The Future of Print Readership: Following Cultural Trends
A. INTRODUCTION
Research Goals
Over the past several years, it has been widely reported that print newspaper circulation has declined substantially. More and more readers prefer to get their news from other forms of media. Consequently, advertisements have been migrating away from print newspapers to other channels that have wider and growing audiences. With fewer advertising dollars to support the operations of print media organizations, hundreds of journalist positions have been eliminated, adversely impacting print newspapers and arguably the quality of their content.
As a budding journalist, I have naturally been following these developments with keen interest for quite some time now. The world is becoming increasingly driven by technological advances and the news industry is transforming rapidly in unexpected ways. Since many media experts are predicting the inevitable death of print media, I decided to research this topic to examine the reasons behind this prediction. My goals are to explore whether print media is destined to die off as so many have forecast and to suggest changes which print media can make to remain relevant going forward. This research is extremely pertinent to today's society and helps us better understand the rapidly transforming face of journalism and its impact on and interaction with society.
Research Approach
My research approach isolates the main factors causing this consumer shift from print to online media, and seeks to determine whether the content, presentation and delivery of print media can be adapted to incorporate and address these factors, in order for print newspapers to survive and thrive in the future.
I will analyze the shift from print newspapers to online media from three perspectives: cultural changes, story content/presentation and new technologies. My focus is especially on
1) the reader's behavioral changes in response to these three developments,
2) how these changes determine the types of stories that appeal to different audiences and the underlying reasons for this appeal, as well as
3) how technological advancements have shaped journalism.
Targeted Sources
Traditionally, books represent a fertile research source. However, given how quickly the developments in the media industry are unfolding, I find that the best research sources for my topic are those that are available on a timely basis and track industry developments as they occur. There is a trove of sources that are readily accessible on the Internet, including articles written by research organizations and universities. Both print and online newspaper articles that I've been collecting have also proven useful.
Since my research focuses on reader behavior and preferences, I plan on augmenting my research by conducting small-scale surveys, if feasible, to determine and gauge consumer preferences and behavior. In addition, I plan to interview and consult industry experts, such as journalism and communication professors at research universities, and industry professionals like Meredith Artley, who is the executive online editor at the Los Angeles Times. Researching what industry professionals are seeing on a daily basis in terms of audience behavior and circulation trends as well as what they are doing to adapt to the changing landscape should prove extremely instructive.
Structure for Research Results
My research will be presented in four separate papers at the end of each quarter. This first paper discusses the cultural changes that have caused the migration of readers from print to online media. The second and third papers will examine how story content and new technologies, respectively, have affected print and online journalism. I will present in the final paper a list of features about print media that readers still like and enjoy and the aspects of online news that readers dislike. I will then conclude by recommending a series of changes to the content and presentation of both print and online media, enabling them to thrive and make each other better.
B. CURRENT STATE OF THE INDUSTRY
The advent and widespread availability of the Internet play a large role in why Americans are reading more news online instead of in print newspapers – the Internet is convenient and fast, and allows users to multitask. Roughly 92 million people go online to read news, and the time spent online is rapidly increasing as well, according to State of the News Media (2007) – Americans now go online roughly 8.9 hours per week, a one-hour increase from 2005, according to University of Southern California's Center for the Digital Future (2007). It also reported (2007, p. 2) that about 68.1 percent of Americans use the Internet for various purposes, “a substantial increase from the 46.9 percent of users who reported home Internet use in 2000.”
With the increased use of the Internet, people don't have to search deliberately for news – it comes to them. A State of the News Media report (2007) found that by spending more time online, Internet users stumble across more news sites, even if unintentionally. Although a speedier Internet should lead to users having to spend less time online, in fact they are spending more time online engaging in activities like e-mailing and finding information for work or school. The increase in the use of Internet broadband connections is one of the reasons for this substantial increase in time spent online, reported University of Southern California's Center for the Digital Future (2007). Since readers only have a certain amount of time each day to follow the news, one might surmise that having news “served” on them while they are online results in less time and desire to get the news from other sources, including print newspapers.
While undoubtedly the decline in print newspaper readership is partly due to readers preferring to get their news from online sources, there is evidence that print media's decline can also be attributed to fewer people reading news, whether online or in print. For example, adults now in their 20s have not consumed the news at the same rate as 20-year olds did in earlier generations, according to State of the News Media (2004).
This trend is not isolated to the “twenty-somethings.” The younger and middle-aged readers have grown up in an environment in which the need to follow the news is not as compelling as that experienced by those 65 and older. In fact, State of the News Media (2004) found evidence that many have stopped reading the news completely for whatever reason.
The same report stated that based on “2003 data from Scarborough Research, a consumer market company, only 40 percent of people aged 18 to 24 read a paper on weekdays, and less than half on Sundays (48 percent). The numbers are slightly higher for people 25-35 (41 percent weekdays and 52 percent Sundays)” (State of the News Media, 2004, p. 6).
Though the decline in newspaper readership is most acute among the younger generations, as the graph below shows, even the readership among those over 65 years old has dropped by one percent since 1999 for daily and Sunday newspapers, according to a State of the News Media report (2004). Still, the older generation grew up with print newspapers and has for the most part stayed consistent in news consumption habits.
C. CULTURAL CHANGES
Demographics and Rise of the Internet
The children of Baby-Boomers have had a huge impact on the relative fortunes of print and online news readership. One of the main differences between the current generation and our parents' and grandparents' generations is that they did not grow up with the Internet. In contrast, the current generation grew up along with the rise of the Internet, and we often look to the Internet as the primary source to get information, including news. In a 2004 survey conducted by the Readership Institute, 39 percent of respondents who are 35 years old and over said they read the newspaper growing up – for 18-24 year olds, it's only 16 percent. Online news consumption, as with other types of online information, is naturally and culturally appealing to Generation X.
Not only is our generation going online for news, but the Internet has made converts out of older generations as well. The University of Southern California's Center for the Digital Future reported that 77.6 percent of Americans who are 12 years old and over are now going online. As the graph below shows, the percentage of the people accessing the Internet has increased greatly since 1995.
Modeling Parents
The same 2004 study by the Readership Institute discovered that there is a link between the amount of news children consume and how much news their parents read while the children were growing up. Also, if reading and discussing news was not common in a child's household, then based on the study the child would read less news as an adult. However, the study did not address online readership, posing the question: If parents began reading online newspapers when they were younger (most major print newspapers had online counterparts by the late 1990s), then are their children more prone to adopting those same readership habits?
Changing Nature of Daily Lives
In today's fast-paced society, everything needs to be done as efficiently as possible and time cannot be wasted. Multitasking has become an important and almost necessary skill to be able to live a successful, productive life. Such behavior has become especially prevalent among teenagers, who are the most familiar with multitasking, doing things like listening to their iTunes, emailing their friends and finishing their school reports all at the same time.
In the 1950s when the only way to receive news was through the print newspaper that was delivered to your house every morning, many people had factory jobs with regular schedules, according to the State of the News Media (2004). Now, it is not realistic to expect people to wait for the paper to arrive every morning when there are other outlets to get news. Work schedules are not as predictable as they used to be and as a result, people are leaving and coming home at different times; often, people are working longer hours than are healthy. Therefore, the ability to receive updated news online at 11 p.m. or 6 a.m. is important for those who want to stay “in the know.” Even so, working longer hours does mean there is less time to read a print newspaper or watch T.V. to get news.
With new technology comes an impatient society in which people want their news on their own terms, meaning when and where they want it. Timeliness and convenience have become one of the key factors in people's preference to read news online. People do not want to waste their time reading an article that is days or even hours old, or have to go out of their way to find the closest newsstand or wait for the morning paper to arrive.
Busy schedules have also led to less time for the news. There is too much to do, and readers are prioritizing different activities, with reading news near the bottom. A State of the News Media Report (2004, p. 7) stated that “the more important trend today may be what is happening to readers between the ages of 34 and 64, the people who should be the prime target for becoming citizens engaged in civil society. These are the people buying houses, having children, worrying about schools, building their careers, running for office, becoming leaders in their communities. Their numbers are declining as well, and in some cases at a faster rate than for people under 34.”
Waning Interest in News
In addition to people's busy schedules, reduced interest in news generally may also have contributed to the drop in print readership. Many readers say they don't have time or the interest to read the news. A PEW Research Center for the People and the Press study (2002, p. 3) reported that “Just 41% of respondents say they read a paper the previous day, compared with 47% in 2000 and 48% in 1998.” Much of this decline occurred amongst those 35-49 years old. However, sites that readers do visit may not be considered by them to be “news sites,” which would alter the percentages. In any case, whether this decline in news readership is because readers aren't interested or don't have the time, the same outcome emerges – fewer people are reading the news. The pressing problem is that the news is not having a strong enough appeal to readers. I will further explore which stories appeal to and attract readers in my next research paper.
Desire for Interactivity
The Internet has led to a whole new wave of interactivity that print newspapers are unable to offer. This generation has become more outspoken and is looking to exchange and debate ideas, rather than just accept what news is given to them by the media. With print newspapers, the only interactivity readers have would be writing letters to the editor in hopes of getting them published. With the Internet, users can directly post comments on articles and electronically send in comments to the editor to generate discussion. When online users post their views on a topic, their ability to express their opinions make them feel like they are part of what shapes the presentation of news.
Blogs, a form of interactivity, have had a significant role in attracting readers to go online – more and more Internet users are going online to post their thoughts on stories or events, giving them a feeling of power and the assurance that their voices are being heard. This contributes to the overall allure of blogs and online news. University of Southern California's Center for the Digital Future reported that some people have argued that their online and real-world communities are of equal importance. It also discovered that the number of Internet users who have blogs more than doubled in the past three years. Because anyone can create a blog and physical distance is no longer a factor in terms of who you can interact with, the number of bloggers and people accessing news online to post comments is bound to increase.
Multimedia features, lacking in print newspapers, are another significant reason why readers go online for their news. Online stories provide readers with the opportunity to watch videos on the scene and hear audio clips, as well as experience first-hand other interesting visuals that print newspapers cannot offer. Videos allow news consumers to see victims or bystanders at the scene and feel more “in the moment,” both qualities which humanize the story and affect the reader more emotionally. Watching video and listening to audio are much easier tasks than reading a lot of text. This is another appeal of multimedia stories, which appear much more exciting than seemingly bland, often text-heavy print stories. Also, by watching and/or hearing the story, it becomes more “real” for them.
When many print newspapers were chronicling the Virginia Tech tragedy, their online counterparts provided a story along with interactive visuals that allowed the reader to follow the path of the killer while learning facts at the same time. After going through this interactive visual, I found I was much keener to the specific details; if the numbers were spewed throughout a typical news article, I would have skimmed those sections. Multimedia is supplementing and improving already complete stories.
Loss of credibility
There is a cultural divide between journalists and readers, according to a State of the News Media report (2004). While journalists believe they are working for the public interest, readers think examples like the one set by Jayson Blair, a New York Times journalist who invented people and quotes, plagiarized the work of other reporters, and pretended to be on the scene when he wasn't, happen frequently or at least occasionally. Also, readers do not think journalists care about complaints of inaccuracies from readers.
The most recent journalists who lied in their work are Jayson Blair, Stephen Glass and Jack Kelley – once one journalist lies in a highly publicized story and the scandal itself becomes highly publicized, other journalists become guilty by association. When a story is reported correctly, readers don't take notice because the journalist was just doing her job. But when something is done incorrectly, readers are quick to play the blame game. Audiences also do not have a lot of faith in newspapers when compared to other media like television, where consumers can see the news. Multimedia online news is a step towards alleviating this problem.
Even if the general consensus is that journalists are not as trustworthy as they used to be, online news sites of major newspapers are considered the most reliable Internet sources, as reported by an Online Annual Report of Public Attitudes (2004). Younger Americans are much more likely to think the Internet is a credible source. Many have grown up with and get a majority of their information from the Internet, whether for a research project or entertainment. Americans under 30 are much more likely than those who are older to think blogs are credible sources, and younger people think the Internet is trustworthy and a learning tool, according to another Online Public Attitudes Report (2006). The younger generation seems to be the most open-minded to innovations, which suggests any other innovations involving news may be received better and thus better integrated into society.
A BRIEF PREVIEW OF MY SECOND PAPER
In my next paper, I will examine how story-telling and story presentation have contributed to the readership trend shift from print to online newspapers, as well as how and why stories are told differently in print and online. When I talked to Dean John Lavine of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, he listed a few main points that drive reader satisfaction, and I plan on further looking into them. I will also look at audience fragmentation in the context of story-telling.
Works Cited
McCauley, Todd and Nesbitt, Mary. (2004). The Effects of Childhood Exposure to Newspapers on Adult Readership. The Readership Institute. Retrieved September 5, 2007.
2007. Audience. The State of the News Media 2007: An Annual Report on American Journalism. Retrieved September 8, 2007.
2007. Digital. The State of the News Media 2007: An Annual Report on American Journalism. Retrieved September 8, 2007.
2007. Inside Newspaper Culture. The Readership Institute. Retrieved September 5, 2007.
Online World as Important to Internet Users as Real World? University of Southern California Center for the Digital Future. Retrieved September 18, 2007.
2006. The Appeal of the Internet. Project for Excellence in Journalism. Retrieved September 9, 2007.
2006. Trust in the Internet. Project for Excellence in Journalism. Retrieved September 13, 2007.
2004. Annual Report – Online Public Attitudes. Project for Excellence in Journalism. Retrieved September
13, 2007.
2004. Public Attitudes. The State of the News Media 2004: An Annual Report on American Journalism. Retrieved September 13, 2007.
2002. Public's News Habits Little Changed by September 11. The Pew Research Center. Retrieved September 18, 2007.
1998. Internet News Takes Off. The Pew Research Center. Retrieved September 18, 2007.
