Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Internet Challenges to newspaper industry

The new age of Internet is indeed a challenge to newspaper industry all over the world and specifically in developing countries where information technology is yet to take a deep root.
The biggest advantage of Internet over newspapers is its speed and penetration to millions of recipients within seconds. For instance an incident happening in Dar es at noon may reach to global audience within seconds through Internet while the same will appear in the next day editions of newspapers which may reach up-country readers another day later.
With Internet it is easy to archive and retrieve news contents and therefore making it easier for reports to use background materials in their daily newsroom operations.
However newspaper have one option to Internet challenges by starting their own Internet sites from where they can run simultaneous business which support each other.
This is theory of convergence between these two news industries looks workable because in the first place it has the same operators.
Same reporters, photographers and editors working for print media may be used to carter for Internet news coverage.
It is from this background, Internet though seen as a threat to newspaper industry, taken for a second thought Internet is just a high technology to maximize newspaper dissemination and generate more income to news industry.
This being the case the same company will retain its old readership for the print media while on the other hand creating a.new digital constituent of Internet users.