Newspapers doomed? Nero fiddles on

Wherever I go, people ask, “What’s the future of the newspaper?” I usually answer with a shrug, a grimace and a question of my own: “What do you think?”

If life at the beginning of the 21st century is confusing in how fast and completely things seem to be changing , then journalism seems to be particularly affected. Fewer and fewer people get their news from that pile of paper that lands on fewer and fewer doorsteps every morning.

Then again, as journalism struggles to change, it seems all too ready to ignore those who remain newspaper supporters. Those supporters include not only those who cling to traditional habits but also those who are ignorant of, or who can’t afford, the equipment that will allow them high-speed Internet access – much less cable television.

The struggle in our industry is summed up pretty well in a blog post by an intern at the Florida-based Tampa Tribune . What’s interesting isn’t just the bright-eyed attitude of the writer but the many comments, both pro and con, which give a pretty good indication of the various sides to this whole argument.

Welcome to the future. It happened, apparently, five minutes ago.