The decline in newspapers: MM case studies

The New Day

1) What was the New Day trying to achieve?

 The newspaper was designed to help the decline of traditional media print and target a new audience which is more traditional by appealing to them. It was a modern day newspaper but wasn't there to replace the traditional print media that we have.

2) List the key statistics on the first page: how many people buy newspapers in the UK? How has this declined in the last year?

Roughly 6 million people buy the newspaper a day and there's been a decline in the amount of people that buy the newspaper over the last two years by over a million.

3) What audience were the New Day trying to attract?

They were trying to attract an equal split of males and females around the ages of 35-55 who are now accustomed to a new modern lifestyle rather than and older traditional one. 

4) Why do you think the New Day failed so spectacularly? There are several possible reasons listed in the article but do develop your own opinion here as well.

One of the reasons that is suggested in the article is the price increase from 25p to 50p and i think this was the main reason that they failed. People who are modern and want to live that lifestyle are already keeping up with the latest technology and with everything becoming free the need for paying for something they can already get is a waste of money. I also think that people would want more content in a shorter space of time and with everything being accessible online it is easier to do this from their phone.

The Guardian

1) List the key statistics on page 10: How many unique digital browsers used the Guardian website in June 2016? What are The Guardian's latest print sales figures? How does this compare to the Telegraph? In terms of finances, how much did the Guardian lose in 2015? 

• The Guardian online is the third most read paper on the internet, with over 120 million monthly unique browsers
• In 2015 the Guardian lost £70 million this led to cutbacks of 20% 
• Sales of newspapers have been in steady decline since the explosive growth of the internet in the 1990s
• print circulation of the Guardian was only 161,000.

2)What has been The Guardian's strategy for reversing this decline?

They are relying on people to invest into their business and there were no cutbacks in USA and Australia which kept them going.

3) What global event did The Guardian's digital coverage win awards for?

It received awards for the attacks that took place in Paris because it was a way for people to keep updated which helped them survive and allowed them to go towards safety as there was regular updates to help them.
4) In your opinion, will the global website strategy be enough to save The Guardian?

I think that it does because print news is only released once a day and with it being accessible online it makes it easier for people to gain access to it and therefore they can keep themselves updated which helps the institution but can also be bad as it will cause a decline in the newspaper industry that they have.

Clay Shirky on news: don’t build a paywall around a public good

1) Why does Clay Shirky argue that 'accountability journalism' is so important and what example does he give of this?

He says that 'accountability journalism' is important because it allows big stories to get published and the example he gives is of the Catholic Church scandals which caused a lot of attention but was only published because of journalism which highlights the importance of it.

2)What does Shirky say about the relationship between newspapers and advertisers? Which websites does he mention as having replaced major revenue-generators for newspapers (e.g. jobs, personal ads etc.)?

 Advertising is a big part of the revenue that newspapers receive which helps them to carry on producing the newspapers and paying the journalists. However, Ford went to The New York Times to remove the adverts from there; with advertising costing more for bigger newspaper institutions it is easier to go to a smaller one and publish advertisements there.

3)Shirky talks about the 'unbundling of content'. This means people are reading newspapers in a different way. How does he suggest audiences are consuming news stories in the digital age?

Shirkly talks about how there is more demand than supply in terms of people getting their news. He says that in the future it will become digital because people are so use to the way that the news is just handed to them for free that now it seems weird to pay for something which is suppose to be a public good. 

4)Shirky also talks about the power of shareable media. How does he suggest the child abuse scandal with the Catholic Church may have been different if the internet had been widespread in 1992?

He suggested that eventually after the article was published it eventually died down after a while and was soon forgotten. If the internet was around during the time of this incident it would've been different as people would be able to share the story to whoever they wanted and would've generated a wider audience. I think with this being the case people wouldn't have forgotten about the story due to it being there on the internet for anyone to see whenever they wanted.

5)Why does Shirky argue against paywalls?

He believes that you shouldn't take news away from people, something which is a public good shouldn't be used to generate money and become a commercial good.

6)What is a 'social good'? In what way is journalism a 'social good'?

A social good is where people can come together and share it and this links to journalism as it is now accessible online which makes it easier for people to come together and share the story. This makes it a social good as its for everyone to share and see rather than only certain individuals.

7)Shirky says newspapers are in terminal decline. How does he suggest we can replace the important role in society newspapers play? What is the short-term danger to this solution that he describes?

Newspapers are declining rapidly and even though this is the case they are not replaceable as the news which is received is published by journalists so the news is regulated whereas news online is just given out without being regulated but it is down to the consumers to keep alive the newspaper industry.

8)Look at the first question and answer regarding institutional power. Give us your own opinion: how important is it that major media brands such as the New York Times or the Guardian continue to stay in business and provide news?

I think media brands such as The New York Times and The Guardian are a big part in society and they give us news on stories such as the wider issues in the country and world which citizen journalism cannot give us insight to such as Brexit. A story which was generating a wide target audience from all ages and ethnicity cannot be presented online by people on social media or false news stories which shape peoples ideology in a negative way by providing false information. With this being the case we need newspapers to give us the correct information as it is regulated and you'll receive a more accurate view.

Weekly New/Digital Media homework 21/10/16

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/oct/20/elon-musk-says-fully-self-driving-tesla-cars-already-being-built

Tesla has started to advance in their tehcnology and our usual view on cars. They've started to create cars which are able to drive by themselves now. This is done by a software which is installed in the car which helps the function of the car to drive by itself. The software is still being tested and they are aiming in the next 12 months to raise funds for capital.

I think that the investment is a good one as people are now able to go to places in a car without having to drive themselves which is both efficient and doesn't tire whoever would usually be driving. However, i feel like the technology is risky as people could hack into the software which is harmful for everyone driving or even those who are walking as the car could be controlled by a hacker just to cause harm to people.

Weekly New/Digital Media homework 21/10/16

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2016/10/19/stephen-hawking-says-artificial-intelligence-could-be-humanitys/

Stephen Hawking has suggested that artificial intelligence would be the end of civilisation, as well as the advantages it will bring to society it will also have a lot of negative impacts to us as well. He suggests that it could be harmful economically but also in terms of our safety as humans as well. 

I think we should have artificial intelligence but they should be restricted to a specific amount and the roles that they have in society because it can cause people to lose their jobs which would have a negative impact on our society and financially for the economy and those who need to support their family.

Newspapers: the effect of online technology

1) I think that the BBC shouldn't provide free news because this would caused journalists to lose their jobs and as a result it would be people in society recording the news. The quality of news would then be more likely to decrease and so would the accuracy of the news. I think there should be a paywall so there isn't a problem with people getting the correct news from journalists as the news is regulated.

2) I think that Rupert Murdoch was right to introduce a paywall and stop the news that publishes from being free so that journalists can keep their jobs. I think that they have a big role to play in society because the news reported are regulated which makes the news more accurate than someones recording whatever they want and saying their opinion. Without journalists we wouldn't have been able to access to some of the news stories one of the big ones being Brexit which was reported by journalists 

3) "It is so ridiculous if these mainstream newspapers believe that they can "force readership of fee-based news. One can get the same "news" for free almost anywhere on the internet."

I disagree with this because I think that news can be obtained from easier scources for free but the quality of the news may not be the same which we receive from journalists and the accuracy may not be as high either which means the audience receives news which isn't accurate or of low quality. 

"It strikes me that the difference in business models has a profound effect on the content type. "

I agree with this because there are different target audiences and those who are younger are more likely to get their news from an online scource whereas those who are older are more likely to get it from a print format.  

4) The evening standard has bucked the trend because people are now more likely to go on the internet to obtain their news from online newspapers. The evening standard however, has customers who are loyal to the newspaper and would pay to carry on receiving news from the evening standard as it as seen as a reliable and accurate scource. This is different to other newspapers as they've moved online and rather than people paying they get news for free from the newspapers online or other online scources. 

5) I think the newspaper industry will die out and become something which is seen to be vintage like vinyl records because people are not willing to pay for the quality which it possess and this is due to the younger generation becoming more reliant on the internet for information as it's cheap and easy to obtain.  

However if there is a paywall introduced or another method it would help save the newspaper industry as people are paying which will help keep the industry alive. People are getting rid of journalists because they can't afford to have them anymore which is why there needs to be a method to help the industry or it will decline. 

Weekly New/Digital Media homework 14/10/16

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/playstation-vr-ps-sony-release-date-virtual-reality-headset-ps4-batman-a7359201.html

Playstation are taking advances in their technology, rather than people sitting around and playing on their console where it's wired up to the TV, they can now connect a virtual reality headset to play games which is now cheaper than other rival brands who have produced similar products and it being priced at £350.

I think this is a good way to show advances in technology and the fact that Sony is such a big company and a lot of people have the ps4 and other games consoles produced by Sony they would find this a better and more unique experience. I feel like this is something that i would buy due to the games feeling more real when played.

Weekly New/Digital Media homework 14/10/16

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-37622076

This story is to do with the Samsung Galaxy note 7 which is rivals to current leaders in the phone market the iPhone 7 and 7 plus. The iPhone has now become the worlds most selling phone due to problems arising in the note 7. The phone was called back a first time due to the phone battery exploding and was then again re-released. The phone is now called back a second time due to the same problem occurring in the phone. This has caused huge set backs for Samsung as a company and losing first place to rivals Apple.

I think that Samsung as a company is great in producing new technology and that the competition this year was intense between both Apple and Samsung, with this being the case i think the phone should be discontinued for peoples safety and they should try working on their new phone.

Build The Wall analysis

1) Section 1 - Journalism isn't appreciated in society anymore and that we should have a pay wall.

Section 2 - The internet isn't being used properly and is being misused and because of this they need to find a way to set up a pay wall.

Section 3 - Newspapers are struggling to compete with the internet because there is a decline in the use of newspapers.

Section 4 - If there is a pay wall then it will be more beneficial in the long run.

2) David Simon is saying that the newspaper industry is far from losing importance in society today even though there is a decline it is still important.  If a pay wall is introduced then it will be harder for newspapers to still make money as it would cause a bigger decline due to the accessibility of news in society today because it is made free. He argues that print is dying out and newspaper articles are now going online for free rather than paying for articles. Those who are getting their news from the internet can pick what they want to read and how they receive their news as it can be done through internet pages, social media blogs and other ways.The government are also going to take action and they're going to see what people are searching by patrolling the internet. People have become use to the advances in new and digital media which makes it easier to gain access to things and one of these things being the news is made easier through online websites so good quality journalism isn't paid for.

3) The internet has both pros and cons and has done good and bad for us. With the internet being easily accessible in society, it is now easier for news to be spread out on a wider content in a shorter amount of time. However it is bad for journalists as it is harder for them to maintain their job as people can report news with advances in technology. I think that the internet is a good thing for society to report news but it is misused and should be paid for so the news is of high quality when it is reported and we’re reported what is actually happening rather than being misled. However, citizen journalism makes it easier to get the peoples view point and is easily accessible for us to get news that journalists cannot get access to.

4) I think that there should be a pay wall because people reporting news themselves may not always be accurate and the information isn't regulated. In society we need to be reported news which is accurate but at times news isn't always reported this way which is why citizen journalism is a good thing to have. However, the power of this is misused by people at times and could make stories up or whatever is happening which could cause people to have a negative view on a topic causing their ideology to change which will have a negative on them. News should have a certain level of quality and accuracy when released towards the public which is what journalists provide us with which is why i think we need a pay wall.

Weekly New/Digital Media homework 7/10/16

http://www.itv.com/news/2016-10-03/toyota-unveils-baby-robot-designed-to-appeal-to-childless-women/

This article is about Toyota making a robot to women who are childless. It is set to behave like a real child and is to be sold next year in Japan for £300. Not only is it Toyota doing this but other companies and they're doing this because of the birth rate falling and 1 in 10 women not marrying.

I think that is could be a good idea for women who may want a child but don't want to get married or actually give birth, even women who cannot have children opens up another path for them rather than adoption.

Weekly New/Digital Media homework 7/10/16

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-37562259

This article is about teenagers throughout the night who are checking their phone up to 10 times a night for notifications. Most of them would be on social media. We shouldn't be on our phones 90 minutes before sleeping. The other uses that teenagers are using their phone for is to listen to music but also listening to music.

• 68% of all respondents say using their mobile devices at night affects their school work
• a quarter say they feel tired during the day because of how often they use their mobile device at night
• almost half (42%) keep their phone next to their bed at night

I think that this is the impact of new and digital media and the impact that it's had on society, those who are of a younger age are more inclined to go on their phones before bed as it is seen as being apart of their daily routine.

NDM: The decline of the newspaper industry

1) I think that it is a cause for panic because it will cause people who are journalist to lose out on their jobs and with those who are younger and more engaged with technology, it is more likely to cause a decline in the newspaper industry.

2) The article is 10 years old - an eternity in digital media terms. Have the writer's predictions come to pass? Use statistics from your Ofcom research to support or challenge the writer's argument.

3) The Economist suggests that high-quality journalism in the future will be backed by non-profit organisations rather than profit-seeking media corporations. Is there any evidence for this? How is the Guardian funded? What do major stories from the last year such as the Panama Papers suggest about how investigative journalism is conducted in the digital age?