According to the Economist the sale of American newspapers has been falling and keeps falling. At the end of September 2009, daily circulation fell by 10.1% compared to September of 2008. The Economist says that more readers are moving to the internet to get the news free. I couldn't help but wonder if this is purely due to the recession or if it had more to do the content of the newspapers. Of course not all newspapers are entirely biased or filled with irrelevant human interest stories but more so, the advertising. A great example that is so close to home is the AJC. If you compare how much of the content in the AJC is advertising and how much is actual news you find that about a third of the paper consists of advertising.
The commercial influence on newspapers is growing. The desire for profit cannot be ignored and yet this desire for profit may be driving newspapers to the grave. I don't know about you, but when I pick up my newspaper I want to see news and not advertising. Sometimes I pick up a newspaper and I wonder why they don't just make it an advertising paper rather than a NEWSPAPER. There is just too much advertising and very little news. Stories on violence and sex scandals can be attributed to the huge desire to make profit. It is difficult to differentiate between mainstream newspapers and tabloids and magazines based on content because there is not much of a difference.
The only paper whose circulation did not drop is the Wall Street Journal. I flipped through a copy of the October 22, 2009 issue to see why its readers are so faithful to the paper.I still do not know why but one thing was evident, not half as many ads as those in the AJC! Yes, I understand that the cost of publishing is high, and yes I understand that the more the advertisements the more the money to produce tomorrows paper, but please, let us not lose focus on what the function of the NEWSPAPER is.
Everyone I know except for my dad, get their news from online. The newspaper industry needs to figure out a way to utilize the internet. I am currently subscribing to the financial times, I subscribed to the online edition not the print edition because it's easier access.
ReplyDeleteAs we have discussed in class, the internet is becoming more and more of a way for people to get their news. Not only is it free most of the time, but it is also convenient as well. People are able to obtain news from all over the world and have that information readily available to them 24.7. Overall, I agree with the above comment that the newspaper industry needs to find ways to utilize the internet.
ReplyDeleteI think the only way to save the newspaper is to either stop publishing the newspapers online or to start charging online viewers the same price as those that read the hard copies. I really see no other option because, as you said, it is simply easier to read it online--and for free!
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