The fall of the newspaper industry is a direct result from technological advances and availability. News media have effectively adapted to the consumer demand for instant news. Ron Smith, publisher of the Washington Times-Herald, expressed his feelings about the fall of the newspaper industry in an article titled What to Do About the Internet, “There is something exciting about picking up the newspaper and reading a story that a reporter has put their heart and soul into.” While the idea of sitting down with a hard copy of the news is appealing, the statistics show consumers turning away from this idea. According to an article written in The Wall Street Journal, “newspaper circulation for the six months ended September 30 dropped nearly 11%.” With circulation declining an increased availability of the internet, the newspaper will likely only serve a local audience.
Gains from the fall of the newspaper industry are large and significant to society. Transitioning from a newspaper to online news sites is beneficial to increasing the amount of readership. According to an article in The New York Times, readership increased by 24% from 2008 with the internet serving as the number one source for news. With the help of the internet, news is presented in an on-demand fashion allowing readers to have the news at their finger tips. Another gain from online news is the ability to provide readers with updates throughout the day. Errors in reports can easily and quickly be corrected in online news. Likewise, developing stories can be updated throughout the day keeping readers well informed.
While the appeal of instantaneous news and updates is great, paper news can be beneficial from a community stand point. Local newspapers create strength in community involvement and awareness. The demise of the newspaper industry is threatening on a local news level, but will remain in circulation. While many sections of the paper will shrink and disappear communities will still demand information such as; local sporting news, area events, police and crime reports, education news and business news. With the demand for a smaller paper, cuts will have to be made in the industry, but the newspaper will continue to exist on a local level serving the purpose of maintaining community.
Overall, the adaption of print news from paper to internet is a natural outcome from the technological movement. Society is not losing news, just the format in which it is presented. Local news will persist targeting a local audience and national and international news will target all audiences. This development posses a new question for the news media, how will they maintain competition within the industry? Will online news become less available if news media requires a subscription fee? The development of the news media industry will only slightly impact the way in which society receives their news.
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