Blog tasks: 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?  

1. TikTok’s reach for news has increased from 2020 (1%) to 2022 (7%). Half of its user base (for news) are aged 16-24.

2. Attitudes towards news generally remain consistent with 2020 (across measures such as quality, accuracy,

trustworthiness and impartiality) for TV, radio, social media, newspapers and online, with TV performing

strongest, and social media performing least well.

3. Reach of print/online newspapers has seen a decrease from 2020 (47%) to 2022 (38%). The decrease is driven by decreases in print (online newspaper reach remains steady) which have likely been exacerbated by the pandemic.

Why I picked these three in particular is because of the main reason being how social media is rising and how much it is impacting on traditional ways of receiving news such as newspapers. This is because as the first bullet says how TikTok has increased its reach from 1% to 7% with half of its user base being young people this shows that the younger generation are not reading off from newspapers but getting it off from their smart phones and devices instead. This has then led to the decline in print as it says it has decreased from 47% to 38% which shows these are key figures of how newspapers is losing its readers due to them being able to access it from their phones. However the headline that stood out the most was how it says the attitudes towards news has stayed the same from 2020 with traditional ways of how we receive news still 'performing strongest' and social media performing least well. I find that hard to believe as social media has had a massive and significant impact worldwide with how people in society receive their news no matter where they are as long as they have a smartphone or device they are able to access the news anywhere online. 

2) Look at the overall summary for adults on pages 7-8. What are the key points on newspapers? 

* Reach of print/online newspapers decreased from 2020 (47%) to 2022 (38%), with the previous trend of steady decreases likely exacerbated by the pandemic. Its reach doubles for younger groups when online newspaper reach is added to print.

* The BBC remains the news organisation with the highest cross-platform audience reach (76%). BBC One remains the top source by reach for adults (53%). YouTube (8%) has seen growth from 2020 (appearing on the ‘top 20’ list for the first time) while both ITV and Google see decreases in reach. Instagram is the top source among 16-24s with a reach of 46%.

* 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?

As we see over the tears, most of the traditional ways of receiving news such as TV, Radio and Newspapers has decreased from 2018-2022 with newspapers suffering the most. This is because back in 2018 it was at 40% but going into 2022 it got the most lowest amount of people (adults 16+) receiving news from them which was at 24%. This had the highest drop out of TV and Radio with them only decreasing by a little amount but not as much as newspapers. On the other hand, looking at the internet, back in 2018 it was at 64% which shows it did have a major amount of people using it to get the internet and then going into 2022 we see an increase to it going up to 66%. This shows that whilst all the other traditional ways of news is decreasing, the digital media is increasing which means that more people are receiving their news online rather than watching  TV or hearing it from the radio or even reading it from a newspaper. 

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? 

Newspapers

16-24: 10% (Online reach 30%)

35-34: 16% (Online reach 33%)

35-44: 14% (Online reach 30%)

45-54: 21% (Online reach 33%)

55-64: 34% (Online reach 48%)

65-74: 40% (Online reach 51%)

75+: 51% (Online reach 59%)  

5) Look at the newspaper-specific data on page 36. Which are the most popular newspaper titles?

Daily Mail - receiving 35% in 2022.

The Sun - receiving 20% in 2022.

The Metro - receiving 17% in 2022. 

CSPs 

Daily Mail - receiving 35% in 2022.

The Guardian - receiving 15% in 2022. 

6) Now look at the total newspaper reach of print and online on page 39. How has this decreased over the last three years?

In 2019, the total reach was at 49%. In 2020, the total reach was at 47%. In 2022, the total reach was at 38%. This shows that over the three years there has been a decrease in the amount of coverage there has been for newspapers and the reach of print and online as people have been using their devices more such as using websites and apps as an alternative to receive news instead. 

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. 

2) Why is the Independent newspaper such a good case study for the decline in print media?

 The Independent was a broadsheet newspaper established in 1986. In an age where Rupert Murdoch has reduced printing costs, and his papers reigned supreme, the Independent offered a fresh and non aligned perspective. At the time of its launch, the Independent used the advertising slogan “It is. Are you?” which reflected the direct and challenging approach to contemporary splash headlines of the time.

3) What was the Independent newspaper famous for?

The newspaper’s selling line was, until 2011, “free from political bias, free from proprietorial influence”, and the reporting somewhat reflected this; in the last decade of its publication the Independent became known for its unorthodox and campaigning front pages.

4) What did the then-owner of the Independent, Evgeny Lebedev, say about the newspaper's digital-only future?

“The newspaper industry is changing, and that change is being driven by readers. They’re showing us that the future is digital. This decision preserves the Independent brand and allows us to continue to invest in the high quality editorial content that is attracting more and more readers to our online platforms.”

5) How do online newspapers make money?

Digital and print advertising is increasingly becoming integrated. Advertisers are combining print, digital, native, and lead generation efforts in an attempt to saturate the audience. Examples: Always #likeagirl campaign; Cancer Research UK’s Signature Leads To... campaign

6) What did the Independent's longest-serving editor Simon Kelner warn regarding the switch to digital?

As reported in the Financial Times, Simon Kelner, the paper’s longest- serving editor said, “For me, the power of the Independent came from the variety of voices, the originality in its design and the iconoclastic feel of the paper. It is very difficult to replicate that in digital form. And it is even more difficult to do that with a paper like the Independent.”

7) What is the concern with fake news? What does 'post-truth' refer to?

The concern of with fake news is that people believe it straight away and fall into a trap of causing panicking to others. This content can be created and shared very quickly, often being shared across multiple social media platforms before the fake news can be proven to be fake. Once a story has this kind of momentum, and has entered the mass audience’s mind as a truth, it is difficult to establish otherwise – the legends or myths that constitute the fake news become accepted as fact. A good example of this would be One of the most shared fake news items on Facebook from 2016 first appeared on ABCNews.com. co – “Obama Signs Executive Order Banning the Pledge of Allegiance In Schools Nationwide”. This article had 2,177,000 Facebook shares, comments, and reactions. Post truth is relating to and denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.

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 feel like since we are in the new digital age and in the 21 Century now even though newspapers and print media is on the decline it is still very much important in todays day and age. This is because newspapers has been one of the longest forming traditional ways to receive any type of news and spread information out which still a hand few of people do still read it and are reliant on newspapers to deliver them their daily news such as the older generation who have grown up reading the news so taking newspapers away and stripping that from the older generation could leave them lost and unsure how to receive news as they are not up to date and know how to use the latest technology such as smartphones and computers on how to receive news.