Newspapers can lead in the Internet age

Although newspapers must adapt to the Internet age, they must also stay true to their core values in order to remain relevant, writes 'The China Post'

The China Post
Monday, April 20, 2009

The beginning of the 21st century is arguably the age of the Internet, with the global computer network an integral part of contemporary life.

Need to contact someone? Email her. Need to research something? Google or Wiki it. Need to buy something? Find it on eBay. Renting a video at Blockbuster is so passe with YouTube around. Long-lost classmates are just a few Facebook clicks away.

It's thus no surprise that the Internet is also a major distributor of news. According to a survey by Pew Research Center, the Internet surpassed the newspaper in 2008 as a source of national and international news in the U.S.

This paradigm shift, compounded with eroding advertising revenues amid the current economic recession, created a tidal wave of closures in U.S. print newspapers. One big name fell after another; even titans like the New York Times are in jeopardy.

Something once considered taboo in newspaper publishing, running a front-page ad that intentionally resembles news, became a reality when the Los Angeles Times broke protocol in a desperate move to shore up cash.

At first glimpse, the Internet, with its ability to receive and distribute information globally in the split of a second, does appear to be the perfect medium for news distribution. Indeed, every point of online access has become a platform for information and opinion sharing.

In China, for example, the Internet gained clout as an effective source of news and form of citizen justice as it provided netizens a venue for venting discontent and engaging in unbridled political discourse free of censorship and bypassing state-sponsored media.

Although for different reasons, online bulletins are also hugely influential in Taiwan. The PTT bulletin board system, the largest bulletin board system and one of the major online communities in Taiwan, is an important source of information and a barometer of the latest trends on the island. Yao-yao, the controversial online game poster girl, first gained recognition in PTT.

Despite Internet's power, there are still at least three reasons why the newspaper is in fact becoming more important in the digital age.

First, newspapers provide a wider range of information. Despite its reputation as a web as wide as the world, the Internet is actually highly segmented. A survey by the Taiwan Network Information Center showed that while, yes, virtually every person in Taiwan (99%) between the age of 15 and 19 uses the Internet, only 22% of those over 55 years old do so.

When a specific demographic group of Internet users, namely the generation X and the millennials, holds disproportionate influence in the digital world, it is inevitable that online news providers will cater news content to their taste. Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, told U.S. newspaper exclusives, "if I were involved in the digital part of a newspaper I would first and foremost try to understand what my reader wants." To that end, most online news venues currently allow users to "personalize" their page content, allowing users to screen out news they are not interested in or familiar with. Yahoo! news in Taiwan even allows users to grade news according to the "feelings" they generate.

A highly reader-oriented news model could very well mean that readers rarely learn beyond their immediate scope of interest; serendipitous findings might very well be on the wane with customization.

Newspapers, on the other hand, are not only collections of news but also reflections of society. The antithesis of rose colored glasses, newspapers give readers not only what they want or like to know, but also what they need to know.

Second, journalist and lawyer jokes notwithstanding, newspapers achieve a level of professionalism still unmatched by the Internet, and consumer sentiment vouches for this. According to a recent Nielsen Global Study, newspaper is the second most trusted media, ahead of both opinions printed online and branded websites.

Online citizen journalism does introduce an alternative source of information, but untamed Internet news will fall victim to online abuses since each online contributor is an individual with his or her own agenda. Without the traditional editorial process of checks and balances, online news is a recipe for cyber-bullies and rumors spreading gone wild.

In a time when Internet laws are underdeveloped and hard to enforce, the media is prone to be manipulated by people who are resourceful and Internet savvy.

The speed of the Internet, paradoxically, also contributes to the problem. In the race for the latest breaking news, proper fact checking often takes a back seat.

Lastly, the newspaper is not just a consumer business but also the people's watchdog against injustice. It is an institution where journalists invest themselves in the search of hidden, and sometimes ugly, truths. It was print journalism that shed light on Watergate.

There is no doubt that newspapers are not perfect and must adapt in the Internet age. Great changes must be made and new revenue streams must be found. However, the newspaper should also adapt by staying true to its core values. Integrity, authenticity and the love of knowledge and justice are the values that can help newspapers stay relevant in the new era.

Date Posted: 4/20/2009