Journalistic quality suffers under digitization
The universal availability of journalistic content also has its downsides: the quality of the content is declining. This is the finding of a new expert survey conducted by Publicom.
Already, about half of the consumption of daily information is done online via digital channels. But universal availability is one thing, the other is the quality of the information, and this is declining, as Publicom writes in a press release. Two-thirds of the experts surveyed agree: online information has a quality problem. On the one hand, the error rate is growing because of the need for speed and because more and more players are reacting to events. On the other hand, journalists' orientation toward click rates favors shallow content suitable for the masses. There is no consensus, however, on what the consequences of this development are for media brands. Although a clear majority of experts believe that media brands can significantly increase their brand value on the Net, it is uncertain whether online media can take over the function of leading media today and in the near future. Almost half of those surveyed believe this is possible, while a slight majority are skeptical.
Paid services face uncertain future
The question of financing online information also remains unresolved. Only a quarter of those surveyed believe that paid online services will sooner or later become established. There is hardly any willingness to pay for mainstream news and entertainment in particular. But the experts largely agree that the audience is willing to dig into their pockets for high-quality exclusive content. However, it is less clear how such content should be structured. The experts are most likely to expect willingness to pay for business and financial market information, while there is little hope for international news, sports and tabloid topics.
Under the term Delphinarium, Publicom, a company specializing in media research and consulting, publishes the results of a survey of experts twice a year. The panel includes forty experts from leading media companies as well as representatives from advertising, media journalism, communications science and corporate communications.
Further information on the study at Publicom.ch
