The death of print media

Previously the dominant force

In the last 30 years, print media was one of the main sources of information for audiences
Since the first papers in the 1660s and the relaxing of British censorship laws in the 1690s, printed newspapers have been a main source of information
Radio had a minimal impact on newspaper circulation, however, TV had a larger impact with the introduction of TV news
However, due to the audience, digital newspapers are now ubiquitous (ever-present)
As we consume news differently our demands of the media change
Audiences can now consume a large amount of information for free that they previously had to pay for
Publishers still rely on advertising in print media to fund the papers instead of keeping up with new methods of consumption

1 of 5

The freedom and anonymity of the internet allows for a new way of communicating which audiences and consumers never had access to before
Before the age of digital media, consumers relied on a small number of producers for their information in a printed newspaper or broadcasted news report
It was very difficult for consumers to interact with or feedback to producers
It was also hard for consumers to interact with other consumers
They could discuss the news or TV within their social circle but not all around the world
The internet allowed them to do this
It also allowed consumers to become prosumers and create their own media

2 of 5

The Independent was a broadsheet established in 1986
The Independent offered a fresh, non-biased perspective
The slogan was 'it is, are you?' which reflected its challenging approach to contemporary splash headlines of the 1980s
The newspaper's selling line until 2011 was 'free from political bias, free from proprietorial influence' and the reporting somewhat reflected this. It is also known for its unorthodox and campaigning front pages
At its peak in the 80s, it had a circulation of around 280,000 however this was small
In the 90s its circulation was 389,523 compared to the Sun's 3.5 million and the Daily Mail's 2.9 million.
In 2010, the company was bought by Evengy Lebdev which was followed by the scandal of Johan Hari, who allegedly reported fake news and plagiarised materials
When he admitted this, he was stripped of his Orwell Prize and the paper's reputation was damaged
Following an ever-decreasing circulation, in February 2016 it was confirmed the paper would be online only by April

3 of 5

The successful i paper was sold to Johnston press and the news organisation took an online focus
The editor, Amol Rajan became editor-at-large to pursue a digital perspective
Lebedev said the online move was a bold transition but necessary with the changing audience
With the end of a printed version came an increase in profits
In 2016, there were 15.8 million unique users rising to 21 million in June 2016 falling to 16.2 million in August 2016
It was the first time the Independent turned a profit in 20 years
Some have questioned whether the institutional values have been retained
In the Financial Times, Simon Kelner the longest-standing editor wrote that the mix of voices, the originality in design and the iconoclastic feel made it unique which is difficult to replicate online
There is also a concern about audience reach, the paper is rivalling sites like BuzzFeed and the Huffington Post by creating silly shareable stories
However, most of those who read a daily newspaper are 55+

4 of 5

The 2016 election brought to light the issue of fake news
Online news sites are easy, quick and cheap to set up and the layout of a news site can be copied
This and social media means it is easier to share a message with a global audience
Sharing means you don't always have context so articles from Private Eye or The Onion, which post satirical articles for comedic effect
In this context is clear but issues arise when fake news sites follow the codes and conventions of real ones
A BuzzFeed investigation found that in the final months of the US election more fake election stories were shared than real ones
News is often shared across multiple platforms before being proved to be fake
Many sites are created to mimic real ones and can easily mislead the audience if they get information from only one site

5 of 5