The decline in print media

Part 1: Ofcom report into news consumption 2022

Read this Ofcom 2022 report on the consumption of news in the UK and answer the following questions (bullet points/short answers are fine):

1) Look at the headlines from the report on page 6. Pick three that you think are interesting and bullet point them here. Why did you pick those three in particular?  

• TikTok’s reach for news has increased from 2020 (1%) to 2022 (7%). Half of its user base (for news) are aged 16-24.
• Five of the top six TV channels (including BBC One which remains the top news source across platforms) saw decreased reach from 2021 among online adults.
• Social media is overtaking traditional channels for news among teens. Instagram, TikTok and YouTube are now their top three most used sources for news. Meanwhile many sources have seen decreases since 2021, with reach of BBC One/Two decreasing to 24% in 2022 (down from 35% in 2021).

I picked these as it shows the stats of the interaction of news media with a young audience, and also because it is after 2020 so after the COVID lock-down pandemic where many people watched and viewed the news.

2) Look at the overall summary for adults on pages 7-8. What are the key points on newspapers? 

The reach of newspaper has decreased by 9%, however online newspaper remains study. The Daily Mail is widely read on Sundays.

3) Look at the statistics on page 13. What do you notice about newspapers and how has it changed in recent years?

Readership has decreased by 16%, and has decreased the most out of the other media platforms.

4) Now look at the age demographics for news consumption on page 16. What age demographic groups are most and least likely to read newspapers and what are the percentages? 

Most likely to read newspapers would be audiences age 75+ (51% on newspaper hardcopy and 59% on online) and least likely to read would be 16-24 (10% on the hardcopy and 30% on online).

5) Look at the newspaper-specific data on page 36. Which are the most popular newspaper titles? 

As of 2022: Daily Mail (35%), The Sun (20%) and The Metro (17%).

6) Now look at the total newspaper reach of print and online on page 39. How has this decreased over the last three years?

The general readership of newspaper for both online and print as decreased in the last 3 years by 11%.

Part 2: Factsheet - The death of print media

1) What has happened to print media in the last 30 years?

Print media used to be the main sources of information but in the last 30 years has decreased in readership.

2) Why is the Independent newspaper such a good case study for the decline in print media?

As it was set up by Rupert Murdoch in which he decided to reduce printing costs and his paper reigned 

3) What was the Independent newspaper famous for?

The selling line which was "free from political bias, free from proprietorial influence" as it was known for it's 'unorthodox' front pages.

4) What did the then-owner of the Independent, Evgeny Lebedev, say about the newspaper's digital-only future?

He suggested that it was a bold transition and that the industry is changing and the change is driven by the readers, and the future is digital.

5) How do online newspapers make money?

By selling advertising spaces for companies to buy and rent to use to promote their own company.

6) What did the Independent's longest-serving editor Simon Kelner warn regarding the switch to digital?

He suggested that the power and originality came from the print and that this was hard to replicate in digital format.

7) What is the concern with fake news? What does 'post-truth' refer to?

That as things become more digital it is harder to see what is fake news and what isn't as it is easy to replicate a website and the conventions of a online news site and it is also more accessible and doesn't have the cost of printing and selling to find the audience, especially with the rise of social media it is easier to spread. Post-truth refers to the idea of a circumstance in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinions and personal beliefs.

8) What is your view on the decline in print media? Should news be free? Is it a concern that established media brands such as the Independent can no longer afford to exist as a printed newspaper?

I think that print shouldn't be extinct as it's much more traditional and physical, and I don't think it ever will as it would be kept as a nostalgic niche product such as The Gentlewomen for example. Global news should be free so things about war or politics but then newspapers about specific genre such as economy so The Financial Times and niche newspapers in other languages can be pay if they want as they target a niche specific audience. It is not really a concern as they were mainstream and most audiences want digital instead of print nowadays.