Newspapers & Journalists Are Not A Dying Breed

What a newspaper will look like in 5 or 10 years will be very different from today, but I doubt they will die out altogether…in part because they are an “experience good.” Meaning, we like the experience we have when reading a newspaper. I believe a newspaper will be smaller, in tabloid format with clipped articles…depth of content will be on the website. The massive NY Times Sunday Edition and the likes will not be around, they are not sustainable in that format, but the NY Times will survive.

Journalists moreover, are I think, about to undergo a renaissance. Yes, in the world of pushbutton publishing anyone can write anything they want, from just about anywhere. The issues that will come to the forefront in the next few years however are; factual information, bias, investigation, reliability of news source…and good writing skills!

Let’s face it, probably about 98% of the content on the Web is mediocre at best. So good journalists will become highly valued.

What we will see, is a massive shake-up of the traditional media agencies. News services like CNN are increasingly becoming more “entertainment” than true news. CTV Newsnet in Canada is always 24 hours late on breaking news, but are excellent for re-caps of what you’ve missed.

What is going to change is the “contract” that has existed between the general public and traditional media. This will mean more stringent rules for professional journalists and more transparency.

So, am I out to lunch here?