Mark Evans

Newspapers vs. The Web

Listening to the radio on the commute home, a newspaper editor made a short but effective comment on the future of newspapers at a time when more news and advertising is going to the Web: “We will report to the Web and write to the newspaper”. What this means is much of the as-it-happens news will appear online for quick consumption - whether it's political events, sports reports, business deals, etc., while stories offering context and perspective, and long feature stories that offer more than just “here's what happened” will be newspaper staples. This makes perfect sense because the immediacy of the Web as a news delivery medium makes much of the news in newspapers stale by the time they appear on your porch in the morning. This isn't to suggest newspapers will turn into quasi-magazines but newspapers will have to change the way they operate. While it's certainly a challenge, it is also an opportunity for newspapers to re-invent themselves and redefine how they add value. Of course, a key part of this change will be the adoption of a holistic approach in which a newspapers' online operations (Web site, podcasts, blogs, video blogs, e-mail newsletters) are closely integrated with the physical newspaper. If done well, newspapers have a good shot of retaining their vitality and viability.