Newspapers or Virtual News…

I listened to an interesting PODCAST a couple of weeks ago on my way home from campus.  It was an interview with the new president of the Christian Science Monitor, which is a newspaper with daily circulation.  One interesting thing about CSM is that it is changing its paper’s distribution due to declining subscriptions (due to the Internet).  This trend is surfacing all over the U.S. and threatens to end the existence of print media.  Do you think we’ve seen the end of daily newspapers?

This also brings up another interesting question regarding whether or not individuals who read Internet news should be able to view this stuff for free or should have to pay? What do you think of these changes?

26 responses to “Newspapers or Virtual News…”

  1. I think that as technology advances less and less people are doing the same daily tasks they would have say 5 years ago; such as sending a letter, now it’s an e-mail or reading an actual newspaper, now it’s all done online. I believe that in the next few years there won’t be newspapers any more, and I wonder what will happen to magazines too will you be able to read those in full online? Reading a newspaper online to me seems so much easier and it doesn’t cost anything, but I do think that will soon change. I personally think you should have to pay for a subscription to view a newspaper online, isn’t it the same as getting it delivered to your doorstep every morning, it’s just delivered to your inbox in your e-mail. The people that are writing it deserve just as much credit and money no matter what form you are reading it in.

  2. Jacob Johnson says:

    This conversation is a very interesting one, but definitely a problem print media is facing. Even companies like sports illustrated are offering very cheap subscriptions because their subscription numbers are very low. As it already is, I think the majority of people are a weekend subscriber to the newspaper. I think that in order to continue is existence, and to pay its employees newspapers are going to have to start charging for online access to the paper. I think that raising advertising prices will be a useful tool in keeping newspapers online profitable. I do think that this is the beginning of an end to most print media. Some print media such as the New York Times will always be printed in my opinion. I also think that the switch of writing style will be something interesting to see once papers become available only online. They talk about their columnists writing in more of a blog style, and that if they write long columns online readers are less likely to read those articles.

    They also talk about how the newspaper company is going to have to reduce its staff by 10-15% in the coming year. I really don’t think that the lack of demand in print media has much to do with the current economic crisis; I think it is a current change that the print media market is undergoing. Overall I think print media will struggle in its online form unless sites like yahoo, cnn, and google start to charge for their news coverage.

  3. Anna Wasmund says:

    I think one of the most significant reasons papers, magazines, etc are still in print today is due to the excessive amount of people technologically challenged. Until the older generations (baby boomers, people most commonly above 60) “die out,” printed articles will be mandatory.
    The internet has always been a more obvious choice opposed to buying and reading a newspaper because of its saving of paper, no purchasing, and accessibility. If magazine/newspaper companies were to implement a price to view their materials online, people may not pay right away due to the contradiction of currently being able to freely view the writings, but, in time, as most things, people would begin to pay. Then again, there is always other online companies who will always keep their viewings free. So I guess it comes down to people’s loyalty/addiction to the particular company.

  4. Sara Lind says:

    …..uh…. no one really enjoys reading printed media? Well, my eyes burn like hell after reading for too long on the internet. I guess I can only vouch for myself though.
    Anyway, it is not surprising that this is happening. I mean, my dad still gets a newspaper every morning, but far more people are viewing articles online. Plus, these companies can really increase their revenue from this. Although, there will be an increase in advertising, mostly at first, there still will be able to cut a lot of the costs in producing a newspaper. However! Does this not mean a bunch more jobs go down the toilet???
    Furthermore, does anyone realize how reluctant a lot of individuals are to purchase anything online? Sometimes it does not mean they are not “technologically challenged” – though elders may need assistance – but who wants to type in their credit card numbers into a system that is not heavily regulated and when there is so much talk about identities being stolen. Anyway, I hope people realize if this trend continues, you will no longer be able to view newspapers online for free (reliable and valid newspapers at least)…

  5. Katie Francour says:

    I don’t think we’ve seen the end of daily newspapers in print just yet. I can see how it may come to that in another 10 years or so, but I think enough people still get them now to keep them going. I think it is kind of sad in a way, but that is just the way that technology changes the world. Everything can be viewed online, and free, so why by the actual paper? It’s faster to just read what you want to read on the internet, then to skim through a paper looking for interesting articles. I think that those who do view the newspapers on the internet should have to pay. Since I think all newspapers will eventually become only on the internet, then they need to charge to view it there so that they can stay afloat. If they don’t charge to have their papers viewed online, then I don’t see how they will be able to continue on.

  6. rachel woodford says:

    i have first hand experience on this subject seeing to i have worked at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal for almost 3 years and recently quite and have seen such a big decline in the people who actually are buying the newspapers, the numbers have dropped dramatically in just the three years that I have worked there causing many problems within the business as a whole and forcing many people out of their jobs, i think that you are going to have to pay to view it online otherwise there goes that business like every other business right now…( but i dont think it will internet newspaper will take over the industry for a few more years)

  7. Loy Vang says:

    As the internet grows into what we depend on for sources, it makes sense that newspapers and magazines are going to be use less. Also, daily newspaper cost something while ads online and are free, what’s the logic in that? Alot of people will most likely go through the net. Although it may be easier to go on the net, having newspapers and magazines at hand can be a better source for reading and such. Yet in our case, and our status in the economy pushes us more towards the net. So as of now, I think the newspaper industry will not dissapear anytime soon. Maybe in a few more years, the newspaper industry will dissapear just because of the newer generations that are dependent of the web which I think will be a huge problem for our dependency of technology.

  8. Jay Stokes says:

    Most people hate change because it is uncomfortable. Is the Internet bad? No. Are newspapers posted online bad? No. In fact, its probably better! Kill fewer trees for paper!
    The charging money issue is valid and complex. the problem is that most people pay for internet, so should they get the ‘online paper’ for free? I’m sure people would pay for year subscriptions to certain magazines like stock market stuff and financial magazines, but I dont think the majority of people would pay and extra 50 cents for a paper online.
    The cool thing about the Internet is that more people can get. Even if you do not have Internet or a computer, there are many places where you can go to use one. The libraries, universities, and places of work are all feasible places to get access to ‘news papers’ or ‘news sites’. The internet is also Instant. No mailing or delivering.
    I shop on Amazon a lot and they have this thing called a Kindle. I think this will become more and more popular because you can get full newspapers and books, anywhere, anytime. It is small and can hold MANY articles and books.
    About half way through the interview they talked about shorter articles dominating the web-papers. Good because it cuts the fat. Bad because it lacks detail. I guess we’ll see.
    The point is that, times change, technology changes, and people and society have to change with it. Societal evolution can be slow and sometimes it take multiple generations for people to accept something new.
    The biggest fear, is that people wont get the news they want. But the news is out there, people might just have to take a different path to get it.

  9. Jessica Mesmer says:

    I don’t think we have seen the complete end of print newspapers yet. I think that as more people access online news, that print will definitely be going away. It is easier for most people these days to access the news online in the morning because a lot of people are on their computers in the early morning. Also a lot of people have resorted to using their phones for internet access, so why not pick up the news on your phone taking the train into work? It makes sense. Also, with how economically conscientious people are now days, I can see a lot of people backing away from print newspapers. I do think that people should pay for the online news as though they were paying to have it delivered to their house daily. It would help keep these newspapers in business and in this economy all the jobs we have we need to focus on keeping around. I believe this is what it may come to. People can pay for the delivery of the news, why not pay a onetime fee to access it unlimitedly when it’s convenient.

  10. Julia Fessler says:

    I believe fully that the newspaper industry will not die. There are many people that rely on the newspaper for entertainment, education, and well, because its always been there and its familiar. I think that some of the smaller papers will end up using only the online version but I think that the bigger papers (i.e. Chicago Sun Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, etc.) will continue to be printed. Many industries are in this same boat. This is not my personal interest, but the porn industry has been losing money substantially for a while now due to free online versions of the same type of thing. I think that if there is a switch from printed press to online press, it is important to charge a small fee as that is what will keep the business going and paying people to keep their jobs.

  11. Kelly Ross says:

    The new age of technology is changing the way we do a lot of things today. However i feel the newspaper is something that will not be replaced fully, atleast not for a long time. The newspaper is easy entertainment for everyone and is easily carried around on the bus or train. The internet newspaper is more of a direct way to get information instead of a way to pass the time. I think there will be a charge for online newspapers because people will get greedy and everyone always wants more money.I personally dont think there should be an additonal charge as most pay lots of money just to get onto the internet.

  12. Elisabeth Callahan says:

    Like someone mentioned above most people fear change. The older generation and those that in general prefer the method of print will always have their unease about the internet and internet papers and magazine. However, i think the online papers have prove themselves an easy and convenient way to read what you want. I think internet makes finding exactly, as specific, of a thing you want and ignoring the topics you dont want much easier.
    However, in this “competition” of print vs. online i think print wont go down that easily. While you can easily find a computer most places, they are not everywhere. Often on my break from work i grab a newspaper to read thats sitting in the breakroom. When i work out i always take a magazine to read on the treadmills. when im waiting at dentist of doctors office i again, grab a magazine. Its simply places and situations like these that i appreciate printed text. Also, reading online is bad for your
    eyes.
    As for the only expanse issue. I think right now online journals, paper, magazine are for the majority free because they want to get readers. I believe after while, after we are use to getting or reading fixes free they will start charging. It’s a simple marketing move. Of course, as too stated earlier, there will probably be ways to get things free. Its a matter of loyalty and legality.
    While printed companies may see a decline i doubt they will ever be nonexistent.

  13. Brianne Coffey says:

    I could not imagine what it would be like if there were not a daily newspaper on my doorstep. The daily newspaper is part of American culture for some people. I am currently sitting amongst them at the library.

    The internet has become a part of American culture as well. The trend of internet news publication is increasing with more and more newspapers offering web access to their articles.

    The editor John Yemma of ‘Christian Science Monitor’, gave a valid reason for the shift from print news to web news. More people are becoming environmentally conscious. In addition, many newspapers give free access to their web articles.

    I do not see an end to daily newspapers any time soon. Not while there is a market for them.

    Should the readers pay for internet news? Well, I think news should be free for everyone to read. If advertising and traffick of readers increases, internet news should be free. Editor Yemma mentioned the probles of distribution, production, and artificial deadlines daily print publications create. He is suggesting that internet news will diminish these problems.

    My concerns are that production and distribution jobs could be lost. Also, would the credibility of journalists/writers be affected if they were considered “bloggers”?

  14. Susan Crans-Hunt says:

    While I couldn’t listen to the PodCast as there was an error and it would not play I wanted to be able to comment on this issue as it is something that a friend and I were discussing just the other day. She was completely for the internet version of the paper…simply because it didn’t cost her anything. I truly think this is where the newspaper media is messing up. Why is it that we can read the complete paper on-line, but if you want the paper version you must pay for it. It really doesn’t make sense to me, but I can’t say that I have never taken advantage of it. While I like reading the paper (the old fasion way) I also like the internet for it’s ease of look up. I like to be able to go to the internet version and use their search engine and find what I want almost immediately. I did express to my friend that if the times keep up that I would expect the papers to be charging for on-line subscriptions in the very near future. She expressed to me that she didn’t think that she would pay for it. This made no sense to me and we disagreed for a few minutes before just agreeing to disagree.
    How are the newspaper medias expected to stay in business if they are not paid for their product?

  15. Liz Benzschawel says:

    This is very interesting to me as an Advertising and Marketing major. This has been a topic of discussion in those classes as well, specifically in advertising. When running Ad campaigns, less and less is being put into newspaper advertisements unless one is trying to reach an older target market.

    It does seem like an ancient form of receiving news when I think about it. Why read newspapers from yesterday/this morning when you can get instant updates of what’s going on through the internet or mobile devices? However, with that said, I’m undecided in whether I believe they will ever totally disappear. I do not believe print media in general will disappear but I could see newspapers (not disappearing, but moving to web versions).

    It seems logical that if a person’s career is to gather information and write up a story, they should be paid. Now, another side to that is whether the public should pay or other sources should (there is now a ton of advertising being bought on websites). In my mind it kind of seems like cheating to be able to access any valuable information for free every single day, but I don’t want to pay if I don’t have to and I’m sure the rest of America feels the same way.

  16. Lindsay Pethan says:

    You ask if we have we seen the end to our daily papers, and I do not know the answer to that. The ability to read the news online has some benefits over a daily newspaper. As they said in the Podcast, if something happens around the world between midnight and the time the paper arrives on your doorstep, it will be published the next day. Having the news on the web allows the most current news to be available. Also, the news is free on the web. People have the notion that information on the internet is free. Internet news also saves on paper.

    On the other hand, I think that reading the daily newspaper has benefits too. Many people use the time to relax and read the newspaper. It is a routine part of their day. For those that do not have access to a computer or the internet, a daily paper is their way of keeping in touch with the world.

    I believe that people should have to pay to read the news online, you have to pay to get the daily newspaper, so why shouldn’t you pay for the news online?

  17. Betsy Beck says:

    Due to a loading error, I was unable to listen to the podcast. However I find this topic to be very interesting. I feel that the newspaper will still be around for awhile, but eventually I think that the need for it will be lost. For now at least it should be safe because of the generations who are not as familar with the use of the internet, and also because of the convenience of it. Sometimes computers are not always around, so the actual print is easier to come by. To make it fair I feel that people who subscribe to an online news source, should pay some amount. I don’t think that this amount should be quite as expensive as the print, due to the saving of paper. As societies dependence on technology grows more and more, I think that at some time down the road the newspaper will be a thing of the past.

  18. Steffany Olaciregui says:

    In my opinion as technology continues to advance the things that use to matter will not matter anymore because alot of people are not buying newspapers anymore. Instead they prefer looking up the news on the internet, cell phones, and on the television. However, I think that some people will continue to purchase newpapers especially those who aern’t able to have access to the internet or know how it functions.

  19. Peter Fields says:

    In the near future, I think that most newspapers will be replaced by online news, mainly because online news is free and used by everyone. The problem is how do you make money online or how do you pay reporters and news staff? I recently read an article discussing how major newspapers, such as the San Francisco Chronicle and the Miami Herald are facing bankruptcy. The Denver Rocky Mountain News is one that already closed down. I read online news frequently and I have to admit if I had to pay for it to read it, I probably wouldn’t subscribe to it. There is always somewhere else where you can read it for free. If certain newspapers started charging for their news, while many others just give away free material, how do you compete with that? In today’s changing times, newspapers will have to come up with new business models to stay in business.

  20. Brian Cacic says:

    It doesn’t seem to me like it’s fair to the daily paper to have a free issue of it online everyday because then why would anyone want to subscribe to the paper? I don’t really think that daily newspaper will be around forever but I think that most people still subscribe to their local paper because they are in the habit of having that paper and aren’t going to cancel the subscription. Not yet anyway. I’m not exactly sure how the online newspaper works though. I’m assuming that the newspaper gets money from advertisement they put up on the web page. I would be interested to know how much money is made with paper subscription opposed to what is made having the paper online.

  21. Lindsay Ellifson says:

    Personally I rely on the Internet, tv, and word of mouth over news and articles in print, and although smaller publications are in jeopardy of becoming obsolete, I don’t think it should or will become necessary to only publish online. People like me use the Internet as a resource because it’s free, and if a fee were to be applied more people would use the tv or free news as their source of information. I also think that newspapers or magazines especially bigger names are not going to be a thing of the past because it’s something about holding the article or paper in your hands and the ability to peruse it anytime rather than only when you’re near a computer. Not everyone owns a PDA or has cell access with Internet access. Someday they may stop printing the news but I don’t think I’ll be around to see it happen!

  22. Ashley says:

    Honestly, im not really sure if i think that this is the end of newspapers. I mean you find alot of people who like to drink their coffee and read the morning newspaper- and i would say that this is still a large chunk of the population. Plus not everyone has a computer. I know they are coming more and more popular but i know that people like my grandparents dont have a computer and they love reading the newspaper. I also dont know how i feel about getting the online newspaper for free. I kind of already thought that it was stupid to have to pay for the newspaper in print form. I dont know, its another tricky question.

  23. David Hanizeski says:

    I think people still like their hard copy data when they work their regular routine in their daily lives. I think as the generations change people adapt to the easiest thing. I know that by simply clicking a button on my phone I can see who is up to bat on the latest brewers spring training game, to look up on a search engine what a SR-22 insurance form is. I think that eventually people will have to pay to access media over the internet such as the journal sentinel online. I think companies will find a way to make money including advertising on their site or eventually having to subscribe electronically.

  24. Elisabeth Callahan says:

    I think there will always be a need/want for printed newspapers and magazines. When im on my break at work i always read the news paper after i finish eating. When i work out i grab a magazine to read on the treadmill. When im waiting at doctor’s office i magazines. Plus online reading is hard on the eyes and less comfotable to read on the couch
    While online print has proven itself to be easy and convient i think print will always be available. As for the price issue i think most online published text is free now so it gets readers and gains popularity. I think overtime companies will start charging online. It’s a simple martket move.

  25. Courtney Harries says:

    I think there will always be a need for printed newspapers. Every morning I find it interesting to read the daily news paper and drink on coffee. I read magazines and all sorts of printed news and info. I dont think that it is fair to just get rid of the newspaper all together, due to the fact that not everyone owns computers. Not to mention i dont think that it is a good idea to charge to read online news either, but either way it’s media so people will pay the cost.

  26. Tiffany Anderson says:

    I feel that with all of our new technology and the fast pace nature of American people rely a lot on convenience. I feel that because of this people are becoming less and less interested in current events and in a way are becoming too lazy to read a paper. If someone wants to read about a topic we are much more likely to google it and read it off the internet. I think that the majority of people today that still sit down with their morning coffee and paper are middle aged or older and many older people are not very good with technology. Since younger generations are much more consumed with technology I feel that eventually printed newspapers will disappear.
    I also feel that these newpapers should charge. There is still someone doing the work to gather the news so it should be treated the same as a printed newspaper. I feel that if eventually all newspapers are free and online the quality of the reporting will suffer.

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