The Melbourne Age today carries a full page story, Don’t be throwing out the newspapers just yet by Roy Masters which focuses on Tony O’Reilly – an international newspaper proprietor and major telco investor among other things – and his view that newspapers have a bright future.
The article itself (which, frustratingly, I cannot provide a link to since The Age has locked access away for subscribers only), is reasonable. It pretty much follows the line of articles in many newspapers around the world this year – quoting other newspaper people about the bright future of newspapers. It does not offer balanced reporting on the topic.
The article focuses on O’Reilly’s view that TV and the internet are converging. While I agree with that, more is at play than the two converging. All media is converging. There are many experts around the world who can offer professional comment on this and they have done so in many places already.
A more balanced article would have questioned the narrow and self serving O’Reilly view and provided balance and even challenge to his view.
I’d like to see some robust open debate here in Australia about the impact of convergence, faster and lower cost mobile devices, citizen journalism and the changing economic model of news and information. Such debate, with appropriately knowledgeable participants would provide an opportunity for those of us at the fringe in the industry to become more informed and therefore better plan for the future of our businesses. Stories like the full page piece in The Age today do nothing to add to our knowledge.