Print newspapers are dying, Media is crippled
Source: SouthWest Offset Printing

Print newspapers are dying, Media is crippled

Media has been a great tool of influence in various industries over the years. From suggesting societal norms to be adopted, swaying elections, moving the markets, spreading conspiracy stories or certain propaganda, media has played a major role in cultivating unique stances and shaping the opinions of many with the content they put out.

We have watched the evolution of media from telegraph, print press, radio, television, broadcast media and even now- streaming. Such metamorphosis was facilitated majorly by the advancement of technology that upon the inception of a new season or era, a different tool or platform through which information will be carried and disseminated was determined.

The printing press held one of the largest chunks of the media pie. In the beginning, it catered to the elite, who could read and write, and as the percentage of literates rose, so did the demand of this news outlet, it graduated to a mass media platform. The success of print in the early years was attributed by the strong opinion columns written, editorial work applied, the advertising campaigns, together they built content that kept the readers coming back for more.

This period gave rise to the popular newspapers as we know of today including but not limited to The New York Times, The Washington Reporter, The Sun, Daily Mail etc. However, it was not long till when print began to suffer. With the increasing advancement of technology, the times saw the emergence of broadcast media, which slowed down the print business over time, bite by bite. Along came radio and television, that captivated audiences through listening and watching respectively. Once readers of the newspaper, now received news in a simpler way, that did not demand them to take time to read, but rather listen to the content and choose how best to respond and utilize information at hand. Broadcast media was successful at reducing the concentration rate and the patience of many audiences to read, as most opted for listening and visuals to keep them captivated.

One can argue, perhaps the biggest reason of their downfall is their inability to have an answer for digital media especially with the current prominence of the streaming sites. Perhaps they got on the digital bandwagon a tad bit late, or maybe just maybe the reading attention span has gone way down, and people cannot be bothered to read through an entire newspaper as a way of getting their news. They rather watch it with detailed visuals or simply have it narrated to them by a radio broadcaster. Will print newspaper ever recover? and if so, how will that recovery look like?

The issue with print newspaper phasing out, is one among the many issues that the media industry has to deal with. The biggest plague killing media in my opinion, is the falling or lack of independency (in terms of opinion and objectivity) that media was once identified with. The saddest thing is, it is not a challenge faced by a particular country however, it is bleeding in different parts of the world.

In some countries, media has failed to have an open and independent opinion due to the laws and regulations that have allowed state officials and regulatory bodies to monitor content aired and shared with the public. In such environments, the journalists and media players do not have a backbone of reporting objective, in fear of facing judicial consequences in event, when their stance is different from that of the ruling administration. This has crippled many media houses as many have forgone their vow of independency and objectivity and have resorted to doing the bidding of the government.

In advanced economies, media has been heavily influenced by the difference in political views that media barons and titans hold. If one is conservative, then their media outlets will push far-right agenda content while if one is liberal, then the media outlets will heavily support the left agenda in the content they issue out. What started off in increments, has graduated to a noticeable gap as big news corporations have gone head-to-head, both failing to maintain a neutral ground but rather choosing to evidently take sides. This practice however ill-fitting has successful converted major profits and returns for media juggernauts, forcing them to keep at it with the intention of retaining its profitability and value added.

With different countries holding national elections, nations diverting from their previous political ideologies and assuming new stances of prioritizing national interests and, wars being fought, media houses have been under public scrutiny in their reporting, and some have been called out publicly for their role in spreading lies and misinformation. But that has not stopped them from extending their influence in reporting, walking further away from maintaining their independency as each day goes by.

This period has been that of testing the independency of the media from its owners or from the government interests. A test that many media houses and outlets have failed and in turn weaken their ability to fulfill their role as a watchdog that safeguard the democracies. With media being crippled off this virtue, it is safe to say the democracies are at stake. One false narrative campaigned on a big platform can alter the trajectory of voters in case in an election, or even sway the public opinion to a certain side when at war. This remains evident in numerous national elections whether be local elections or those of big power states. We have observed it during global calamities example during COVID-19 or when wildfires were hitting different countries across Europe, USA and Australia. Or who can forget how the media rallied behind the BREXIT agenda, swaying people to endorse it and watching the struggle to land a reasonable deal with the EU after. All these examples and more, are enough to send an alarm on the credibility of media as an independent tool, that has the public interests best at heart.

As long as media cannot act with transparency and operate in its individuality, it cannot be trusted. This is because, the great influential power they hold is best put to use when they act independent of any parties' interests other than that of the public to whom they owe the responsibility to entertain, educate, inform and being a watchdog.

Will media finally grow a spine?

Are we ever going to enjoy the era of objective investigative pieces?

Do we have anyone left with ink in their veins?

One has to wonder.......


To view or add a comment, sign in

More articles by Catherine Evans Joseph

  • Has the popularity of media personalities deprioritized Journalism?

    Has the popularity of media personalities deprioritized Journalism?

    Remember Old School Journalism? No, me neither. The media business has undergone a massive evolution that been…

    2 Comments
  • The Next Wealth Transfer

    The Next Wealth Transfer

    The world is not entirely prepared for the next major wealth transfer, especially in terms of the scale, complexity…

  • How times have engineered concern for sustainability

    How times have engineered concern for sustainability

    The concept of sustainability has evolved significantly over time, attributed by a number of factors including…

    1 Comment
  • Alien Status: The feeling of un-belonging

    Alien Status: The feeling of un-belonging

    Most people cannot bring themselves to relate to the uneasiness that comes from being in a foreign place, especially…

  • A Mindset Shift

    A Mindset Shift

    Education is a key to success. A frequent chanted song when we were young.

  • A Race against Time

    A Race against Time

    Image Source: Time. A principle governor of human affairs.

  • Disruptive Trends

    Disruptive Trends

    A little over a year ago, if you had told me that activities would go to into a halt, there will be social distancing…

  • Imagine The Pandemic Without Tech

    Imagine The Pandemic Without Tech

    By now, there are a lot of articles regarding or relating to the pandemic plastered all over the internet. Since the…

  • Why some founders do not survive during and after IPO?

    Why some founders do not survive during and after IPO?

    Every founder’s dream is to build their company to “GLORY”. To some, ‘glory’ means bringing in the big guns from…

    1 Comment
  • Larry's 8s

    Larry's 8s

    The first time I read one of Larry Fink's annual letter to CEOs, was in 2018. I remember opening up my LinkedIn app…

    1 Comment

Insights from the community

Others also viewed

Explore topics