The Sky is Falling

A new article out by The New York Times discusses the decision of The Christian Science Monitor to go completely digital with a supplemental magazine, and what that means for the industry (see the article at http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/29/business/media/29carr.html?scp=3&sq=christian%20science%20monitor&st=cse).

After discussing cuts in staffing among many newspaper organizations, the author, David Carr, says, "Clearly, the sky is falling. The question now is how many people will be left to cover it."

Carr raises an important issue for the future of news. With more and more staffing cuts, are we going to be getting the kind of coverage that a growing, fast paced, changing world needs?

Many of you out there might point to such things as citizen journalism and blogs. But, as Carr points out, "The blogosphere has had its share of news breaks, but absent a functioning mainstream media to annotate, it could be pretty darn quiet out there." Blogs usually regurgitate the hot topics of the MSM, with added commentary. Will citizens take the initiative to cover new stories and topics both locally and globally, with little to no compensation?

Others of you might say that digital versions of newspapers will easily replace and make up for the losses in printed papers. It is true, as Carr points out, websites do not have an audience problem, they have a consumer problem. We are reminded that, "The answer is that paper is not just how news is delivered; it is how it is paid for." The differences in profit between print advertising and online advertising are a key to the continued losses of the industry while it struggles to evolve.

Is the sky falling? Are there going to be people left to cover the vast amounts of news? Let me know your thoughts, and check out the article...