Another column on the future of newspapers (via waxy):
The real problem for newspapers, in other words, isn’t the Internet; it’s us. We want access to everything, we want it now, and we want it for free. That’s a consumer’s dream, but eventually it’s going to collide with reality: if newspapers’ profits vanish, so will their product.
What are bloggers going to when newspapers are gone? The column has a couple ideas. I think these organizations will have to localize their coverage even more. Offer content that no one else is doing. A lot of jobs will be cut, and the quality will suffer. Reporters who have been on the job 25 years and have an amazing quantity and quality of sources in their pocket will lose their jobs. Papers will be looking for reporters right out of college who know video, audio, and HTML.
I agree with the line in the column about newspapers needing to open up and acknowledge that other websites exist. I barely ever see links to anywhere useful in the Des Moines Register. It's like they're scared people will realize there are other websites out there and won't come back.
I predict a lot of mid-size papers will stop doing a print edition in the next 5-10 years. Small town weekly papers might do alright since they're covering news that isn't also done by, say, the local TV news.
I think news will continue to go downhill due to a lack of financial support. It will eventually bottom out, and go back up again when people realize it has real value.
Anyway, I found a couple interesting photography blogs from this question about "job blogs."
Joe McNally
Shooting from the hip
Posted by alangage at December 17, 2008 9:29 AM
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