The time has come to drop the hammer.
I live in a nice neighborhood of single family homes. Save for the occasional idiot who barrels down the street at 60mph+ with kids and animals in his path, most people are friendly. Don’t worry. I know where he lives. That’s not THE hammer I’m talking about, but it’s on the list.
In my walking and jogging travels, sometimes with the fuzzy kids and other times comfortably numbed by tunes, I notice something missing. Now, keep in mind I’m on the back end of a certain generation where this item was found in every neighborhood and on the lawn of many homes.
Out of the likely 50+ homes I pass on any given morning, only one has a newspaper waiting to be read.
One singular home. One singular newspaper. And that paper is little more than a pamphlet by standards of what a newspaper used to be.
We have reached that point where trying to save newspapers needs to be abandoned. Be sure you paid attention to that one word, because "newspaper" is, in this case, a compound word. A distinction has to be made between the two.
The newspaper industry, once the lifeblood of information for millions, now teeters on the edge of irrelevance. With circulation numbers dwindling and ad revenue migrating to digital platforms, it’s fair to ask: can newspapers be saved?
Should they be saved in their current form?
The more pertinent question is how does this industry make their version of the news viable in a media landscape dominated by the internet, social media, and 24/7 news channels? I only add the 24/7 broadcast channels because some people believe they are still viable, and that is also in question.
The decline of print media is no secret. The Pew Research Center reports that U.S. daily newspaper circulation fell from 60 million in 1994 to just 24 million in 2020, and those numbers continue to drop. While more current 2024 numbers are difficult to come by, every facet of this industry is in steep decline.
Local papers have been hit especially hard, with one in four newspapers disappearing since 2004, according to a University of North Carolina (UNC) study. Meanwhile, digital advertising—once hailed as a potential savior for journalism—has largely been gobbled up by giants like Facebook and Google, leaving newspapers in the dust. In short, the industry
faces an existential crisis.
But does that mean it’s doomed? Not necessarily. There are potential solutions, but it requires bold thinking, innovation, and a willingness to meet the American reader where they are in 2024.
First, and for some reason this has not yet permeated the craniums of those in charge, the old model where a paper would up on someone’s front lawn or snapped up at a local newsstand, (save for a very few major cities), is a dinosaur and no longer works.
Historically, newspapers operated on a relatively simple business model: charge readers for subscriptions and advertisers for space, and the rest would take care of itself. That model began to break down with the advent of the internet. Readers started expecting free content, while advertisers moved their budgets to platforms that offered better targeting and more robust data, like Google and Facebook. The result? Newspaper revenues, once steady and predictable, nosedived. Add in the also-well targeted and current platforms such as TikTok, old thinking has nowhere to go but down and out.
According to PwC’s Global Entertainment and Media Outlook, newspaper ad revenue is expected to fall from $10 billion in 2019 to $6.1 billion by the time final numbers are counted in 2024. Subscription rates have also plummeted, as many readers now turn to free or low-cost digital alternatives. While some newspapers have managed to establish paywalls and generate subscription revenue online, it’s nowhere near enough to replace the lost print revenue. The New York Times, for instance, has found success with its digital subscriptions, boasting more than 10 million subscribers by 2023. However, this model doesn’t translate as easily for smaller, regional papers, many of which lack the resources and global audience necessary to sustain a paywall-driven model.
So where do we find any success stories?
Despite the grim statistics, there are a few glimmers of hope. Some newspapers have found success by rethinking their business models and focusing on the needs of the modern reader. In there words, taking their head out of the sands of time.
Digital-First Strategies: Newspapers like the Washington Post and The New York Times have embraced a digital-first approach, investing heavily in their websites, apps, and social media presence. This shift has paid off for these large publications. The Times, for example, generated $1 billion in digital revenue in 2021, becoming the first legacy newspaper to hit this milestone. While smaller papers may not replicate this success on the same scale, it’s a blueprint for survival. But it’s one that the newspaper platform has to embrace without hesitation or doubt.
Local News Subscriptions: In an age of global news overload, local papers can distinguish themselves by offering hyper-local coverage. Papers like The Seattle Times have capitalized on this by focusing on investigative journalism that directly impacts their communities. People may not want to pay for yet another take on national politics, but they will pay for in-depth reporting on local issues that affect their daily lives. The local only model is an excellent idea, but it’s often torpedoed by terrible management and cheap investment, especially when it comes to the investment in real people, real journalists, and real salary models. Either make the commitment to being truly local, or shut off the lights.
Non-Profit News Models: Papers like The Salt Lake Tribune have switched to non-profit models, relying on donations and grants to fund their journalism. This allows them to keep producing high-quality reporting without relying so heavily on advertising revenue, which has proven unstable. This approach could be a lifeline for many local and regional papers struggling to make ends meet, but it’s far from a solution. Being handed money only lasts so long without any real improvement in reach, and the “free” money dries up eventually when the donor sees a lack of return on investment. Remember, “non-profit” doesn’t mean real people stop needing to make a salary and what counts on the balance sheets as profit to continue operating.
So, how do the survivors cater to the American reader, those who still actively and honestly read?
Understanding what today’s readers want is key to crafting a sustainable future for newspapers. According to a 2021 Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism report, the modern reader values a mix of local news, deep analysis, and trusted, unbiased reporting.
Concise, Digestible Content: Today’s readers are bombarded with information from social media, TV, and online sources. They’re more likely to skim than dive deep into long investigative pieces. But having said that, they will respond to well-written investigation and deep dives, so long as there’s an element of grabbing the reader right from the first few words and making them realize why what they are about to read is important and valuable. Too many online assets hem and haw, dance and dally about the subject matter, and seek to turn what can be said in three sentences into a short novel that never gets to the point until the last paragraph. This is about news, not trying to figure out who gave the candlestick to Mr. Mustard.
Newspapers need to focus on making their content easy to digest, providing readers with clear, concise summaries of major stories without sacrificing depth when necessary. A good number of newspapers once lived by that credo, but abandoned it to keep pace with the aggregate and haphazard style of writing that attracts the lower-intellect.
Some papers have experimented with using newsletters or summary formats to deliver news in easily consumable chunks. Newsletters are the wave of the present when it comes to easily deliverable opinion that grabs a reader. Put them together with a well-produced podcast, there’s a solid winner.
Multimedia and Interactivity: In a world where people get their news through TikTok and Instagram, static text and photos won’t cut it. Newspapers must incorporate video, podcasts, interactive infographics, and even user-generated content to keep readers engaged. This strategy has been effective for outlets like The Guardian, which offers interactive story formats and data visualizations to make complex stories more accessible. Because of the “short attention span theater” of readers from all age groups, there is a need to hold their intellectual hand and walk them to where the news is.
Transparency and Trustworthiness: Trust in media is at an all-time low, with a shocking 31% of Americans holding no trust whatsoever in the press, according to a 2024 Gallup poll. Newspapers need to rebuild that trust by being transparent about their sources, methodologies, and ownership. Readers want to know where their news is coming from and who is funding it. Many papers are adding transparency sections to their websites, explaining their editorial processes to regain public confidence. Of course, there is the “FOX Factor” here, where no amount of facts and honesty will sway a certain group of people to believe anything unless it comes from their spoon-fed propaganda masters. That’s where the legitimate press needs to stand the ground and deliver a higher level of journalism each and every day, without fail.
Can Newspapers Be Saved?
The answer, ultimately, is yes—but not without major changes. The future of newspapers lies in their ability to evolve and meet the expectations of modern readers while embracing new business models. Leaning into digital platforms, producing local and trustworthy content, and finding new ways to engage readers will be essential. For smaller newspapers, non-profit models or community-funded journalism may offer a way forward.
It won’t be easy. The nostalgia for a time when everyone had a paper delivered to their doorstep is strong, but clinging to the past is a surefire way to ensure the industry’s demise. The path to saving newspapers involves recognizing that the future of news is digital, interactive, and hyper-local, and moving swiftly to meet those demands.
That’s why in many cases, the time is now to stop printing a real paper product. Stop believing there are those who still “love to have the feel of a newspaper in their hand”. That generation is vanishing fast, and the one behind them shows no signs of picking up the slack. If the newspaper industry really wants to survive, they need to make a clean break with the past and embrace the present and the future. Leave paper to the grocery store rags.
Get to the greater part of the audience with immediacy, honesty, and integrity.
Or shut the doors and go fishing.
In the end, it’s up to the industry to adapt, or face extinction. Right now, they are teetering on being the next T-Rex, and they’re often far too toothless in wanting to stay alive and relevant.
Grow a spine. Fight back. Stop firing excellent journalists and hard workers to make a bigger buck. Deliver a real news product instead of a facade.
And while we're here, tell people like Jeff Bezos to go sell another digital hand warmer and keep their damn nose out of the newsroom.
Ed Berliner has been at every level of media during a long and storied career. Part of the management team that founded and managed 6 cable networks, 4 successful media businesses as an entrepreneur, sought after speaker/entertainer/educator on numerous media topics, and still has time to launch and edit 2 popular email newsletters, "Shakedown Street" and "The Business Beagle". Contact Ed today to be a guest speaker or educator at your event on this topic and many more. Also, when considering charitable causes, please consider giving to animal shelters such as Abandoned Pet Rescue and excellent animal rescues such as The Beagle Freedom Project.
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