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Editors optimistic about newspapers' future, survey claims

Posted: 27/03/07 By: Oliver Luft
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The majority of editors across the world are optimistic about the future of their newspapers, an international survey claims.

According to the first Newsroom Barometer survey - conducted by the World Editors Forum and Reuters - 85 per cent of the 435 editors-in-chief, deputy editors and other senior news executives from around the world that were involved claimed to be either 'very optimistic' or 'somewhat optimistic' about the future of their newspapers.

The form that paper would take in the future split opinion as 40 per cent thought that in 10 years' time their publications would be more commonly read online, while 35 per cent believed the print publication would remain dominant.

Only 11 per cent believed that the much-hyped proliferation of news content onto mobile platforms would result in that becoming the preferred means to receive their news.

Speaking at the release of the survey results at Reuters headquarters in London today, George Brock, Times Saturday editor and World Editor's Forum president, responded to queries about results which seemed to fly in the face of the despondent messages usually associated with the future of newspapers.

"I think the optimism is measured and some of it may reflect the fact that this is a poll of 435 editors, not 435 publishers," he said.

"The trade press will tend to reflect the business difficulties which publishers are encountering.

"I hope that it's true, and I think it is true of this poll, that editors are looking out across a transition and saying there is a better situation once we have adjusted our balance between digital and print - and that balance will be in a different place for different news channels and organisations.

"Then prospects don't look too bad. But they [the editors] are making assumptions about the business case."

Further survey results showed that eight in 10 respondents viewed online and new media as a welcome addition. However, those with high-volume web traffic - more than 200,000 unique visitors per day - viewed new media more positively than those without such a strong foothold on the web.

The figures perhaps reflect the fact that roughly 200 of the 435 respondents were from European newspapers, the majority of whom would have a significant web presence.

Two-thirds of respondents also believed that opinion and analysis pages would grow in importance. Nearly half (48 per cent) thought the majority of news, both print and online, would be free in the future.

Half the respondents also believed that journalistic quality would improve over the next 10 years. Yet, perhaps significantly, a quarter believed that standards would worsen as alternative sources of news became more abundant.

Three-quarters of respondents viewed the trends toward increased interactivity between news organisations and their readers as positive for quality journalism, while only 8 per cent took a negative view of this interaction.