In his op ed piece, Alas, Poor Newspapers! We Knew Them, Rupert, Richard Brookhiser writing in The New York Observer presents his analysis of the future of newspapers following the recent speech by Rupert Murdoch to the American Society of Newspaper Editors.
“As I read it, Rupert Murdoch was being polite. What he was telling his colleagues was: Newspapers are dead.”
The piece is a lament about what was and what might replace it.
Interesting that a newspaper person pronounces death of their medium of choice while many playing in the new world of digital media are writing about a new role for newspapers, providing analysis and depth not suited to the faster online delivery mechanisms.
Newspapers better engaging with readers, providing flexible access and embracing the digital world will have a future. Whether this will be enough (probably not) will be anyone’s guess. The key message from Rupert Murdoch was that the world has changed and it’s time for newspapers to react and participate.