The traditional news industry needs to pivot | Digital Letterpress: Part 1

If there is anything certain in today’s world, it’s that the weather will do what it wants, money still does not grow on trees, and change is inevitable. Technology is a prime example of how quickly change can affect society. My current cellphone, for instance, will probably be the “previous big thing” before it even installs its first software update. Everything in our current society must learn to adapt. Another certainty due to my generation is that printed newspapers are nearly as extinct as the tyrannosaurus rex (aside from the world of Spielberg). New trends in the way younger people seek their news has injured print circulation. Change has come upon the newspaper industry, and it must decide how it will respond. Unless overhauled for the evolving times in which we live, the current traditional format for newspapers will fade into distant memory.

When thinking about the success or failure of a product, raw numbers are good places to start. In order for businesses to stay alive, they must stay profitable. As they begin the trend of losing money, they find themselves in grave danger. The newspaper industry is no different. As recently as 2013, Alan Mutter of Newsosaur cites the newspaper industry’s reliance on its printed advertising sales. He reports that 80% of many newspapers’ income hinges on that source. With 80% of a company’s income tied to a dwindling medium, concerns about that company’s future should be raised. Readers are not investing in the traditional newspaper format any longer. According to Poynter’s Andrew Beaujon, 60% of people under the age of 25 receive their news digitally rather than by traditional means. As sales drop, the draw for businesses to use the print format to reach audiences will become less and less a savvy advertising investment. It would make greater business sense for them to find alternate methods of reaching their customers. Such moves leave the printed newspaper with a giant income vacancy to fill. That is a dangerous spiral downward for the current format if its reliance upon such income methods continues.

Aside from the boring (coming from an English Lit guy) numbers, what is the real story here? Why is the format struggling?

In simple terms, it is an outdated form of communication in a world that moves much faster than it did in decades past. News now circulates instantaneously; instead of day by day, it is now released and reported moment by moment. The advent of the internet and mobile phones has quite literally put the news at the fingertips of readers without the need to wait for a newspaper. My generation may be good or even great at some things but waiting is not one of them. When the news is a few clicks away, waiting until the following day to either get the newspaper at my doorstep or actually go to the store to buy one seems absurd. I live in a generation that sends and receives information within seconds, and that is exactly what we have come to expect from our news sources. Having interviewed nearly a dozen of my coworkers within the age range of 18 to 30, they all expressed their lack of interest in keeping up with the print format of newspapers. None of them have special ties to the medium and therefore don’t feel the need to use it for their news consumption. One coworker specifically cited that she did not read printed newspapers because they are not “readily available” right when she needs or wants them. They have to be sought out instead of being right on hand.

While this might be an indictment of the mindset of my generation, I believe it to also highlight the newspaper industry’s lack of adaptation. The younger generation is quickly finding other avenues to stay informed, and those avenues are through digital means. We now live in a world that is rapidly becoming paperless. Universities use the internet to connect students with instructors in almost every way now. Lecture notes can be found online instead of being printed. Assignments and tests are often administered online. Many instructors like to receive student essays through online submission as well. The business world has gravitated toward the use of tablets to circumvent the need to print an entire tree’s worth of paper. Society has made strides toward conservation and preservation, further highlighting our collective move toward a paperless generation. Print newspaper will obviously take a hit with such a societal mindset. Digitizing the medium is a must, or it will not exist in the coming generations.

Speaking of generations, a look at the mindset of my current generation also gives an interesting perspective of the failure of newsprint. My generation loves being connected with one another. We love the idea of community. We connect with each other on Facebook, and we connect with our idols (actors, celebrities, musicians, etc.) through outlets like Twitter. The concept of being “close” without the need for actual proximity appeals to us. The closeness we achieve to peers and pros gives us the sense that our voices and opinions matter. We can speak directly to a band member, actor, or the authors of our favorite books. The traditional newspaper format does not give readers any of those advantages. We like instant contact, but it’s a completely disconnected reading experience. Writing letters into editors is an old form of communication that does not allow for instant dialogue between reader and writer/editor. The industry needs to find ways to connect with readers and make them feel like more than just content consumers. Other forms of media have capitalized on giving followers the sense of being “part of the process.” While readers cannot truly be part of the news process, newspapers still need to create ways to be more interactive. I only see the industry being able to make those strides in a digital format instead of through traditional means.

While I am by no means spelling the death of journalism or of the news, I am calling for a serious overhaul in how it’s being released. It cannot continue to thrive in its current format. Our society has gotten to a place where the print medium does not reach the younger audience, and as that audience gets older, newsprint will continue to fade. In order to stay alive, the format needs to adapt. Reaching audiences’ fingertips means reaching them through laptops, tablets, and cellphones instead of through ink-stained paper. Change is constant, and anything—including the newspaper—that cannot adapt will find itself only left in landfills and museums.