In his eyes, government assistance poses a greater threat to media than any new technology.
In a way, he's right.
Yes, newspaper readership has certainly declined over the past ten years, but can the main cause really be traced back to government?
Murdoch states that "the future of journalism...is limited...by government using its heavy hand either to overregulate or subsidize us," which I agree with, but he's wrong in assuming that newspapers have only ever prospered from the trust that they gain from their readers.
Some prosper from where they are located, some from the quality of their images/stories, others for their writers' reputations.
I do agree--the power lies with the readers, but it's not in their trust, it's in their needs. Newspapers aren't losing readership because they're losing trust, they're losing readership for the exact reason that Murdoch dismisses: technology.
If cell phones are coming equipped with access to online news sources, then newspapers should publish e-articles each day in addition to printed text.
However, I can't be too quick to dismiss all of Murdoch's opinions, because there are many that he got right.
"More and more, our readers are using different technologies to access our papers during different parts of the day," he writes.
Evidence of this can be seen in a recent article of Media Week magazine titled "CBS Philadelphia Launches Digital Newsstands." Instead of traditional newsstands that sell hard copies of newspapers and magazines, CBS's Philadelphia affiliate is implementing a series of digital kiosks throughout center city. The kiosks will feature digital screens that continuously flow with updated information on local news, sports and weather.
While Murdoch tends to agree with the fact that news sources must keep up with the technological demands of readers, he seems to contradict himself by blaming the government for the decreasing popularity of traditional news sources.
CBS Philadelphia's Digital Newsstands Attract On-the-go Readers
(Photo courtesy of http://www.digitalsignageexpo.net/)
I think that you make an exellent point with "While Murdoch tends to agree with the fact that news sources must keep up with the technological demands of readers, he seems to contradict himself by blaming the government for the decreasing popularity of traditional news sources."
ReplyDelete...agreed!
Hey!
ReplyDeleteAhhh...finally someone's post I can agree with. I wasn't sure but while reading the Murdoch piece, I felt like he was contradicting himself. On one hand I agree with him when he discusses about government not steping in BUT isn't he doing exactly the same thing?! He's buying social media(Myspace) and news outlets (Fox) but for good or evil-what are his intentions with them?
I'm beginning not to trust any news nowadays-there's always a slant to the news anyways that we are receiving-UGH I just don't know what to do