How Do Newspapers Survive? By Changing, Murdoch Says

Tuesday November 18, 2008

Rupert Murdoch

Are newspapers dying, or merely changing? Are we witnessing the last gasps of print journalism, or the birth pangs of something new?

And if newspapers are to survive, what must they do to remain relevant and vital?

None other than Aussie media mogul Rupert Murdoch says the obituaries for newspapers are premature. Papers aren't dead, Murdoch says, but they must change to meet the needs of 21st century news consumers.

In a speech aired Sunday on Australian TV, the News Corp. CEO said newspapers would always be around, but would have to evolve from ink and paper to "news brands" that can be delivered in a variety of ways.

People are "hungrier for information than ever before," he said, adding that papers have an edge over bloggers because they are more trusted.

"It's true that in the coming decades, the printed versions of some newspapers will lose circulation. But if papers provide readers with news they can trust, we' ll see gains in circulation - on our Web pages, through our RSS feeds, in e-mails delivering customized news and advertising, to mobile phones," Murdoch said.

In his latest piece, New York Times media columnist David Carr essentially agrees with Murdoch that papers offer a kind of credibility and expertise that other outlets can't match.

"Right now, the consumer has all manner of text to choose from on platforms that range from a cellphone to broadsheet," Carr writes. "The critical point of difference journalism offers is that it can reduce the signal-to-noise ratio and provide trusted, branded information. That will be a business into the future, perhaps less paper-bound and smaller, but a very real business."

But Carr laments the fact that shortsighted cost-cutters at papers large and small are sacking some of their most talented and experienced journalists.

"It is not the young fresh faces that are getting whacked — they come cheap — but the most experienced, proven people in the room," Carr writes.

Newspapers, he adds, "won’t stay relevant to readers with generic content ginned up by newbies with no background in the communities they serve."

So what must newspapers do to survive? Change with the times and technology. Deliver content using tools that are convenient for the new century's news consumers.

But in making the transition to this brave new world, don't jettison what has always made newspapers unique - in-depth reporting, cogent commentary and comprehensive coverage of everything from the local school board meeting to the car-bomb attack in Iraq. The kind of coverage, in other words, that requires reporters with some experience and expertise - the kind of reporters readers can trust.

"Readers want what they've always wanted: a source they can trust," Murdoch said. "That has always been the role of great newspapers in the past. And that role will make newspapers great in the future."