Newspapers: The death of print media

The death of print media is a critical contemporary media debate.

It is highly relevant to our work both on magazines (Men's Health and Oh Comely) as well as the current topic of newspapers.

Complete the blog tasks below linked to the useful Media Factsheet 165: The death of print media.

The death of print media: Factsheet blog tasks

Go to our Media Factsheet archive on the Media Shared drive and openFactsheet 165: The death of print media. Our Media Factsheet archive is on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets

1) What has happened to print media in the last 30 years?

In the last 30 years, print media was one of the main sources of information for audiences. However, since the increase of digital media, the print media industry has declined immensely as sales have decreased and some companies have shut down. 

2) Why is the Independent newspaper such a good case study for the decline in print media?

At its peak during the late 90s, the Independent generally had a circulation of around 280,000. However, compared to its contemporaries, this circulation was low. In 1992, when the Independent’s average circulation was 389,523, The Sun had an average circulation of 3.5m readers, while the Daily Mail had 2.9m. In 2010, the company was purchased by Evgeny Lebedev for a nominal £1 and £9.25m over the next 10 months. This purchase reflected the financial difficulty of the company, and was followed by the scandal surrounding the reporting of Johann Hari. It was claimed that Hari’s reporting contained inaccuracies and plagiarised materials; Hari later conceded that these claims were correct. He was stripped of the Orwell Prize he received in 2008, and the incident damaged the reputation of the paper. Following an ever-decreasing circulation, Lebedev confirmed in February 2016 that the Independent would cease printing at the end of the following month.

3) What was the Independent newspaper famous for?

The newspaper’s selling line was, until 2011, “free from political bias,
free from proprietorial influence”, and the reporting somewhat reflected this; in the last decade of its publication the Independent became known for its unorthodox and campaigning front pages.

4) What did the then-owner of the Independent, Evgeny Lebedev, say about the newspaper's digital-only future?

“The newspaper industry is changing, and that change is being driven by readers. They’re showing us that the future is digital. This decision preserves the Independent brand and allows us to continue to invest in the high quality editorial content that is attracting more and more readers to our online platforms.” Evegeny Lebedev

5) How do online newspapers make money?

Online newspapers monetise through using a paywall on articles and online subscription. 

6) What did the Independent's longest-serving editor Simon Kelner warn regarding the switch to digital?
Simon Kelner, the paper’s longest serving editor said, “For me, the power of the Independent came from the variety of voices, the originality in its design and the iconoclastic feel of the paper. It is very difficult to replicate that in digital form. And it is even more difficult to do that with a paper like the Independent.”

7) What is the concern with fake news? What does 'post-truth' refer to?
Online news sites are easy to set up, and the simple news format is easy to replicate. Unlike printed media, you do not need
the money, publisher, or industry access to ‘sell’ or share your message.Together with this and the prevalence of social media, online news is now faster to produce and then share to a global audience.

8) What is your view on the decline in print media? Should news be free? Is it a concern that established media brands such as the Independent can no longer afford to exist as a printed newspaper?
I think the decline in print media was inevitably going to happen and as time goes on and digital media develops further there will be a decline in print media all together. The decline in print media, especially for news, is not a negative thing as the use of digital media to communicate news is more convenient for audiences in present time as the world we now live in is heavily impacted by the internet and social media applications. Making news consumption heavily based on digital media can be seen as more beneficial for readers as aspects such as citizen journalism is more susceptible and people can share their own personal experiences to do with happenings, making the news feel more truthful, less bias and personally relateable rather than being distributed through a set editor or journalist.