Newspapers: The decline in print media
Part 1: Ofcom report into news consumption
Read this Ofcom report on the consumption of news in the UK and answer the following questions (bullet points/short answers are fine):
1) Look at the headlines from the report on page 6. Pick three that you think are interesting and bullet point them here. Why did you pick those three in particular?
TikTok’s reach for news has increased from 2020 (1%) to 2022 (7%). Half of its user base (for news) are aged 16- 24.
Different age groups consume news very differently; younger age groups are much more likely to use the internet and social media for news, whereas their older counterparts favour print, radio and TV.
Social media is overtaking traditional channels for news among teens. Instagram, TikTok and YouTube are now their top three most used sources for news. Meanwhile many sources have seen decreases since 2021, with reach of BBC One/Two decreasing to 24% in 2022 (down from 35% in 2021).
They are very true and most ones I agree with especially how they are talking about digital age.
2) Look at the overall summary for adults on pages 7-8. What are the key points on newspapers?
- While the reach of print newspapers is decreasing, online newspaper reach remains steady.
- The Daily Mail/Mail on Sunday remains the most widely-read print news title overall, whilst The Guardian/Observer and Daily Mail/Mail on Sunday are the most widely-read digital titles.
3) Look at the statistics on page 13. What do you notice about newspapers and how has it changed in recent years?
Its continuously decreasing more and more every year. It dropped a big percentage from 2020 to 2022 over 10% but before it was decreasing only y a couple of percentages.
4) Now look at the age demographics for news consumption on page 16. What age demographic groups are most and least likely to read newspapers and what are the percentages?
Most likely to read newspapers are ages 75+ with a percentage of 51%.
Least likley are ages between 16-24 with a percentage of 10%.
5) Look at the newspaper-specific data on page 36. Which are the most popular newspaper titles?
The Daily Mail then The Metro then The Sun
6) Now look at the total newspaper reach of print and online on page 39. How has this decreased over the last three years?
Total reach has decreased by over 10% from 2019 until 2022 again there was a sudden drop from 2020 to 2022 by 9%.
Part 2: Factsheet - The death of print media
Go to our Media Factsheet archive and open Factsheet 165: The death of print media. Our Media Factsheet archive is on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets or you can find it online here - you'll need to log in using your Greenford Google login.
Read the Factsheet and complete the following questions/tasks (bullet points/short answers are fine):
1) What has happened to print media in the last 30 years?
In the last 30 years, print media was one of the main sources of information for audiences. The desire for information is not a new one. Since the first newspapers in 1660s, and the relaxing of British censorship laws in 1695, printed newspapers have been a primary source of this information.
2) Why is the Independent newspaper such a good case study for the decline in print media?
At its peak during the late 90s, the Independent generally had a circulation of around 280,000. However, compared to its contemporaries, this circulation was low. In 1992, when the Independent’s average circulation was 389,523, The Sun had an average circulation of 3.5m readers, while the Daily Mail had 2.9m. In 2010, the company was purchased by Evgeny Lebedev for a nominal £1 and £9.25m over the next 10 months. This purchase reflected the financial difficulty of the company, and was followed by the scandal surrounding the reporting of Johann Hari. It was claimed that Hari’s reporting contained inaccuracies and plagiarised materials; Hari later conceded that these claims were correct. He was stripped of the Orwell Prize he received in 2008, and the incident damaged the reputation of the paper. Following an ever-decreasing circulation, Lebedev confirmed in February 2016 that the Independent would cease printing at the end of the following month.
3) What was the Independent newspaper famous for?
A scandal surrounding the reporting of Johann Hari. It was claimed that Hari’s reporting contained inaccuracies and plagiarised materials which damaged the reputation of the paper.
4) What did the then-owner of the Independent, Evgeny Lebedev, say about the newspaper's digital-only future?
5) How do online newspapers make money?
Advertising revenues and having a membership.
6) What did the Independent's longest-serving editor Simon Kelner warn regarding the switch to digital?
He said it was difficult to replicated Independent's variety of voices and original designs in digital form.
7) What is the concern with fake news? What does 'post-truth' refer to?
Though the death of print, it cause the rise of fake news as online websites are easy to set up/ replicate other designs to appeal professional. In comparison to print everything online is free so no money is needed to share as well as the fact that everything online an be globally accessed so physical distribution is not needed. 'Post-truth' refers to the spread of claims from different people which may be accepted as the truth by some audiences.
8) What is your view on the decline in print media? Should news be free? Is it a concern that established media brands such as the Independent can no longer afford to exist as a printed newspaper?
I think its valid and accurate to why newspapers are in decline i think after a couple of generations they will be not produced again as now even old people would be using technology such as Televesions to be informed about news. However it is concerning that now we have the media and that everyone can post their own news and theories which could be false and share rumours and make people believe them which is a disadvantage. I think that producing printed media now is unnecessary and would definitely make the producer a loss of profit.
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