Newspapers are struggling to adapt to changing news consumption habits. As more people get their news from social media and mobile devices, newspaper readership and advertising revenue have sharply declined. In response, newspapers are using tactics like social media, shorter stories, videos and paywalls to attract younger audiences and generate revenue online. However, the transition to digital presents challenges as journalists must now be multi-skilled across multiple platforms. The future of newspapers remains uncertain as they work to reinvent their content and business models for the digital age.

1. Newspapers are Old News
The future of newspapers in the digital age

2. We live in a
Digital
World:84% of
households
have a
cellphone and
7% also have
a tablet3

3. 2.789 billion
people, or 37%
of the world
population,
actively use
social media in
2017
2

4. According to a study, 63% of Facebook and
Twitter users get their news on the social
platforms, and 59% of Twitter users follow
breaking news on the site
In this digital world, the way people
receive news is changing
7

5. In fact 50% of
users between
ages 18 and
34,said the
sites were “the
most important”
or “an
important” way
to get news 7

6. 1/3 of
College
Students
Share News
on Social
Media Sites
Regularly3

7. Unfortunately,
reading
newspapers is not
a high priority
for millenials 3

8. In fact, in
just over a
decade, the
newspaper
industry has
lost $45B in
ad revenue due
to decreased
readership
9

9. Since they receive the majority of their
profits from ads, even large, reputable
newspapers have been struggling
- 2.6% ($1B in
lost funds)
Total Newspaper Revenue
Decline in 2013 alone 10
10

10. This lack of
revenue has
caused 15 North
American major
metro daily
newspapers to
stop operations
and 12 others
to reduce their
frequency since
2007
8

11. In response, news
firms have begun
to use Facebook,
Twitter, and
other social
media apps to
attract young and
on-the go news
consumers 3

12. Other tactics being used to combat
diminishing reader interest:
• shortening stories
• adding commentary
• using social media to supplement
hard copies
• focusing on younger generations’
interests
• creating OTT(over-the-top)content
4
10
10
10
10

13. What is OTT
content?
With mediums such as Roku and Apple TV,
there is an opportunity for newspapers to
launch their own TV stations to produce
OTT and reach a younger audience
Video clips are used for people to see
news live without an anchor or on-screen
reporter, and barely any narration. This
method also reduces costs and bypasses
FCC licensing 4
4

14. The Courier Times has 7,500 active Roku installs
The Beaver County Times created micro-TV stations in their
markets and offers a free Roku with every newspaper
subscription
McClatchy, which owns 29 daily US newspapers, is currently
adding OTT videos to their services
Naples Daily News transitioned to video first 10 years ago
4
4
4
4

15. Fighting for Territory:
While newspapers are adapting, social media platforms are
taking advantage of their current popularity for reading news
and are attempting to further dominate the space
Twitter
developed Project
Lightning in an
attempt to curate
the Twitter
experience for
people to better
follow breaking
news
Facebook, along
with 9 news firms
created Instant
Articles which
streamlined the
news reading
experience
7
7
7

16. So how is the digital transition in
news consumption affecting journalists?

17. Journalists are now required to be able to report
effectively on newspaper, internet, radio and television
There has been a rise in multi-skilled journalism focused
on interactivity, personalization, global accessibility,
interconnectivity and instantaneous reporting
Journalists also need to be able to navigate the
epidemic of fake news and sensationalism
6
6
6

18. number of
working
journalists in the
US decreased by 17,000
according to the Pew
Research Center
BUT
from
2006 to
2012 the
10

19. This dramatic drop in
journalists over the past
decade may be due to this
new multi-skilled approach
as many seasoned journalists
have had a hard time
transitioning to all news
mediums. However, news firms
consistently state that
multiskilling is simply to
produce more from the same
resources, rather than
decrease the workforce
6

20. So what are the
next steps for
the Newspaper
industry?

21. One option is online
paywalls, which many
newspapers and news
sites are beginning to
use to generate more
revenue
A recent study found that
paywalls are used at 450
of America’s 1,380 daily
newspapers and are
effective for both large
and small papers
Although it is clear that a transition from hard copy to
online mediums is necessary for the survival of newspapers,
online ad revenue alone won’t be enough to support most 1
1
1

22. 1. Take a responsive content approach: think broadly and
create the best content for each medium (such as tablet
versus mobile) and the technology to will deliver it
2. Bring non-print developers and designers on board: news
will be more flexible, short and tailored for the reader
and their device of choice
3. Rebalance resources: Support quality, local, investigative
journalism but also incorporate contributions from the
internet and social media
4. Look toward the future: A classic newspaper may not have
the same brand equity with a millennial. Invent new multi-
platform news products tailored to the audience
Other Suggestions for Newspaper firms:
5
5
5
5

23. References
1. Are Newspapers Dying or Adapting in the Age of Digital News Consumption? (2015). Retrieved from About News:
http://journalism.about.com/od/trends/a/papersdying.htm
2. Global social media research summary 2017. (2017). Retrieved from Smart Insights:
http://www.smartinsights.com/social-media-marketing/social-media-strategy/new-global-social-media-research/
3. How College Students Share News Through Social Media. (2014). Retrieved from Sage Journals:
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1931243114546448
4. How local papers are looking ‘over the top’ as part of a new model for video. (2015). Retrieved from Columbia
Journalism: http://www.cjr.org/united_states_project/local_news_video_over_the_top.php
5. How the local press can survive – and thrive – in a digital age. (2014). Retrieved from The Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/media-network/media-network-blog/2014/jul/17/local-press-survive-digital-age
6. Konstantinos Saltzis, R. D. (2008). Inside the changing newsroom: journalists' responses to media convergence.
emeraldinsight .
7. New Pew data: More Americans are getting news on Facebook and Twitter. (2015). Retrieved from niemanlab.org:
http://www.niemanlab.org/2015/07/new-pew-data-more-americans-are-getting-news-on-facebook-and-twitter/
8. Newspaper Death Watch. (2016). Retrieved from Newspaper Death Watch: http://newspaperdeathwatch.com
9. Sticking With Print Would Not Have Helped Newspapers Avoid Death. (2016). Retrieved from Fortune :
http://fortune.com/2016/10/18/print-is-dead/
10. The Future of Print: Newspapers Struggle to Survive in the Age of Technology. (2014). Retrieved from Harvard
Political Review: http://harvardpolitics.com/covers/future-print-newspapers-struggle-survive-age-technology/
NOTE: the in-text numbering on each slide correlate with the data gathered from the
similarly numbered sources below

24. Image Sources
All images have creative commons licenses and are listed in the order they appear
John S. Flickr
Max pixel
Christiaan Colen
Kaboompics//Karolina
Kaboompics//Karolina
Max pixel
Gary Knight
Juanedc
Ervins Strauhmanis
Kaboompics//Karolina
freestocks.org
Kaboompics//Karolina
Pexels
Jon S
Unsplash from Pixabay
pexels
Pexels
Unsplash
Unsplash
Tookapic
Simon from pixabay
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