Blogs and content writing booms as traditional print journalism declines

As a growing number of high-ranking political, business and cultural leaders, as well as opinion-makers and the public at large, turn to blogs and online written content for their daily news, some of the largest newspapers are forced to ponder their less than hopeful future. The National Post—one of Canada’s two national newspapers—has launched an entire series, which almost reads as a type of obituary for print media, as blogs, freelancers and content writers see their influence and role rise. Sir Conrad Black of Crossharbour, the former owner of a string of prominent newspapers in Canada, Great Britain and the United States and a regular contributor to the National Post—even from his Florida prison cell—wrote that newspapers have served as the “most storied aspects of advanced civilizations,” over the past 250 years. Newspapers were often at the forefront of political and social change, including the French Revolution, or federalist ideas in America, prior to the US War of Independence.

Yet even this former newspaper magnate seems to realize that print journalism may be giving up important ground to online freelancers, bloggers and content writers, who are successfully attracting large audiences, often breaking key news stories, and accomplishing both in a much more cost-effective manner. Blogs are growing in influence and bringing in impressive advertising revenue, while the newspaper industry—Black concedes—has not expanded for the past 10 years. Black believes that newspapers are in “serious trouble,” even though he predicts that many major publications may still prosper, if they adapt to the times.

Blogs and online news providers, on the other hand, seem to face much more favourable odds, especially as a younger generation of readers grows up with access to unparalleled online information and sees the internet as their primary source of news.