by Kurt D. Moore

Created on: December 02, 2009

My job as a newspaper reporter is giving me a front-row seat to the debate over whether the Internet is killing print journalism. From my perspective the Internet isn't the only challenger, but it's definitely the one getting the attention.

Print journalism has faced a number of challenges for years. The cost of ink and paper continue to increase, cutting into a newspaper's profit and forcing changes such as the reduction in size of many newspapers. This reduction has led many readers to believe that they are getting less news while being asked to pay more for the newspaper.

The catch is that, as many newspapers try strategies such as only printing classified ads on certain days of the week, the reader isn't necessarily seeing any less news.

With the Internet newspapers can publish numerous articles online without necessarily worrying about the cost of materials such as paper. Photographers can publish photo galleries with dozens of photos instead of the one or two that may accompany a story in the print product. A reporter can upload the text of a new city law so that people can read the law for themselves, not just read the reporter's description of it.

Journalists are also vying for the public's attention. Mass media has offered a fast food version of distributing information that can rival and often beat the radio and television. It fits into today's on-the-move society and lets readers pick and choose what information they desire rather than scan the newspaper for the stories that they find of interest.

In turn this is changing how journalists report the news. Reporters are now told more than ever to write tight. While there used to be some room for creativity in telling the news, nowadays the focus is getting the facts out quickly. That doesn't often leave room for anything other than the basic information, which enables the Web junkie to move onto the next page.

It also makes the news in the next day's paper even more old than it previously was. A newspaper's competitors often include its own Web site. While the Web stories are supposed to be shorter and to leave something of value for the next day's newspaper reader, such as more detail, this isn't always the case.

There is also a cost factor. While newspapers are increasing in price, people can often read their news for free online. Efforts to charge are hampered by the common perception that news should be free online. Companies such as Yahoo and America Online paved the way for such delivery, and people are not as quick to change when the money's coming out of their own wallets.

While the Web is delivering some stiff competition to print, it isn't necessarily fair to say that it is the death of newspapers as well. Their survival is pinned on how well they can adapt to an online world. That survival depends not only on reporters but on advertising representatives who must convince businesses of the value of advertising online.

It also opens up a wide range of tools for the newspaper journalist. Instead of just relying on our words, we can bring in audio and video and a variety of other formats.

We must master a curve of technology that goes a bit beyond our notebooks and word processing programs. But for those who are successful, a brand new world exists.

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