Don't worry, print media isn't finished yet

Tomorrow I will be given the chance to attend the Hinckley Institute of Politics journalism conference. The event was kicked off yesterday by the discussion, "How are Journalism Leaders on the Ground Adapting to the Changing Media?" 

The Desert News published a piece on the discussion Tuesday describing how both of Utah’s two largest newspapers, The Desert News and The Salt Lake Tribune will “have to do a lot of work in finding their area of expertise and then building a reputation as a trusted authority in that area (http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705393116/Utah-newspaper-heads-say-newspapers-will-find-a-way-to-survive.html).” The article continues on saying that many newspapers have unable to successfully adapt to an Internet world.

Information is now quickly accessible through the Internet and that’s a good thing. Yet newspapers shouldn’t worry about finding their way into the mainstream Internet news but focus on matters that go beyond traditional news reporting. Sure newspapers were originally about reporting the information quickly and were how most people stayed informed but now we are just one click away online from getting info. With that leap in technology and information newspapers can adapt and for the better. If they learn to focus on long-term issues and trends in news, instead of quick information print media can last.

Judge Memorials High School newspaper, The Bulldog Press, is an astounding example of adaptation. We long printed in newspaper format but last year made the decision to switch to a magazine. This change allowed us to look edgier and professional while keeping our content focused on connections and issues that matter to our school community. This simple change and the fact we remained true to our stories’ focus allowed it to remain relevant and appealing to our readers.

Journalism is a unique tool to connect others with facts, information, knowledge, and opinions. As long as people are willing to listen to them the print media will survive even if takes just a little change.