When journalism goes post-print

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Tuesday, January 19. 2010

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With print journalism among the industries most impacted by the Internet, panelists at a Silicon Valley event Friday debated what possibilities are in store for the news business.

Indeed, the Internet has brought about a revolution in how content is delivered and wreaked havoc on the traditional print ad business model. Panelists, with backgrounds at organizations like the Wall Street Journal and Google, recognized technology trends that could lead the way for journalism, such as e-reader devices like the Amazon Kindle as well as rich content versions of publications. They also pondered content delivery models including subscription-based Web publications and blogging.

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#1 Enoc Siuol on 01/19/10 at 08:57 AM

What would I use to start the fireplace if it were not for print?

#2 Anonymous on 01/19/10 at 03:36 PM

I think it needs to be both, but we have to be careful of Internet. Print never goes away, is more difficult to do, and that makes people a bit more careful with what they write.

With Internet, anyone can publish anything, even if it is wrong. This is especially true with chain-mails. One example is this one:

"Anti-Gun Senator Shoots Intruder
Long time Anti-Gun Advocate State Senator R.C. Soles, 74, shot one of two intruders at his home just outside Tabor City, N.C. about 5 p.m. Sunday, the prosecutor for the politician's home county said."

Oddly enough, Soles is a long-time firearm rights supporter who has a consistent "A" NRA voting rating, but this doesn't stop on-line papers and e-mails from calling him an "Anti-gun activist". If fools passing that e-mail along succeed in electing someone else, they very might replace Soles with a "C" or even "F" NRA-rated senator.

Most chain e-mails I receive, when checked, turn out to be false.

#3 cats on 01/20/10 at 06:18 AM

I'm old-school and love the weight and feel of the printed word in my hands.
I suppose reading is the only vice I have left.

#4 Tim Palmer on 01/20/10 at 10:45 PM

One of the stories featured tonight (Jan 20) on the PBS NewsHour was in reference to the New York Times’ announcement that next year it will start charging for its online news service which has been free for 15 years. The guests believed the Times will have a tough go convincing readers to pay for a formerly free site. I also prefer to get my news free and check several online papers each day. I don’t pay for any of them and I don’t pay for any newspaper deliveries. I would prefer that advertising departments did their job and paid for the paper in ad sales and also delivered creative ads that I wanted to see. Currently, it is extremely rare for me to click an online ad even on a known safe site.

If most or all sites had to go the pay route then I would be very selective, only choosing worthwhile, well-written news sources. There’s a reason I pay to receive the Atlantic (Monthly) Magazine but wouldn’t read a free copy of People if it were the only magazine in the doctor’s office waiting room.

Speaking of Magazines, I have always enjoyed their artistic potential and ability to provide researched, exhaustive discussion. Once you start reading quality, in-depth coverage, the broadcast TV 30-minute newscasts are laughable. As for artistic quality, I studied Journalism but have no great love for holding a newspaper in my hands. However, many magazines are beautiful and I would continue to pay to browse them. Publications such as Architectural Digest, National Geographic, and Popular Mechanics are nice to look at and passionate about their subject matter.

One more aspect of print media verses online news is the feeling of actually owning something you pay for verses paying for digital access that is not tangible. I still cannot get used to buying music by downloading it and filing it on my computer and mp3 player. I end up with stuff all over the place and it becomes out of sight, out of mind. It was nice collecting CDs. I have enjoyed my parents’ record collection for 30 years (Thanks for the intro to Bert Kaempfert, Dad.) but have never once asked to listen to whatever they have on their laptops, phones or PDAs. Since we got our first digital camera 6 years ago I have become a better photographer because it’s cheaper when you can take as many shots as you want. But we ended up with a bazillion files that we rarely review and have already had to transfer from one old computer to another to backup drives. There are no handsome albums to browse like the old days and there’s no way we’ll print them all off. I would rather buy a DVD in the five dollar bin than rent one for four. I fear the same intangible regret with online news and magazines, except that day to day I read the news to see current events and trust that someone else is storing it in case I need to reference it later.

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