The future of the news media
ONE general observation is that there has been a growing decline in the readership of traditional news. And this trend found worldwide is not only due to the presence of Internet and mobile technology but because of changes in consumer tastes and behavior.
Some 73 years ago, one of our favorite journalism gurus, Bernard Berelson wrote “What Missing a Newspaper Means” after a newspaper strike in New York City. He found that the newspaper was a necessity among most readers as it gave them access to commentaries, current events, and editorials which they used as touchstone for their opinions. He gathered these comments: “When you read, it takes your mind away from other things; It’s like being a fish out of water; Not to have a newspaper is like being in jail; Can’t enjoy my coffee at breakfast without my favorite paper.” He translated these perceptions into our academic language as “a source of information on public affairs and their interpretation, a tool for daily living, a respite, and a source for social prestige and social contact.”
Many still believe that newspapers will continue to exist but its format would change. A Pew survey found that a majority of respondents spend at least 40 minutes reading the local newspaper and often prefer the print over the online edition.
The recent Filipino-Hawaii Chronicle’s cover story, “Newspaper Industry is on Life Support” by Edwin Quinabo, relates observations and opinions on the state of the news media in this island state. One is the employment cutback where 15 newsroom employees of a local newspaper were laid off – that this was perhaps the sign of the times in a beleaguered industry, he noted. Editor and Publisher DataBook also shows that there are 126 fewer daily newspaper in 2014 than 2004. For the past 15 years, the industry has been undergoing structural changes moving towards having a digital presence on the Internet, to be in news cycles of popular social media platforms, and to tech-in to news apps for mobile phones. Consolidation is commonplace as giant chains devour other newspaper chains and reader migration moves from traditional print to digital platforms.
In his interview with my friend, Dr. Teresita Bernales, the latter noted that one reason for the decline in readership of traditional print, is that many do not like to read as they can perform other tasks while listening to news. The population which is used to reading is aging and the readership of this group is low. We need a new kind of journalism, one that resonates with us humans, she says. Informationonly type of journalism does not attract readers as it lacks passion and does not hold the reader’s interest. Readers need more ideas and context. Newspapers need to be saved because they provide value in a democratic society. But it must be credible and reliable. Targeting a market or finding a niche audience is what many talk about as the future of journalism.”
Today’s media consumer does not only want access to information. He/she wants to be involved, to participate in the development of the content. In this interactive environment, he wants to select the content, and actively participate as producer and consumer.
The new journalism must be a “journalism of partnership,” according to another scholar, Michael Skoler who observed that many do not want to simply be fed with information but they also want to find and share it with others as well as connect with sources and centers instead of going through a reporter of a news organization.
But many of the present news organizations must be willing to operate with a smaller staff and deploy mobile devices, says Ruth Harper in an article for Inquiries Journal, “The impact of social media on journalism.” Here, she noted that Twitter and Facebook had affected most news organizations for better or worse. The issue is relationship between the two and how news will be covered by the social media. Twitter will continue to play a role in “breaking news.” It appears more relevant than the other tools because its users participate via a variety of mobile devices. Only with trust and connection will a new business model emerge.
Here, at home, our big “3” – the Manila Bulletin (estimated as having the largest daily circulation of almost 30,000, followed by the Philippine Daily Inquirer and the Philippine Star and the rest of the six broadsheets – Manila Times, Manila Standard, Business World, Business Mirror, Malaya, and Daily Tribune – are aware that they have to innovate and take advantage of the new technologies by going digital.
An ABS-CBN feature story, “Future of news is bracing for next wave technology” by Rob Lever of Agence France Presse, notes that the next wave of disruption is likely to be more profound. News organizations that struggled to keep relevant as readers moved online and to the use of mobile devices, will soon have to adapt to artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality, and automated journalism. Among these technologies are Voice interface, chat apps and voice skills, AI, drones, and virtual reality. In 2018, a critical mass of emerging technologies will converge, some providing ability to interpret visual data, collect increasing amounts of data, develop algorithms to write or interpret news, and will allow journalists to do richer, deeper reporting, fact-checking, and editing. Journalists with training to use these systems and tools could acquire superpowers.