The unpredictable media revolution

Posted by John Burke on October 25, 2005 at 4:04 PM

In a great read, media commentator Roy Greenslade gives a roundup of how the entire media industry is feeling saying, "We are in the middle of a media revolution. Nobody knows where it will lead. Media moguls are as uncertain about the future as junior journalists." But unlike other pundits, he thinks print will survive.

Greenslade cites journalism professor Philip Meyer who predicted that the last newspaper will be published in 2040. But he believes "that newspaper publishers are now beginning to respond to the challenge" of new media and will be around for a long time.

The article mentions every newspaper publisher's worry; sliding advertising, younger generations that don't pay for news, news consumers migrating to other media. He talks of the Carnegie Corporation study that showed the changing habit of young readers and Rupert Murdoch's recent online acquisitions.

But in the end, Greenslade's positive outlook for newspapers is confirmed, with one stipulation: "Only by embracing the net, using it positively to boost newspaper buying, can we hope to maintain interest in the print medium. Rather than bowing our heads we should see this as the most exciting time in media history."

Source: The Telegraph

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