Future of Print Media Debated at UC
- Release Date:Wednesday, April 21, 2010
By Kathryn Gregory, Charleston Gazette
CHARLESTON, W.Va. More people are turning to the Internet for their news and advertising, but an advocate for newspapers says the print industry won't be shutting down any time soon.
"I do think there is a 25- to 30-year future for print products of various kinds, certainly newspapers," said John Sturm, CEO of the Newspaper Association of America.
"There is an enormous attraction for the printed page. People tell me all the time 'Gosh, don't let my newspaper go away.'"
Sturm squared off against John Abel of Team Light Bulb about whether electronic media would make print journalism obsolete. Dow Chemical Company sponsored the University of Charleston Speakers Series Wednesday evening. UC President Ed Welch moderated the debate.
On one hand, Abel said electronic media and distribution have already inflicted painful injuries on the newspaper and publishing injuries.
"I don't think they can recover," he said.
In 2000, classified ad sales made up almost $20 billion of the print industry. In this past year, it was only $6 billion, Abel said.
"And where did that advertising go? It went to Craigslist and eBay and other auction sites," he said.
Advertising has gone down and the last couple of years have been difficult for all media companies with the economic recession, Sturm said. But he acknowledged, "People are choosing to advertise in different places."
But even with many advertisers trying the Internet, the Internet only works as a news generator depending on what people are looking for, Sturm said.
"If you're looking for news, perspective, analysis, thoughtful commentary, opinion ... those are the things the newspaper provides," Sturm said. "You don't find that on TV or most consumer magazines.
"As long as that is important to people in this country, newspapers that support quality journalism ... that is done by trusted, credible professionals day after day ... as long as those things are of great value, newspapers will be around."
Abel agreed with that, to a point.
"I don't think broadcast media has done nearly as good of a job in the context of news and analysis as newspapers have in general," he said.
"But if you're talking about online ... I think you can easily take someone who works for a newspaper and put them on the Web and I don't know that you lose very much in the process."
Sturm said that many of the bloggers and online journalists that people turn to for their news get their information from a newspaper.
"It came from the professional journalist on the street. The fundamental facts that need to be reported and discovered are coming from traditional journalists," he said.
Investigative journalism could also be in jeopardy if print dies, Sturm said.
"There will be less of it. It won't be as good and it will be less reliable," he said. "So far, the people who have had the big news stories online have been successful because they are selling their story to traditional media."
But Abel said the future isn't that bleak.
"There is no reason why an investigative journalist can't do what they do on the Web," he said. "It might be harder to find, but it will be there."
