This has been an ongoing issue since the blogosphere appeared - does traditional media represent true journalism?
With the Times going behind a paywall, what function does a paper hold in the modern world?
WIth 24-7 news, why would someone pay to look at the news section of the Times when an app on their phone or a quick trip to one of the numerous newssites would give someone an overview of the world?
So what is the print media's function?
What is the model to counteract falling readerships and sales?
For newspapers, there is going to have to be a shift into views, comments and special features which are unique to the identity of the paper.
Also what coverage does a newspaper have?
The illustration below is based on a study by journalism.org which looked at the US stream and what is driving blogs, newspapers and twitterers.
By its very nature, the web can offer a broader, disparate number of views than traditional print. The complaint that the blog is not true journalism ignores the very origins of newspapers ie. the pamphleteers.
Blogs and tweets are the modern equivalent - people pushing their opinion onto the public.
If the pay-model for traditional media fails then we could see media falling into a world of citizen-journalism, one powered by personal opinion rather than driven by commercial, editorial, owner-needs.
A world where every person is plugged into their own network of information and opinion, not relying on pravda, newsinternational etc for news and views. A network where the person is relied on to filter through the rubbish.
Could it work? Or would a million voices drown out the one screaming "fire"?
Pic ht: flowtown