Newspapers: The decline in print media

 Blog tasks: The decline in print media

Part 1: Ofcom report into news consumption 2022

1) Look at the headlines from the report on page 6. Pick three that you think are interesting and bullet point them here. Why did you pick those three in particular?  

• Different age groups consume news very differently; younger age groups are much more likely to use the
• TikTok’s reach for news has increased from 2020 (1%) to 2022 (7%). Half of its user base (for news) are aged 16-24.
• Social media is overtaking traditional channels for news among teens. Instagram, TikTok and YouTube are now
• their top three most used sources for news. Meanwhile many sources have seen decreases since 2021, with reach of BBC One/Two decreasing to 24% in 2022 (down from 35% in 2021).

This suggest that the social media and online platforms especially tiktok is dominant and overpowering newspapers compared to newspapers with the younger generation  internet and social media for news, whereas their older counterparts favour print, radio and TV.

2) Look at the overall summary for adults on pages 7-8. What are the key points on newspapers? 

• The BBC remains the news organisation with the highest cross-platform audience reach (76%) among those following news.

• BBC One remains the top source by reach for adults (53%). YouTube (8%) has seen growth from 2020 (appearing on the ‘top 20’

list for the first time) while both ITV and Google see decreases in reach. There is significant variation in the top sources used

across age groups - among younger groups social media sources are particularly prevalent (Instagram is the top source among 16-

24s with a reach of 46%).

• Reach of TV (74%), and internet (66%) platforms remains steady. There is some evidence of longer term erosion of radio reach

(40% in 2022 down from 44% in 2018).

• Reach of print/online newspapers decreased from 2020 (47%) to 2022 (38%), with the previous trend of steady decreases likely

exacerbated by the pandemic. Its reach doubles for younger groups when online newspaper reach is added to print.

3) Look at the statistics on page 13. What do you notice about newspapers and how has it changed in recent years?
Newspaper dropped by 20% from 2018 to 2022

The only playform that has has a major drop is print, tis shows that the digital media is rising and the print is declining 

4) Now look at the age demographics for news consumption on page 16. What age demographic groups are most and least likely to read newspapers and what are the percentages? 

the highest percentage is 51% of 75+  the higher percentages are the older audience, this shows that print is mainly used by the older generation.

The least likely age to read newspaper is 16-24 year olds which is 10%

5) Look at the newspaper-specific data on page 36. Which are the most popular newspaper titles? 
The top 3 in 2022 is the Daily Mail, the Sun, the Metro 

6) Now look at the total newspaper reach of print and online on page 39. How has this decreased over the last three years?
It has decreased by nearly 10% from 49%(2019)  to 38%. (2022).

Part 2: Factsheet - The death of print media

Go to our Media Factsheet archive and open Factsheet 165: The death of print media. Our Media Factsheet archive is on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets or you can find it online here - you'll need to log in using your Greenford Google login.

Read the Factsheet and complete the following questions/tasks (bullet points/short answers are fine):

1) What has happened to print media in the last 30 years?

Until relatively recently, say in the last 30 years, print media was one of the main sources of information for audiences. The desire for information is not a new one. Since the first newspapers in 1660s, and

the relaxing of British censorship laws in 1695, printed newspapers have been a primary source of this information. The introduction of radio in the 1930s had a minimal impact on newspaper circulations; television in 1950s had a larger impact with the introduction of TV news.

2) Why is the Independent newspaper such a good case study for the decline in print media?

If you are wondering whether print media is dying, a good place to start would be with a newspaper that has recently ‘died’ (in the printed form at least). The Independent was a broadsheet newspaper established in 1986. In an age where Rupert Murdoch has reduced printing costs, and his papers reigned supreme, the Independent offered a fresh and non-aligned perspective. At the time of its launch, the Independent used the advertising slogan “It is. Are you?” which reflected the direct and challenging approach to contemporary splash headlines of the time.

3) What was the Independent newspaper famous for?

The newspaper’s selling line was, until 2011, “free from political bias, free from proprietorial influence”, and the reporting somewhat reflected this; in the last decade of its publication the Independent became known for its unorthodox and campaigning front pages.

4) What did the then-owner of the Independent, Evgeny Lebedev, say about the newspaper's digital-only future?

“The newspaper industry is changing, and that change is being driven by readers. They’re showing us that the future is digital. This decision preserves the Independent brand and allows us to continue to invest in the high quality editorial content that is attracting more and more readers to our online platforms.” Evegeny Lebedev, 201

5) How do online newspapers make money?

With the end of a printed version of the Independent came an increase in profits. In February 2016, the Independent had 15.8m unique users rising to 21m in June 2016 (in the lead up to the referendum on EU

membership), falling to 16.2m in August 2016 (ComScore). This, the company claimed, validated their decision to go online-only as it was the first time the Independent had turned a profit in 20 years, with

advertising revenues growing 45% year on year. So, in this way, the Independent seems to have survived the transition. However, some have questioned whether the institutional values of the Independent have been retained.

6) What did the Independent's longest-serving editor Simon Kelner warn regarding the switch to digital?

Simon Kelner, the paper’s longest-serving editor said, “For me, the power of the Independent came from the variety of voices, the originality in its design and the iconoclastic feel of the paper. It is very difficult to replicate that in digital form. And it is even more difficult to do that with a paper like the Independent.”

7) What is the concern with fake news? What does 'post-truth' refer to?

The concern over the impact of the Internet news reporting is not new, but 2016’s US presidential election brought the issue into sharp focus. The terms ‘fake news’ and ‘post-truth’ are now familiar in the contemporary vernacular. Is the death of print media the cause for fake news? Possibly. Online news sites are easy to set up, and the simple news format is easy to replicate. Unlike printed media, you do not need the money, publisher, or industry access to ‘sell’ or share your message. Together with this and the prevalence of social media, online news is now faster to produce and then share to a global audience.

8) What is your view on the decline in print media? Should news be free? Is it a concern that established media brands such as the Independent can no longer afford to exist as a printed newspaper?

This audience is not engaging with online news in the same way. As such, the absence of a printed version  of the Independent impacts the level of exposure to a wider audience. I believe that print should be reduced  and only targeted at a niche market, it is seen that a large % of the older audience are using print however a small % of the younger audience are using print, that suggest by only producing a small amount it will sell out with the older generation allowing the print companies to make profit whilst the companies also focus on digital media (websites and social media pages) to reach the younger generation as they are the future.