Is the internet killing newspapers?

10 Jun 2010

Is the internet killing newspapers? On June 8, RISJ Postdoctoral Research Fellow Rasmus Kleis Nielsen presented preliminary research conducted with David Levy that suggests otherwise at a conference at the University of Westminster in London.Comparing developments in the newspaper industry in the US, France, and Finland form 1998 to 2007, the two authors suggest that while the newspaper industry is clearly in decline in many developed countries today, the decline often started well before the advent of the internet, plays out very differently in different national contexts, and is—with the partial exception problems directly related to the recession—slow and gradual enough to offer most legacy news media organizations time and resources for a managed transition to a smaller but still central role in a new communications environment. Other highlights of the conference include presentations on the media situation in Japan, China, India, analysis of the changes in how journalistic content is produced and disseminated today, and spirited discussions of the role of media and journalism in democratic societies. View live coverage of the event at journalism.co.uk