“R.I.P. Newspaper?

It seems that everything is written in the stars. Or is it? The death knell of newspapers has been sounded. Declining circulation numbers globally. Advertisers taking flight from the once-dependable newspaper platform for the greener pastures of the online world. 

So the question(s) on everyone's mind now goes like this: 

Is the Internet responsible for killing the newspaper?

For me, I'd prefer to defend the much maligned Internet and boldly say that the Internet is not reponsible. As aptly summed up by Carl Bernstein (The Watergate reporter), the newspapers' decline started long before the advent of the Internet. Tabloidization from the Murdoch press cheapened journalism and threw journalistic ethics to the wind. Moreover, the newspapers' complacency about its "iron rice bowl" also contributed to its current malaise. The inability of newspapers to keep up with change is no fault of the Internet. 

This begs the next question:
Will the newspaper really die?

I can't predict the future and no one can. What I can say is that I am cautiously optimistic about the fortunes of newspapers. Maybe the material aspect of print publication will die but the legacy of journalism will live on. News agencies remain the pillar of society, ensuring quality and credibility of information. Until we are able to find an alternative that can filter the mass of information online, news outlets remain important. What's more, if news agencies are willing to throw everything they've got and fight to stay relevant, I see hope for their survival. 

Academics, journalists and everyone else are still debating how newspapers can stay relevant. Will it be crowd-sourcing? Paywalls or whatever not? There's no fixed formula of success. However, as long as newspapers find a way to monetize and profit from their product, they CAN survive.

Recently chanced upon The Guardian's advertisement about the Three Little Pigs. The video struck me and really caught my attention. Reason? Never have news outlets been so enthusiastic about change. Never have news outlets adopted such an open door policy to their news reporting. It is a refreshing idea and I commend The Guardian for it!

 Source: TheGuardian

At the end of the day, newspapers have to stay relevant. Failure to do so will lead to their demise. No one can say these new initiatives will fail or succeed. Only time will tell. Deep down in my heart, I do hope the institution of journalism will continue to thrive, fingers crossed.