to move to an e-edition and reduce use of paper and ink. As greenie and left leaning as the Bee is you think they would jump to online to reduce their need to harvest forests and forests of trees. Seems hypocritical. So they finally come out with an e-edition but if you have tried it they should just toss in the towel. It is difficult to read, text too small in even the largest font (my vision is fine), and option to zoom in on an article pops up in a plain text box stripping all formatting and newspaper layout. In comparison, the Tahoe Daily Tribune has very good e-edition and it is now free.

[Chad Vander Veen]

The San Francisco Chronicle is slashing jobs to save itself; so is the Bee. It appears the internet and the economy may kill the newspaper industry once and for all. I'm not sure what to think of this; On one hand, many of these news organizations did not change fast enough to evolve with the digital communication boom; on the other hand, there still is a need for quality journalism. So what does the future hold for newspapers?

I think at some point they will stop weekday papers, and eventually cease printing paper and go web-only; I also think merging with television would be a logical choice. I don't see any other way they can survive. At some point advertisers realize newspapers do not produce a good enough ROI in the print edition.

Magazines still seem to do OK as it's a different medium than newspapers, which are tossed before the end of the day. The internet has made newspapers obsolete, as the "news" is already old by the time you read it. Yesterday's news you already heard about on the internet and TV.

As someone who works at a magazine I can tell you the publishing industry is desperately searching for solid footing. I think mags are adapting better because we have much more time between publications to experiment with what works online. Ironically, as print demand declines we find ourselves more and more generating new content that can go online every day, kind of like a newspaper.

[ducky]

I think the demise of the print newspapers has been hastened by this economy. I'm one of the over 30 age group that still liked reading the morning paper, but the price to have it delivered kept rising and rising and it's just one of the many things I've had to cut out of my budget.

[ngilbert]

I think the demise of the print newspapers has been hastened by this economy. I'm one of the over 30 age group that still liked reading the morning paper, but the price to have it delivered kept rising and rising and it's just one of the many things I've had to cut out of my budget.

Yes - all print media is hurting, as Chad pointed out, due to the economy. More specifically, it's advertisers cutting back. Newspapers felt it first though because they rely on car dealer ads very heavily, and they started pulling back their print ads a few years ago nationwide (and a lot of their TV ads too). Also, as you point out, a newspaper and magazine subscription is one of those luxury items people tend to cut back on when times are tough.

The whole "I don't care if they go under because I get all my news online free from their site anyway" argument is amusing because if the actual print versions of newspapers failed today, they will take their online versions of the paper with them most likely. I don't think *any* paper's online edition has come close to paying for itself - they're all paid for by the money from the print versions (subscriptions and ads). Certainly they can't support the same kind of staff of reporters and copy editors and photographers you're used to based on annoying pop-up ads alone.

It is sort of a "how do you kill the host and still keep the parasite alive" puzzle because newspapers would *love* to go strictly online, to save on newsprint costs, but for now there's no really good business model for having the online editions stand alone and pay for themselves. Would people pay a full subscription price for pixels? Could a news company charge the same amount they charge for a print ad to put up one of their ads in the online edition when an advertiser is fully capable of posting their own ads online on their own site?

Some day maybe. By then though we'll be talking about how those new-fangled information pills or brain implants mean the death of the venerable big city news web site

[SunshineServices]

Quality journalism? Since when? The Bee, Chronicle, etc all have agendas and bias so what's the point? You can get everything you need from the internet better and faster. Paper news is completely outdated and is falling fast. I am surprised newspapers have managed to stay alive this long.

And I am sure that Darth merely forgot to mention that everything you read on the internet is completely un-biased AND 100% true! Not to mention TOP-QUALITY!

Jeff

[asbestoshills]

Having more than one AP is a start. You can actually get rid of all of the print-media and put it online for a fee...GUESS what? People will subscribe...They want to view the classifieds, obituatries and local news....If they won't pay for it, advertising will.....People still want to know what's going on and if they don't pay for the print media, they will pay for a subscription..Maybe it will look different, like get 3 newspapers delivered to your email for $5 per month.
THere is already a lack of good journalism b/c no one wants to pay for it.....THe only way you can have quality reporting is if you pay for it.....Otherwise, you just get what we are currently offered now, celebrity news, freak human interest stories and canned news clips......We are so interested in whose going to pay to raise some freak-mom's 14 kids, instead of reporting the reasons why YOU HAVE NO PENSION OR 401K and Social Security is not going to pay for your groceries by the time you need it..... Not to mention all of the other crippling infrastructure inadequcies America is facing....

[mylo]

People still read newspapers?

I thought they only printed them to provide bedding for the homeless.

[Chad Vander Veen]

People still read newspapers?

I thought they only printed them to provide bedding for the homeless.

We all know you get the Daily Mail and the Guardian delivered, Mylo.

[4thgenFolsomite]

Novelist Jeffrey Archer in his work The Fourth Estate made the observation: "In May 1789, Louis XVI summoned to Versailles a full meeting of the 'Estates General'. The First Estate consisted of three hundred clergy. The Second Estate, three hundred nobles. The Third Estate, six hundred commoners. Some years later, after the French Revolution, Edmund Burke, looking up at the Press Gallery of the House of Commons, said, 'Yonder sits the Fourth Estate, and they are more important than them all.'"

We are losing the Fourth Estate if we lose newspaper investigative reporters.

[mylo]

We all know you get the Daily Mail and the Guardian delivered, Mylo.

Yep, every day, at http://www.guardian.co.uk/