NDM: The decline of the newspaper industry
The future of newspapers
On your blog, write a paragraph summarising the argument the article makes. Then answer the following questions:
The article talks about how print journalism used to ''set the news agenda for the rest of the media'', however now since newspapers are dying out they have become a less prominent platform. The article also explores how newspapers are cutting their funds, as more and more newspapers are available online for free.
1) Do you agree with its view that it is ‘a cause for concern, but not for panic’?
Some newspapers are still providing good quality content, since they invest in ''the kind of investigative stories which often benefit society. Also news- aggregation sites such as Google, gather sources from various newspapers all over the world. an estimated 48% of adults use the internet nowadays.
2) The article is 10 years old - an eternity in digital media terms. Have the writer's predictions come to pass? Use statistics from your Ofcom research to support or challenge the writer's argument.
The writer is accurate to an extent, as non-profit organisations such as The Guardian still flourish today on the online platform with an estimated 48% of adults use the internet nowadays.
The idea of thousands of fired up bloggers is also true as sites now provide UGC which allows anyone to post their own ideas and beliefs
3) The Economist suggests that high-quality journalism in the future will be backed by non-profit organisations rather than profit-seeking media corporations. Is there any evidence for this? How is the Guardian funded? What do major stories from the last year such as the Panama Papers suggest about how investigative journalism is conducted in the digital age?
Build The Wall
1) Summarise each section in one sentence:
2) Summarise David Simon’s overall argument in 250 words.
David Simon
3) The New York Times added a paywall in 2011 - two years after David Simon's essay. Read this summary of the New York Times's paywall - why does the writer suggest the NYT's paywall was successful?
It was successful because it found an effective way to generate income without the use of ads. This was in response to the ''growing use of ad-blockers'' on mobile phones. the article also states the the NY Times are ''committed to quality journalism'' which is important because consumers are mostly likely going to subscribe to an online news provider that is good at analysing and reporting on various news stories.
4) The Washington Post followed with its own paywall in 2013. Read this article about the launch of the Post's paywall. List one strength and one weaknesses of newspaper paywalls that the article discusses.
Strength- Those willing to pay are a more valuable audience to advertisers.
Weakness- Pageviews go down- less income.
5) Read this Guardian comment by AC Grayling piece on the state of journalism that was published the year before David Simon's essay. What references to new and digital media can you find in AC Grayling's argument? Overall, do you feel the comment piece is positive or negative about the influence of new/digital media on the newspaper industry?
''But at present a great deal of data gets arrowed around the world in split seconds, a lot of it such that someone somewhere would rather it were kept quiet.''- The issue of privacy and how some people may gain access to private information that was not intended to be public (despite security filters). She also talks about the ''volum of rubbish'' on the internet- this links to the quality of content deteriorating in NDM as more poeple can now write whatever they want online and publish it (UGC)
Overall I feel the piece is has quite a negative view of new and digital media as the writer states that anyone is free to challenge journalists on what they have written and also provide their own content that is not up to par. However she states that the presence of this type of journalism would pave the way for audiences to consume more reliable content.
6) Finally, what is your own opinion? Do you agree that newspapers need to put online content behind a paywall in order for the journalism industry to survive? Would you be willing to pay for news online? Critical autonomy is the key skill in A2 Media - you need to be able form opinions on these issues.
As someone who often accesses their news on the online platform, on sites such as The Guardian, I think that is is not entirely necessary for newspapers to put up a paywall, as most people are not willing to pay for content that they need to access in an instant. This also brings up the issue of how long audiences spend on news-sites and how many news stories they access. If someone only goes on the Guardian just to see the ''main stories for the day'' and rarely clicks on all of them, should that content be paid for? Also, by making newspapers free, anyone can access the top stories and latest news, anywhere. However I do feel as if this affects the quality of journalism, which may make people want to pay for news online.
On your blog, write a paragraph summarising the argument the article makes. Then answer the following questions:
The article talks about how print journalism used to ''set the news agenda for the rest of the media'', however now since newspapers are dying out they have become a less prominent platform. The article also explores how newspapers are cutting their funds, as more and more newspapers are available online for free.
1) Do you agree with its view that it is ‘a cause for concern, but not for panic’?
Some newspapers are still providing good quality content, since they invest in ''the kind of investigative stories which often benefit society. Also news- aggregation sites such as Google, gather sources from various newspapers all over the world. an estimated 48% of adults use the internet nowadays.
2) The article is 10 years old - an eternity in digital media terms. Have the writer's predictions come to pass? Use statistics from your Ofcom research to support or challenge the writer's argument.
The writer is accurate to an extent, as non-profit organisations such as The Guardian still flourish today on the online platform with an estimated 48% of adults use the internet nowadays.
The idea of thousands of fired up bloggers is also true as sites now provide UGC which allows anyone to post their own ideas and beliefs
3) The Economist suggests that high-quality journalism in the future will be backed by non-profit organisations rather than profit-seeking media corporations. Is there any evidence for this? How is the Guardian funded? What do major stories from the last year such as the Panama Papers suggest about how investigative journalism is conducted in the digital age?
Build The Wall
1) Summarise each section in one sentence:
- Section 1 (To all of the bystanders reading this…)
- Section 2 (Truth is, a halting movement toward...)
Daily consumers of these newspapers are willing to pay because whether its available online or not, however are other audiences willing to pay and use the digitized version when there many more news providers that do it free.
- Section 3 (Beyond Mr. Sulzberger and Ms. Weymouth…)
There is a high chance that these newspapers will lose readers, if it puts up a paywall, but this small anomaly will not affect the newspapers in a huge way- they would still have a large amount of consumers.
- Section 4 (For the industry, it is later than it should be…)
If the newspapers do put up a paywall, there is a high chance of them succeeding and outdoing local/ regional newspapers as they provide ''unique and essential'' content.
2) Summarise David Simon’s overall argument in 250 words.
David Simon
3) The New York Times added a paywall in 2011 - two years after David Simon's essay. Read this summary of the New York Times's paywall - why does the writer suggest the NYT's paywall was successful?
It was successful because it found an effective way to generate income without the use of ads. This was in response to the ''growing use of ad-blockers'' on mobile phones. the article also states the the NY Times are ''committed to quality journalism'' which is important because consumers are mostly likely going to subscribe to an online news provider that is good at analysing and reporting on various news stories.
4) The Washington Post followed with its own paywall in 2013. Read this article about the launch of the Post's paywall. List one strength and one weaknesses of newspaper paywalls that the article discusses.
Strength- Those willing to pay are a more valuable audience to advertisers.
Weakness- Pageviews go down- less income.
5) Read this Guardian comment by AC Grayling piece on the state of journalism that was published the year before David Simon's essay. What references to new and digital media can you find in AC Grayling's argument? Overall, do you feel the comment piece is positive or negative about the influence of new/digital media on the newspaper industry?
''But at present a great deal of data gets arrowed around the world in split seconds, a lot of it such that someone somewhere would rather it were kept quiet.''- The issue of privacy and how some people may gain access to private information that was not intended to be public (despite security filters). She also talks about the ''volum of rubbish'' on the internet- this links to the quality of content deteriorating in NDM as more poeple can now write whatever they want online and publish it (UGC)
Overall I feel the piece is has quite a negative view of new and digital media as the writer states that anyone is free to challenge journalists on what they have written and also provide their own content that is not up to par. However she states that the presence of this type of journalism would pave the way for audiences to consume more reliable content.
6) Finally, what is your own opinion? Do you agree that newspapers need to put online content behind a paywall in order for the journalism industry to survive? Would you be willing to pay for news online? Critical autonomy is the key skill in A2 Media - you need to be able form opinions on these issues.
As someone who often accesses their news on the online platform, on sites such as The Guardian, I think that is is not entirely necessary for newspapers to put up a paywall, as most people are not willing to pay for content that they need to access in an instant. This also brings up the issue of how long audiences spend on news-sites and how many news stories they access. If someone only goes on the Guardian just to see the ''main stories for the day'' and rarely clicks on all of them, should that content be paid for? Also, by making newspapers free, anyone can access the top stories and latest news, anywhere. However I do feel as if this affects the quality of journalism, which may make people want to pay for news online.
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