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Newspapers vs. Online

One reason I decided to get out of the newspaper business is because the industry has seen a rapid fall since the Internet boom. Although I have never been much of a newspaper reader my entire life, I started my career straight out of college working for one. But everyone has to start somewhere and I learned a lot from this experience. Besides, I was in charge of online content and news. So I never had to touch the printed product.

There have been many studies done focusing on the decline in newspaper readership since I graduated from college in 2006 (yeah, Im young).  Many were passed around the newsroom while I worked at the paper trying to convince the older folks to jump onboard with the new ideas.  That never worked.  No matter how many articles, case studies, or research results they read, the older generation is convinced that newspaper still hold a place in our communities that can never die.  Obviously, I thought otherwise.

I came across this article rating the top 25 newspaper websites currently in cyberspace.  The bigger companies with more money (and possibly more outlets besides print) have a better chance at surviving this online change.  But as costs of resources, personnel, and lost of advertising continue to grow, the print industy continues to shrink and online efforts become more and more essencial.  Unfortunetly, there will be smaller papers that lack the skills and money to make the leap.

What do you think the future of newspapers will be? Honestly, I doubt the newspaper we know today will exist in 10 (maybe Ill give it 20 …) years. As the digital generation steps in to the leadership role of todays world, online media will become more and more important and old ways will be pushed aside to make way for new trends.

I get my news by checking RSS feeds, media websites, and email alerts each morning. I rarely watch TV news and never pick up a print edition. The printed product is old by the time I get my hands on it and TV makes me wait for the stories I want to hear about. I can just jump on to the computer and read the latest headlines as they happen. Why get your news any other way?

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