The dilemma of old and new media
When it comes to the question of an economically viable future, there is no significant difference between traditional and new media. Both face the same dilemma: the success of these communication channels stands or falls with their content. However, revenue models for producing quality journalism are still lacking, according to one of the conclusions of the study «The State of The News Media.» Guest column by Josefa Haas, Director of the Media Institute.
Every year it is a treasure trove, the report on the state of the news media, The State of The News Media (www.stateofthemedia.org). It is published by the Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism. The report endeavors to provide a transparent presentation of the development of all media sectors in the USA. It provides interesting insights in an impartial manner. The results of the American media market cannot be transferred one-to-one to Swiss conditions due to the structural differences. However, the following trends should give food for thought:
- The report soberly states: online journalism has not yet found a sustainable revenue model. 79 percent of online users state that they never or very rarely click on advertising. Adequate platforms and billing systems still need to be developed for readers to pay for content directly.
- Even the best of the new media sites still have a limited ability to produce content.
- Traditional media content still attracts the most readers: 80 percent of traffic from news and information sites is concentrated on the top seven percent of sites. Of these, 67 percent are linked to traditional media. New media sites, on the other hand, are rarely among the top sites. 13 percent are pure aggregators that obtain their content from traditional media. Only 14 percent produce original researched content and are not content with commentary alone. The analysis of more than one million blogs and social media sites shows that 80 percent of their links lead to traditional American media.
- Readers are increasingly confronted with arguments and less with information. The proportion of investigative journalism is decreasing, but the number of comments and discussions is increasing. Around 70 percent of Americans now experience this focus on debate as a flood of partisan content.
- The online platforms are dependent on the content of the traditional media. According to the authors of the study, they are therefore also affected by the massive reduction in editorial budgets. In the last three years, 43 percent of revenues for newspapers in the USA, including online, have been lost. Since 2000, annual investment in reporting and editing has fallen by 30 percent to 4.4 billion dollars. In contrast, only 141 million dollars have been generated from non-profit initiatives that finance journalism.
The report on the "State of News Media" therefore concludes that the fate of the old and new media is closely linked. Ultimately, the question is: who finances journalistic research and reporting? Discussion platforms without the basis of independent, transparent and fact-oriented reports promote an unbalanced flood of opinion and mood-oriented information. The study observes a rapid increase in interest-driven platforms.
Pro-Am model for information
As users will be very topic-oriented in the future, the authors suggest that new forms of cooperation between traditional and new media must be found. The combination of traditional journalism with user contributions is also a solution for citizen platforms. In terms of content, contributions should focus on solving problems and improving the community. A good model for cooperation between professional and amateur journalism, also known as pro-am, needs to be found in the future. However, the rules of the game still need to be formulated.
The questions that the report raises on the basis of the data must also be asked in Switzerland: How is the relationship between interest-driven and independent journalism developing? What are the effects of the increasing dominance of opinion pieces over factual and evidence-based content? How are responsible citizens being addressed and where are they being manipulated for political, economic and ideological reasons? And who will ensure that independent and transparent journalism remains economically viable in the future?
The public and the media industry will jointly define which media this country will have in the future. Journalistic services are the central pillar of communication. It is therefore important to define these by means of clear professional standards, to secure their production financially and to create platforms that enable fair access.
- The report soberly states: online journalism has not yet found a sustainable revenue model. 79 percent of online users state that they never or very rarely click on advertising. Adequate platforms and billing systems still need to be developed for readers to pay for content directly.
- Even the best of the new media sites still have a limited ability to produce content.
- Traditional media content still attracts the most readers: 80 percent of traffic from news and information sites is concentrated on the top seven percent of sites. Of these, 67 percent are linked to traditional media. New media sites, on the other hand, are rarely among the top sites. 13 percent are pure aggregators that obtain their content from traditional media. Only 14 percent produce original researched content and are not content with commentary alone. The analysis of more than one million blogs and social media sites shows that 80 percent of their links lead to traditional American media.
- Readers are increasingly confronted with arguments and less with information. The proportion of investigative journalism is decreasing, but the number of comments and discussions is increasing. Around 70 percent of Americans now experience this focus on debate as a flood of partisan content.
- The online platforms are dependent on the content of the traditional media. According to the authors of the study, they are therefore also affected by the massive reduction in editorial budgets. In the last three years, 43 percent of revenues for newspapers in the USA, including online, have been lost. Since 2000, annual investment in reporting and editing has fallen by 30 percent to 4.4 billion dollars. In contrast, only 141 million dollars have been generated from non-profit initiatives that finance journalism.
The report on the "State of News Media" therefore concludes that the fate of the old and new media is closely linked. Ultimately, the question is: who finances journalistic research and reporting? Discussion platforms without the basis of independent, transparent and fact-oriented reports promote an unbalanced flood of opinion and mood-oriented information. The study observes a rapid increase in interest-driven platforms.
Pro-Am model for information
As users will be very topic-oriented in the future, the authors suggest that new forms of cooperation between traditional and new media must be found. The combination of traditional journalism with user contributions is also a solution for citizen platforms. In terms of content, contributions should focus on solving problems and improving the community. A good model for cooperation between professional and amateur journalism, also known as pro-am, needs to be found in the future. However, the rules of the game still need to be formulated.
The questions that the report raises on the basis of the data must also be asked in Switzerland: How is the relationship between interest-driven and independent journalism developing? What are the effects of the increasing dominance of opinion pieces over factual and evidence-based content? How are responsible citizens being addressed and where are they being manipulated for political, economic and ideological reasons? And who will ensure that independent and transparent journalism remains economically viable in the future?
The public and the media industry will jointly define which media this country will have in the future. Journalistic services are the central pillar of communication. It is therefore important to define these by means of clear professional standards, to secure their production financially and to create platforms that enable fair access.
