Tuesday, October 28, 2008

'Christian Science Monitor' changing approach

Some big news out of the newspaper industry today...

From Media Post Publications:

Signaling a fundamental shift in the publishing industry, The Christian Science Monitor today announced plans to shift from daily to a weekly print publishing format. In turn, the national newspaper plans to invest heavily in its Web presence.

"We're the first national paper to switch to a web first strategy," said John Yemma, editor of the newspaper, which is more than 100 years old and has won seven Pulitzer Prizes. "We need to make it first rather than secondary, so we can make it more of a go-to destination."

The Monitor has long been one of the most well-respected newspapers in the country, making this news quite significant. It simply plays into the belief of many that print newspapers are a dying creature and that the future of the industry is online.

I for one believe, despite their well-documented struggles, print newspapers are a long way from becoming extinct. There's just something about reading the daily news from a newspaper that you can't get on a computer screen. But, that's just my opinion (and perhaps wishful thinking)...

What do you think? Is the Monitor's move just one of many to come for the industry?

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