Life beyond print: Newspaper journalists’ digital appetite

By on October 22nd, 2009 In Media

lifebeyondprintAccording to a new report: “Life beyond print: Newspaper journalists’ digital appetite” by the Media Management Center, Northwestern University, almost half of today’s newspaper journalists think their newsroom’s transition from print to digital is moving too slowly and they have no trouble envisioning a career where news is delivered primarily online and to mobile devices instead of in print.

The study of almost 3,800 people at 79 newspaper newsrooms shows America’s journalists want a quicker transformation from print to digital delivery of the news. Many of these journalists are heavily engaged in digital activities in their personal lives and would like to devote more effort to digital activities at work. But most of their time in the newsroom is still spent on print responsibilities.

The study created profiles of six types of journalists ranging from the “Digitals” (12% of the workforce) who spend a majority of their efforts online today to the “Turn Back the Clock” contingent (6%) who long for the day when print was king.

Online desire in the newsroom is not determined by age, years of journalism experience, or proximity to retirement. And youth is not a factor in predicting who in the newsroom wants to move into digital. Rather, the top two predictors of digital appetite are heavy Internet use outside work and having knowledge of online audiences and their preferences.

Please visit the Media Management Center here to read the more complete PDF version of the report.

Comments

Marketing $ociologist Says:
October 22nd, 2009 at 9:32 am

Thank you, Ms. Fink. Compliments to Len Gutman for facilitating education in public relations.

Thank for bringing this subject to mine, and everyone else’s, attention. This is why I visit this site daily – to keep current on marketing communications. There are so few sites that do this; less than two hands full of fingers.

Abbie S. Fink Says:
October 22nd, 2009 at 9:38 am

My pleasure!

Pat Elliott Says:
October 22nd, 2009 at 4:01 pm

This transition was a key topic when I was in J-School and why I majored in broadcast journalism instead of print. It has been and continues to be a very slow process.

SocialPark Says:
October 23rd, 2009 at 2:34 am

Well said..
barbara

Deb Krol Says:
October 23rd, 2009 at 4:43 pm

There won’t be any complete transition to e-media in, well most likely, ever. [or at least in our lifetimes...]

There are way too many folks out there who lack access to electronic media to ever get rid of printed news media. I know I had this out with somebody else on this blog–do you REALLY want to disenfranchise 20 percent of the population because they cannot afford or cannot gain access to the Internet? I don’t really think you all want to do that.

Try leaving Phoenix once in a while, folks. Or if you do, actually take the time to talk with locals instead of just hanging around the lodge…

Brent Diggins Says:
October 26th, 2009 at 11:50 am

I have come to the conclusion that the newspaper industry is waiting for complete implosion before they will do anything.

I always draw a comparison to the music industry. When the Internet and the concept of file sharing first appeared, people were giving away songs (copyright content of another party) away to other people, posting CDs to websites etc.

What happened? The music industry took swift and decisive action to ensure that their entire industry did not go completely under. File share 10 songs? They’d send you a threatening letter, and to add teeth to it would actually sue people for ungodly amounts of money, pursue the case, and heavily publicize it.

And the record industry joined together. It wasn’t one major record label. It was the entire industry coming together saying “if we don’t do something, we’ll go under.”

By doing this they controlled regained control of their content and of their business, and were able to generate revenue by charging for it.

The newspaper industry gives their product away for free to the consumer online (for the most part) with an unsustainable business model.

They have no control over their content, and before they take the next step forward to going all digital they have to do this. Sure, it’ll cost money and take a big effort, but such is the nature.

Of course, as the previous poster mentioned, some people will still subscribe to the print edition too.

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