Slate’s editor-at-large, Jack Shafer, has a great piece discussing the "collapsing cost of media creation."
"Not Just Another Column About Blogging: What newspaper history says about newspaper future," drives home some important points in concise, descriptive fashion.
”The newspaper guild (again, reporters, editors, publishers) can't compete by adding a few blogs here, blogging up coverage over there, and setting up "comment" sections. If newspapers, magazines, and broadcasters don't produce spectacular news coverage no blogger can match, they have no right to survive.”
A clear call to action that includes this jaw-dropping factoid: "The price of one gigabyte of hard-disk storage has dropped from about $9 in October 2000 (nominal terms) to about 45 cents (retail) or less today."
Let me be clear. I'm rooting for newspapers to figure this out. I like everything about the newspaper experience, even ink-stained hands. Whether you love print media or are seemingly rooting for its demise, you better pay attention to the Fourth Estate’s destruction evolution. Public relations skills MUST adapt no matter what happens to print media.
To borrow from Shafer's quote, if you are not delivering spectacular results to your client that no one else can match, can you survive?
tags | Slate | public relations | media relations | blog | PR | consumer generated media
I think that newspapers will rebound, and blogging will help them to develop better content, that's more relevant to their audiences. However, newspapers may have to employ more citizen or freelance journalists to achieve this.
Also, advertising much still work. Isn't that the model for most of these web 2.0 companies.
Posted by: John Cass | 02/20/2006 at 05:37 PM