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A number of folks have suggested names of good thinkers on the subject 
of the future of newspapers. While I of course know many of them (having 
covered the industry for 3 years), I'm also getting some new names. Thanks 
to everyone who replied already.

I'd like to suggest a discussion thread that's a bit out of the ordinary 
for this list, but I think will be fascinating. It will help me gather 
my thoughts for my anthology chapter, but beyond that I just think it's 
a worthwhile topic for this group. Here's my question:

Let focus on newspapers in *print*. I want to know what you think newspaper 
print editions will be like and how they will change in the coming years. 
My presumption is that the growth of interactive media will force the 
print editions to change. Of course they have and will create more online 
sites and the two will meld, but let's focus just on what happens to the 
print edition as a result of new media. Some possible specific questions:

* Will it be as powerful a force in the community, or will its power erode?
* Will its audience become even older because the younger generation will 
  rely more on new media?
* Will it become more TV-like in order to compete with other (including 
  new) media -- in terms of shorter stories, less of the long, investigative, 
  interpretive stuff of which have been newspapers' core strength?
* Will it become more locally oriented, perhaps even reducing national/
  international wire news because that's available in so many other places?
* Will the proliferation of media and convergence trends lead to a 
  "dumbing down" of newspapers? Or will they remain above the fray, 
  holding onto a niche of being the one true "serious" medium?
* Will the print edition over time swap places with its online edition in 
  stature -- the opposite of today, where online is a growing yet still 
  minuscule part of the total newspaper operation? Or perhaps online and 
  print editions become equal; the content is what matters, and the 
  delivery medium -- paper vs. pixels -- is irrelevant?

Thanks in advance for contributing your thoughts. (If I see anything that 
I'd like to quote in my chapter, don't worry, I'll ask for your permission 
first.)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steve Outing                                   Planetary News
steve@planetarynews.com                        Boulder, Colorado, USA
Owner: Online-News, Online-Writing             voice: 303-543-7810
and Online-Newspapers lists                    fax: 303-543-1059
           Read my Stop The Presses! column on E&P Interactive:
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(( e-mail column reminders: http://www.planetarynews.com/stopthepresses ))



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