Where Will Newspapers Go in the Internet Era?
As many people cease reading the newspaper and access their news information on the Internet, what will happen to newspapers?
Newspapers are already seeing the decline in their readership and are laying off reporters, copyeditors, and others. What will happen as the readership continues to go more toward the Internet for its information?
With improved search capabilities, readers are able to become more informed with less bias on a variety of issues, much of which come from blogs and are, therefore, free. However, when looking for well-researched information, the reputable and well-known publishers still have a majority of the blogs beat, but how can the publishers of newspapers continue to survive in a world where newspapers are going extinct?
The Washington Post has created a new business model where the day’s news is free and archives must be paid for. In addition, it offers podcasts and interviews with reporters about hot issues. This creates a closer relationship with the readers and the reporters, but is still not bringing in any additional income to supplement the loss of newspaper sales. To further the interactivity of readers, The Washington Post has created MyPost.com, a webpage dedicated to each reader so that readers can find out what other readers are interested in and are responding to.
Though The Washington Post has increased its advertising on its website, this by no means equals the amount of money it has lost in advertising and sales of its newspaper.
The agile publishing philosophy of experimenting to find out what works is beneficial, but no one has discovered the answer yet.
August 13th, 2008 at 12:58 am
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