Does news need to be constant?

It seems impossible, in the era of the 24 hour news channel and portable internet, that we should even consider going without a daily update on the news that matters to us.

However, it seems that one French paper has decided to deliberately take a step back from this constant news production line and do something rather unorthodox: take a holiday (in print, at least).

As Le Monde reported, the French daily La Tribune, which specialises in finance and business news, the paper announced on 5 August that there would be no paper editions during the following two weeks, which coincide with the French summer holiday period, when many city dwellers head for the country.

It is very common for French papers to reduce their paper formats during the summer period: Le Monde and Le Figaro are just over half their usual size during the summer period and free papers cease distribution completely.

Despite this annual trend, it is still highly unusual for a renowned paper with a purchase cost to stop printing.

Unfortunately, the publication has not taken this decision entirely voluntarily; it has been forced to make drastic economies due to its unstable financial position. Valérie Decamp, who took control of the paper for one euro, has promised radical restructuring of the paper in order to save it from ruin and this 'summer vacation' is just a part of the plan.

Print journalism, which obviously is far less instantaneous than digital media, is sometimes accused of being too slow to keep abreast of the ever-changing world of current events, particularly for those in the fast-moving finance sector. However, La Tribune has ensured that it can continue to offer up to the minute information to its customers, as it will be available to all those who subscribe to its digital formats, on P.C., mobile and tablet, throughout this summer closure.

If Decamp's plan for summer closure is a success, perhaps other struggling dailies will follow suit and decide that, for once, it might be a good idea to take a holiday. Will such a decision mean that some print-readers realise they don't need the paper version any more and go digital?

Sources: Le Monde