The Death of Newspapers?

With Rupert Murdoch’s latest business decision – to charge users for access to on-line news content – the old ‘freak-out’ about the ‘death of newspapers’ is once again causing a kerfuffle within media communication circles. Murdoch says the justification behind his decision rests on quality journalism. “Quality journalism is not cheap, and an industry that gives away its content is simply cannibalising its ability to produce good reporting,” he said.

Regardless of whether News Corporation produces ‘quality journalism’ in the first place is an entirely different debate. The question is, what does impact does the Internet and the ‘network society’ have on newspapers and on-line journalism? For me, newspapers represent a form of nostalgia. It’s more of an older persons thing, to sit in the morning with a cuppa and some toast and read the paper. Sure, young people read the paper too, and I occasionally do, but I’d like to argue a different point: that in the very near future, newspapers will no longer and should no longer play a key role in the modern-day commercial media landscape.

For author and on-line media commentator Matthew Lee, the Internet ‘should be looked upon as the next evolutionary phase of print journalism and a way for newspapers to compete on equal footing with television as the publics’ dominant source of information’. If Lee is correct, perhaps Murdoch’s decision represents an admission that newspapers are on their way out and the Internet is the logical replacement. This raises an interesting dichotomy, and one we have discussed in some of my uni subjects: does the Internet have the potential to accommodate the commercial interests of media empires to the same extent as newspapers and traditional media? All signs are pointing to the direction of ‘no’. The foundations of the Internet are comprised of principles such as heterogeneity, democracy, freedom and non-capitalist forces. The attitude is, at least with Generation Y, that everything on the Internet should remain FREE.

Sure, there are certain advantages for commercial media empires to harness the power of the Internet. Peter Cox of Cox Media in an ABC Online article highlights the benefits of the Internet for fledgling newspapers. Mr Cox says the Internet carries specific commercial advantages over newspapers and print media generally, because of the elimination of distribution costs. Mr Cox then suggests that other on-line services, such as the video sharing website You Tube, should look to charge users in order to prevent themselves from being ‘cannibilised’ by upkeep demands. Another advantage for print media, in their on-line shift, is the ability of the Internet to include accompanying medias such as audio and visual material. Although these mediums represent an increase in production costs for the media outlet, they enhance a readers potential to understand and conceptualise news issues.

Whether Murdoch’s decision to charge for on-line content will cause News Corp’s profits to soar or continue on their downward trend, is generally unknown. The Internet’s potential, however, to provide users with choice and a platform for open, FREE discussion and deliberation, suggests the Internet perhaps – according to Murdoch – isn’t equipped for ‘quality journalism’ just yet. The ‘death of newspapers’, although sad in a nostalgic way, represents an exciting era where the profession of journalism is held to account and consumers are provided with a voice and an array of perspectives on a broad spectrum of issues.

Check out this FREE You Tube clip on the ‘death of newspapers’ for a  pessimistic perspective.

~ by Matthew Walker on August 10, 2009.