Trey Smith
Newsweek is to axe its print edition after 80 years and move to digital-only from the new year.
Tina Brown, the editor-in-chief of Newsweek and sister digital news site the Daily Beast, told staff in an email that the last print edition will appear on 31 December.
The new digital-only publication, which will be called Newsweek Global, will be a "single worldwide edition targeted for a highly mobile, opinion-leading audience who want to learn about world events in a sophisticated context".
Newsweek Global will be supported by paid subscriptions, with content available for e-readers, tablets and the web, with some content also available on the Daily Beast.
Brown, a former editor of the New Yorker and Vanity Fair, said that the shift to digital will lead to staff cuts and a downsizing of the business internationally.
~ from Newsweek to Axe Print Edition by Mark Sweney ~
I often wonder if the print edition of newspapers, magazines and books will disappear in another generation or two. For someone who grew up with printed paper of all sorts at my disposal, this move away from paper feels odd.
The tree-hugger in me isn't as upset. Humanity has chopped down far too many trees and this has had a negative effect on the environment. Of course, computers and other consumer electronics have their own environmental issues, so I'm unsure if moving to a web-based presence is a plus or a negative.
One thing I do know is that, every time we hear of another publication ceasing its print run, it means pink slips for long time journalists and support staff. The US is having enough trouble maintaining and creating good middle class jobs and now we will be dumping even people into unemployment.
I suppose the aspect that bothers me the most is that I realize that shifts of this sort are about one thing: profits. It's not about serving the public and it's not about being more earth-friendly. It's about minimizing labor and production costs so that the few at the top can continue to get rich at the rate (or greater) that they have grown accustom to.
While a lot of people are plugged into the internet these days, a significant number of people -- both here in the US and abroad -- are not. In the coming years, where will they get their news? If newspapers go the way of the dinosaur, an already ignorant populace will become even more uninformed. Such a development will bode well for the ruling elite, but it won't do the rest of us a damn bit of good!
They still need journalists to write for them. Most of the job cuts will probably come from shipping, as the printing process is entirely automated these days. It's not the worst thing in the world, just changing with the times. Problem is what happens when SHTF and the power goes out? You don't need electricity or computers to read a newspaper or a book.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I get most of my news from the internet, I still like reading my local paper or the NYT in the morning. It's a nice break from staring at a screen.