Journalists: Offline Publications Doomed

A rare case of a headline underhyping the story: "Survey: Half of Journalists Think Their Offline Publications Will Eventually Fold."


Social Times has a piece with the shocking headline “Survey: Half of Journalists Think Their Offline Publications Will Eventually Fold.” A closer read, though, shows that they’ve actually grossly undersold the story.

According to a recent report by Oriella PR Network, journalists see their offline publications as risky endeavors in the current economy, with over half of those surveyed predicting the demise of their print, publication or TV media sometime in the future.

According to the Oriella Digital Journalism Report, journalists’ attitudes towards the current state of the media is rather bleak. In addition to over half of them predicting the downfall of their offline publications, one quarter believes that media in general, whether on- or off-line, will shrink significantly.

Many media-hawks predict that traditional media will indeed die out, while new media will rise up and take its place. The journalists polled for this report bear this out: 40 percent say that the shift to new media will bring new opportunities. However, over 50 percent of respondents think that online media are still far from profitable business models, and over 40 percent believe that the reliance on PR-content will increase. Combined, these results show mixed feelings towards new media: it might open new doors, but journalists aren’t quite sure those doors lead to greener pastures.

Not only do 52.58% fear their firm may go under or online-only, but that’s already happened for 32% of respondents!  So, actually, 84.58% of the journalists surveyed either think their brick-and-mortar business is in peril or no longer have one!   That’s just phenomenal.

FILED UNDER: Economics and Business, Media, ,
James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. sam says:

    “Many media-hawks predict that traditional media will indeed die out, while new media will rise up and take its place.”

    Sure, but not new content, right? Are we all familiar with the classic paper, Marketing Myopia? I bring this up in connection with the coming “demise” of print media. So what? If you’re in the news publication business, there’s all kinds of ways these days to publish. In addition to reading your newspaper on your computer, I can image a Kindle downloading your daily New York Times or Wall Street Journal or Dogpatch Gazette. (Of course, this will never replace the wonderful experience of having the Sunday Times strewn all over your living room floor….)

  2. Mr. Prosser says:

    I suppose you’re right sam, it would be just as easy, probably easier, to hold a Kindle while on the throne for the morning relief, but I’d still need to print off the sudoku and crossword to do during coffebreak. The Sunday laze through the regional paper takes less and less time as I find the Opinion pages filled with retread columns I read on line two days earlier.

  3. Brummagem Joe says:

    There’s probably a fair amount of truth although it may take longer than many think. Paradoxically it’s probably going to help very small community newspapers that tell you what’s happening with the local sewage program, ads for local painters and landscapers, and bicycles for sale.

  4. sam says:

    I see that Dan Schorr died. He was 93.