By Kate Holton
The report, conducted by Zogby International for the World
Editors Forum and Reuters, revealed that newspaper editors were
still optimistic about the future of their publications but
believed they would have to adapt further for the digital age.
Some 86 percent of respondents believed newsrooms should
become more integrated with digital services as two in three
believe the most common form of news consumption will be via
electronic media such as online or mobiles within a decade.
"For these editors the future is self-evident and our
survey shows that they see the writing on the newsroom wall,"
said pollster John Zogby.
"The evolution of the 4th Estate is no longer questions of
if, when or how. Editors now know the solution: Innovate.
Integrate. Or perish."
According to the survey, 56 percent of respondents believed
that the majority of news, be it via print or online, would be
free in the future.
That was up from 48 percent who answered yes a year ago.
Those leaning towards the free model mostly came from
'emerging' newspaper markets in areas such as South America,
Eastern Europe, Russia, the Middle East and Asia where 61
percent of respondents believed news would be free.
Respondents in Western Europe were less likely to believe
in news becoming free, with 48 percent of news executives
thinking it likely, while North American editors were on par
with the average.
The newspaper industry has been hit in recent years by the
push to move content online and executives still saw many
problems ahead.
According to 704 senior news executives surveyed, the
greatest threat to the industry was the declining number of
young people who read newspapers while the increasing emphasis
on speed meant only 45 percent of editors thought the quality
of journalism would improve over the next 10 years.
More than a quarter thought it would become worse.
To meet the many challenges, more than 30 percent of
respondents wanted to be able to recruit more journalists while
35 percent would like to train the journalists they have in new
media.
Nearly two-thirds also believe that some traditional
editorial functions will be outsourced in the future.
(Reporting by Kate Holton; Editing by Jason Neely)
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