Opinion: what the recession means for newspapers

Posted by Emma Heald on January 6, 2009 at 10:24 AM

Peter Wilby wondered in the Guardian whether 2009 might see "a revival for serious journalism" in light of the economic recession. He quotes former Daily Express editor Richard Addis who wrote that "when things go wrong, you look for wisdom." Wilby does not think that past events have given credence to this view, and suggests that in difficult times, people actually look for "glamour and escapism."

He believes that this recession will permanently reduce the amount of media advertising, and newspapers will have to be "more selective about the readers they are trying to attract." According to Addis, "there's no future for 126-page papers filled with a mix of heavy, light, UK, foreign, business, arts and sporting news." Wilby agrees, insisting that papers will have to decide what they do well and focus on that, rather than trying to offer everything. He cites the Financial Times as a successful example of this, as it concentrates on its core business readership. "Mass-market journalism," he states, "is by definition doomed" as it adds little to what is available free online.

He also thinks there will be significant changes in the way papers are delivered, with more becoming online-only, published only a couple of days a week.

Source: The Guardian, Shakeup Media