As always another fine piece of research and analysis from Project for Excellence in Journalism.

There are always a lot of brief articles around touching on the “death of the newspaper”, discussing the state of the industry, with alerts to continued cutbacks and weak revenue figures coming out from print media companies. Commentary on media stocks tell a tale of a dire need for creativity, development and diversification or a certain demise. The report below from PEJ is an in-depth look on the newspaper and “state of the media” today. Discussed within is the current situation, new channels (online) and new players (citizens) and some insight into what the future will look like for this industry.

It has fewer pages than three years ago,
The paper stock is thinner.
The stories are shorter.
There is less foreign and national news, less space devoted to science, the arts, features and a range of specialized subjects.
Business coverage is either packaged in an increasingly thin stand-alone section or collapsed into another part of the paper.
The crossword puzzle has shrunk.
The TV listings and stock tables may have disappeared.

But…. coverage of some local issues has strengthened and investigative reporting remains highly valued.
- The Changing Newsroom: Project of Excellence in Journalism, July 2008

The report, The Changing Newsroom, is a recommended read.

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