The future of printed journalism has been debated on a regular basis from the moment the world was introduced to the vast, globe spanning potential of the World Wide Web. From its very inception it seemed that printed newspaper and magazines would soon be as rare as office supplies are on Star Trek.

The decline in the popularity of printed media really began when television started to take hold in the mid twentieth century. First to suffer were the evening newspapers which people traditionally bought on the way home from work. Now you could just switch on the television and get the news in an easy, more up to date form than the evening paper. As time has gone on, newspapers in particular have had to adapt to falling circulations and therefore dwindling advertising revenue. Many quickly turned to putting out their content in online versions of their newspapers, hoping that the online advertising revenue would make up for the shortfall in the printed form.

Unfortunately this has not proved to be the solution many had pinned their hopes upon as the global economic crisis puts increasing pressure on both online, printed, radio and television advertising. Some have turned to charging for access to the online version of their product, but with what must be described as somewhat limited success. There is simply too much information out there for free that people can access for them to consider paying to subscribe to an online newspaper.

Magazines have a different role to play in our lives compared to a newspaper as they are less time sensitive than a newspaper, especially the monthly editions. A magazine is, however, more vulnerable to trends and fashion than the tabloids and broadsheets. You only have to look at the on-going decline of \”lads mags\” to see a prime example of what can happen. In the first half of 2011, Nuts magazine\’s readership fell by 22.5% and Zoo by an eye watering 32.1%. Even the top selling men\’s magazine, Men\’s Health saw its readership fall by 11.1% over the same period.

The one great advantage that the printed media had over its online counterparts was its portability. You could slip a paper into your pocket and hop on the train, whereas even a laptop was cumbersome and awkward to carry around just for a read on the way to somewhere. Unfortunately for the printed press, we now have the tablet and the smartphone, so surely the end is nigh, especially when even books are coming under threat from the ever more affordable e-readers?

As our ever increasing thirst for information grows, and the way in which we consume it changes, there is a huge market for those who create the raw material. The way that costs are recouped and profits are made will have to adapt to the new reality, but without the quality news and information the consumer desires, any form of publication would wither and die. But just as some writers still love office supplies like notepads, pens and pencils to create their work, some people will always prefer the printed form over the electronic forms of reading it.

Ben Greenwood is writing on behalf of Cartridge World, the UK\’s leading specialist in printer cartridges, including toner cartridges and ink cartridges.

Ben Greenwood is writing on behalf of Cartridge World (http://www.cartridgeworld.co.uk), the UK\’s leading specialist in printer cartridges.

Author Bio: Ben Greenwood is writing on behalf of Cartridge World, the UK\’s leading specialist in printer cartridges, including toner cartridges and ink cartridges.

Category: Business
Keywords: journalism, print journalism, printing