Newspapers: The decline in print media

 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?  

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

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.

Five of the top six TV channels (including BBC One which remains the top news source across platforms) saw decreased reach from 2021 among online adults.

Ive picked these three in particular as they all highlight social medias dominance over news sources throughout older audiences as it shows the increase in TikToks use while also showing the decline in both tv and print.

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

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?
Newspapers are on a very rapid decline in comparison to other more mellow or less significant declines.
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? 
Most likely is 75+ at 51%, least likely is 16-24 at 10%
5) Look at the newspaper-specific data on page 36. Which are the most popular newspaper titles? 
The daily mail is the most popular, second being The Sun.
6) Now look at the total newspaper reach of print and online on page 39. How has this decreased over the last three years?
Print usage has gone down by 11% in comparison to the previous year according to the table.

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?

Print media was one of the main sources of information for audiences. The desire for information is not a new one. Since the first newspapers in 1660s, and the relaxing of British censorship laws in 1695, printed newspapers have been a primary source of this information.

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

When the Independent’s average circulation was 389,523, The Sun had an average circulation of 3.5m readers, while the Daily Mail had 2.9m. In 2010, the company was purchased by Evgeny Lebedev for a nominal £1 and £9.25m over the next 10 months. This purchase reflected the financial difficulty of the company, and was followed by the scandal surrounding the reporting of Johann Hari. It was claimed that Hari’s reporting contained inaccuracies and plagiarised materials; Hari later conceded that these claims were correct. He was stripped of the Orwell Prize he received in 2008, and the incident damaged the reputation of the paper. Following an ever-decreasing circulation, Lebedev confirmed in February 2016 that the Independent would cease printing at the end of the following month.

3) What was the Independent newspaper famous for?

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.

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

Lebedev claimed that the ceasing of a printed version was a bold transition to a digital-only future. “The newspaper industry is changing, and that change is being driven by readers.

5) How do online newspapers make money?
Advertisements and sponsorships
6) What did the Independent's longest-serving editor Simon Kelner warn regarding the switch to digital?

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.

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

The concern over the impact of the Internet news reporting is not new, but 2016’s US presidential election brought the issue into sharp focus. The terms ‘fake news’ and ‘post-truth’ are now familiar in the contemporary vernacular. Is the death of print media the cause for fake news? Possibly.

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 think the decline is a good thing as i dont believe other organisations should be profiting from spreading information that can be learnt for completely free and from millions of other perspectives instead of just one. It provides a clearer idea of the story and therefore helps you understand more about it.