mymediamusings

Newspapers Dying of Natural Causes

: Image by quinn.anya via Flickr

I am so tired of everyone trying to “save” newspapers. Not only have newspapers done a terrible job understanding how they might actually fit into the digital age, they have fought nearly every advance tooth-and-nail.

I think that PaidContent’s Lauren Rich Fine has said some very smart stuff in a recent post:

Bottom line, it becomes increasingly clear that newspapers are in dire straits. They won’t all survive, nor by the way, should they all. Newspapers’ unwillingness to grasp what is before their very eyes has been at the core of their current woes—but even if they had gotten it, the challenge would still be enormous. Years ago, the Chicago Sun-Times probably had it right when it tried to offer very-low-cost web-site creation and hosting for local small businesses. It could still be done. Newspapers could be the local ad network that is so sorely missing from the mix. Newspapers could offer free PDF-like versions of their paper daily and only distribute a day or two a week. Newspapers could prove they are the best editors by pouring all their limited resources into great local stories and investigations, while complementing it with links to the best content on the web. New sites like Mother Nature Network, which focuses on environmental news; MedCity News, with a focus on the business of health; Politico; Global Post; Pro Publica; and others could fill the gaps, while local reporters could help make sense of all of it from a local perspective.

Most importantly, Fine notes that no matter what newspapers do they will never return to their highest heights so they can either work their asses off to find a new way to do business or fade away like so many horse-drawn carriages.