Free newspapers put pressure on journalistic quality

The advance of free media is unstoppable. The tabloids and regional subscription newspapers are the hardest hit economically by this development. However, journalistic quality will also suffer, according to a survey of experts conducted by the media consultancy Publicom. Following the successful market launch of 20 Minuten, further free titles were launched in Switzerland with Le Matin bleu, 20 minutes, Heute and Cash daily. In the advertising market, the media experts surveyed by Publicom see the tabloids and regional subscription newspapers as the main losers. From an economic point of view, however, the experts also see positive aspects to the triumph of the free titles: The new papers are opening up new reader markets and forcing regional subscription newspapers to make long-overdue structural adjustments.
Media experts expect negative consequences for journalistic quality: increased competition will make the press more susceptible to commercial pressure and editorial teams will have to make do with fewer staff. Those who believe that increased competition will even lead to an improvement in journalistic quality were clearly in the minority.
Publicom surveyed over forty experts from leading media companies as well as representatives from advertising and corporate communications. Publicom, which specializes in media research and consulting, regularly publishes the results of various expert surveys under the name Delphinarium.