The second annual "Newsroom Barometer," conducted by Zogby International for the World Editors Forum and Reuters, found that 85 percent of editors are very optimistic or somewhat optimistic about the future of their newspapers. The percentage is unchanged from last year.
The survey of 704 senior editors from around the world, conducted in March 2008, found that:
 86 percent believe integrated print and online newsrooms will become the norm, and 83 percent believe journalists will be expected to be able to produce content for all media within five years.
A majority - 58 percent -- think the decline in young readership is the biggest threat for the future of newspapers.
Two-thirds believe some editorial functions will be outsourced, despite frequent newsroom opposition to the practice.
"The survey shows that editors-in-chief are already multi-media minded and that they have the capacity to carry out the transition from print-only to print and online," said Bertrand Pecquerie, Director of the World Editors Forum.
Monique Villa, Managing Director of Reuters Media said: "The 2008 Newsroom Barometer survey demonstrates continued optimism for the future of the newspaper industry, with editors ready to face the huge complexities of embracing a multimedia world.
"Reuters is delighted to be associated with this important poll for the second year in a row. With over 700 global participants, the Newsroom Barometer poll shows how change and trends are evolving in each region around the world, year on year, to build a broad overview of the state of the industry."
The survey found:
A majority of editors - 56 percent - believe news in the future will be free, up from 48 percent from last year’s survey. Only one-third believe the news will remain paid for, while 11 percent were unsure.
A plurality - 44 percent - believe on-line will be the most common platform for reading news in the future, compared with 41 percent last year. Thirty-one cited print (down from 35 percent last year), 12 percent mobile and 7 percent e-paper. The rest were unsure.
35 percent said training journalists in new media was the number one priority for investing in editorial quality. Recruiting more journalists was cited by 31 percent, up from 22 percent last year.
Two-thirds of respondents believe the importance of opinion and analysis pages will increase.
The results of the Newsroom Barometer survey, released at a news conference at Reuters headquarters in London today, are contained in Trends in Newsrooms 2008, the annual WEF report on the latest editorial developments from around the world (www.trends-in-newsrooms.org). The Newsroom Barometer, a partnership among WEF, Zogby and Reuters, will be conducted annually to assess changes in attitudes and strategies in newsrooms around the world.
The survey results can be found at www.editorsweblog.org.
About the World Editors Forum
The Paris-based World Editors Forum (www.worldeditorsforum.org) is the organisation of the World Association of Newspapers that represents editors-in-chief and other senior news executives. WAN, the global organisation for the newspaper industry, represents 18,000 newspapers; its membership includes 77 national newspaper associations, newspapers and newspaper executives in 102 countries, 12 news agencies and ten regional and world-wide press groups.
About Thomson Reuters
Thomson Reuters is the world’s leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals. It combines industry expertise with innovative technology to deliver critical information to leading decision makers in the financial, legal, tax and accounting, scientific, healthcare and media markets, powered by the world’s most trusted news organization. With headquarters in New York and major operations in London and Eagan, Minnesota, Thomson Reuters employs more than 50,000 people in 93 countries. Thomson Reuters shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: TRI); Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: TRI); London Stock Exchange (LSE: TRIL); and Nasdaq (NASDAQ: TRIN). For more information, go to www.thomsonreuters.com.
About Zogby
Zogby International is a public opinion, research, and business solutions firm with experience operating in 65 countries around the globe. Led by founder John Zogby, President and CEO, Zogby International is known as a leading company with a reputation for uncanny accuracy and reliability that specializes in telephone, Internet, and face-to-face survey research and analysis for political, corporate, non-profit, and governmental clients. The firm is headquartered in Utica, New York, with offices in Washington D.C. and Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Inquiries to: Larry Kilman, Director of Communications, WAN, 7 rue Geoffroy St Hilaire, 75005 Paris France. Tel: +33 1 47 42 85 00. Fax: +33 1 47 42 49 48. Mobile: +33 6 10 28 97 36. E-mail: lkilman@wan.asso.fr.
Thomson Reuters Inquiries: Sophie Brendel, Head of PR - Editorial & Media, Reuters. Phone: +44 207 542 0496. E-mail: sophie.brendel@reuters.com. |
