Pruitt went as far as saying that "the inevitable conclusion is that newspapers are dying." But he also reminded that “it's the business model that is under stress."

On the other hand, panelists defended the necessity of quality journalism and the need for newspapers to foster good journalists.

"If you are going to do great journalism you need great journalists. Not business men," said Bill Keller, Executive Editor of The New York Times.

While admitting that he was addicted to blogs himself, Keller reminded that bloggers and new media can’t always afford the funds for original reporting. And bloggers will never be held to the same journalist ethics as reporters.

Panelists seemed to share the same outlook for the future of online news and newspapers, along rather straightforward trends: more advertising, more multimedia, a continuous news cycle, more user-generated content and more focus on local coverage.

Perhaps most significant weren’t the ideas suggested to save newspapers’ business model. Rather it was the realization that “it is clear that at least three out of the four panelists believed that newspapers as we know them will not exist for much longer,” reported Beyond Chron.

Source: Beyond Chron