We are talking a lot about the End of Journalism in our course, a bit depressing the amount of guest speakers we have had that have declared that there is no future in our trade. Nevertheless, they might be right. In the US the financial crisis has hit the newspaper with many publications having to close down or sell their stocks. This BBC article describes how the venerable San Francisco Chronicle might be forced to stop printing. If that happens that would mean there would be no paid-for newspapers in San Francisc0. Just to remind you, California would have been the 9th richest country in the world if it wasn’t a part of the USA.
Other newspapers are in trouble as well, most famously was the news that the Tribune Company (Chigaco Tribune, LA Times, Baltimore Sun etc.) filed for bankruptcy. At the New York Times they have called in one man to save the: Arthur Gregg Sulzberger, however it might take more than just one man. The BBC article blames the crisis on one thing: Free Content.
That is too simple an answer, and more importantly, it is too passive. There have also been crisis in the media world and the issue about free content is just another one, like the Internet was 10 years ago, as the change in Wapping in the 1980s, or the changes with the television. Newspaper have always been fighting to survive. On the 16th of March it is 10 years ago since Metro launched its free newspaper in London and back then people laughed at them. Therein lies the problem, the journalists didn’t take the threat serious, didn’t develop with the same speed as the free papers and they are now trying to catch up.
Free content is not the end of journalism it is just another challenge.
very interesting post, Happy Friday.