The decline in print media blog tasks

Blog tasks: 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?  

• 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.
• TikTok’s reach for news has increased from 2020 (1%) to 2022 (7%). Half of its user base (for news) are aged 16-24.
• 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).

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

• While the reach of print newspapers is decreasing, online newspaper reach remains steady.
• The Daily Mail/Mail on Sunday remains the most widely-read print news title overall, whilst The Guardian/Observer and Daily Mail/Mail on Sunday are the most widely-read digital titles.

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

11% decline from 2020-2022 due to lockdown and the rise of social media in that brief period.

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? 

16-24 (30%/10%) and 75+ (59%/51%)

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

Daily Mail, The Sun. The Metro, and The Guardian.

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

From 2020, Traditional print has been declining in usage by 11% and the reach declining over 9%.



Part 2: Factsheet - The death of print media

Go to our Media Factsheet archive and open Factsheet 165: The death of print media. Our Media Factsheet archive is on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets or you can find it online here - you'll need to log in using your Greenford Google login.

Read the Factsheet and complete the following questions/tasks (bullet points/short answers are fine):

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

It is the ubiquity of digital media which has had the largest impact on print media, and not just newspapers. When discussing this issue, we should avoid the sweeping statement “it’s because of the Internet.” The Internet did not ‘do this.’ It’s your fault – well, the audience’s. As we consume media differently, our needs or demands of the media changes.

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

If you are wondering whether print media is dying, a good place to start would be with a newspaper that has recently ‘died’ (in the printed form at least).

3) What was the Independent newspaper famous for?

the Independent offered a fresh and non-aligned perspective. At the time of its launch, the Independent used the advertising slogan “It is. Are you?” which reflected the direct and challenging approach to contemporary splash headlines of the time. 

The newspaper’s selling line was, until 2011, “free from political bias, free from proprietorial influence”, and the reporting somewhat reflected this; in the last decade of its publication the Independent became known for its unorthodox and campaigning front pages.

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

Lebedev claimed that the ceasing of a printed version was a bold transition to a digital-only future. “The newspaper industry is changing, and that change is being driven by readers. They’re showing us that the future is digital. This decision preserves the Independent brand and allows us to continue to invest in the high quality editorial content that is attracting more and more readers to our online platforms.”

5) How do online newspapers make money?

With the end of a printed version of the Independent came an increase in profits. In February 2016, the Independent had 15.8m unique users rising to 21m in June 2016 (in the lead up to the referendum on EU membership), falling to 16.2m in August 2016 (ComScore). This, the company claimed, validated their decision to go online-only as it was the first time the Independent had turned a profit in 20 years, with advertising revenues growing 45% year on year.

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

Simon Kelner, the paper’s longest-serving editor said, “For me, the power of the Independent came from the variety of voices, the originality in its design and the iconoclastic feel of the paper. It is very difficult to replicate that in digital form. And it is even more difficult to do that with a paper like the Independent.”

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

The concern over the impact of the Internet news reporting is no new, but 2016’s US presidential election brought the issue into sharp focus. The terms ‘fake news’ and ‘post-truth’ are now familiar in the contemporary vernacular. Is the death of print media the cause for fake news? Possibly. Online news sites are easy to set up, and the simple

news format is easy to replicate. Unlike printed media, you do not need the money, publisher, or industry access to ‘sell’ or share your message. Together with this and the prevalence of social media, online news is now faster to produce and then share to a global audience. What is more, you don’t always have a context when reading/sharing online content. For example, a report in a highly satirical print publication such as Private Eye may contain exaggeration for comedic purposes. This does not become an issue of ‘fake news’ because the source is clear – you’re reading the printed copy – and most readers are familiar with the institutional values of the magazine. Equally, a site like The Onion, a farcical newspaper, which does use the conventions of a ‘straight’ news organisation, is open about its use of satire, and is widely understood to use exaggeration and absurd content for comedic purposes. These are not necessarily ‘fake news’ and, if they were shared on social media, the wider audience would likely be able to identify the satire.

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 feel like news should only be free if you're company is being run on trusted advertisers who aren't looking to opt out your company for a while, however it is good that some newspapers offer a membership based system as that might not be that reliable on ads and advertisers.