A fast-changing communications world

Last week I came across a rather disturbing and prophetic report that one of the most valuable and respected newspapers in the United States was changing ownership for the mere pittance of $250 million to save itself from bankruptcy. The amount is just a drop in the bucket based on today’s standards. I am referring to The Washington Post, a pillar in the newspaper industry in the United States most notably known around the world as the newspaper that caused the downfall of President Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal that caused the former president to resign from office fearing he would be impeachment by Congress.

The new owner of The Washington Post is a man known to many to be a technological visionary who changed the retail horizon online, Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.com. As many people who shop on the Internet today know, Amazon is the go-to website for millions of shoppers all over the world looking for anything and everything under the sun. Amazon has changed the way people buy products and they are continuing to broaden their horizons and make this easier for shoppers the world over.

According to the news piece, Bezos called his acquisition “a personal endeavor” and reassured employees and readers of the 135-year-old newspaper that he will continue and preserve it’s journalistic tradition while driving innovation. He added that while there will be new and exciting innovative changes he would not interfere in the editorial management. Though, of course, the editorial staff has to expect that there will be some new things to look forward to. Bezos acquisition means The Post is looking to further expand its online presence and broaden its horizons. This means changes which means experimenting.

The selling of The Washington Post is just another print casualty in an era when print media is encountering great difficulty in surviving amidst lowering advertising and dwindling circulation. Already gone ahead of the Post is The Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, San Francisco Examiner, and San Jose Mercury News among others. And many more are sure to follow. In fact, Newsweek is being sold for the second time in just a few years. This majestic magazine that once had a strong rivalry with Time magazine ran its last print edition in 2012 and is now purely digital.

Simply put, the communications world is changing and it is important to keep up with the times. In this day and age, information can be had at the press of a button and with social media alive and well, it just seems like print is fighting a losing battle. However, despite all the changes, I am still a firm believer, like many others in the world, that print is not dead and will never be dead. It is simply evolving, something that everything has to do in order to survive.

For example, here in the Philippines I don’t think print is facing its  doom any time soon. Even with the availability of online news, there is still a vast requirement for a print counterpart. I think the subtle changes that are happening here are print outlets opening a supplementary online counterpart to bolster their efforts. In a country where newspapers are a beloved and credible source of news, readers (and therefore advertisers) are still not at a point where they will give up their tangible news outlet for a fully online replacement. Though that may come in time, we are not there yet and as such, there are still so many opportunities for print news to grow and flourish, even in the rapidly changing market.

There are many reasons, but I think one of the most powerful, at least here in the Philippines, is that despite the accessibility of being online, the vast majority of readers are still not completely Internet savvy. A newspaper will still reach the masses faster than a website will. Plus, there is just something far more credible when it comes to a newspaper. Not having a dozen or so pop up ads or spam certainly helps when it comes to this. Not to mention, a newspaper of a magazine can last in a person’s home for years while advertisements and stories online can vanish as quickly into cyberspace as they came.

Plus, in addition to the credibility note, readers can be assured that the news they get from a print counterpart has been fully vetted and carefully researched by a professional writer or reporter who had to study and get certified to be qualified for that job. While online, there are also good and credible reporters, these are interspersed with so many people who provide news simply because they have a laptop and can. This doesn’t always mean they should, and this results in some stories that are not accurate, properly researched, or even true. It has only been recently, that Internet laws have become stricter in terms of credibility and liability. Before that, it was kind of a free-for-all and opinions were sometimes mistaken for fact.

I think that those who would promote the death of print media are jumping the gun and will realize it in the years to come. It is true the print world is changing. There is no denying that fact, but as it has done so in the past, it will weather the storm. It may look different when it comes through the other side, but that does not mean that, in its essence it is not the same thing. 

I believe the best way for print media to remain at the forefront and to not go quietly into the night is to adapt and be open to experimentation. Many publications are already looking into ways they can marry their print and digital components in such a way that is convenient to their readers and advertisers. This might mean more compartmentalized and easy to digest pieces, since everyone seems to be in a rush and on the go, or this might mean supplementary news online that supports the printed material. Either way, it is important that print media outlets try new things and do not just accept that they are on the way out.

As for me, I will always be a believer in the old ways.  I still enjoy sitting at the breakfast table with my coffee in one hand and my paper in the other. I don’t get the same joy from sitting there with my tablet or my phone. Even my daughter, who is a big user of digital platforms, understands this. While she has read electronic books, she still buys books whenever a new, exciting and interesting issue comes out.  There is just something about turning actual pages and getting dirty black ink on your fingers and not virtual pages that never appeal to writers at heart like us.