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Newspapers Likely to Become Free In Near Future, Says Editor Poll



All the news that's fit to print may someday be free, according to a new poll from Zogby International.

The polling firm asked newspaper editors around the world what they thought would be the future of newspapers, and most agreed that there was a future in print but that pressures from online media would force them to adjust how they do business.

Some key points:
  • 86 percent of respondents believed newsrooms should become more integrated with digital services.
  • Two in three believe the most common form of news consumption will be via electronic media such as online or mobiles within a decade
  • 56 percent of respondents believed that the majority of news, be it via print or online, would be free in the future (up from 48 percent a year ago)
  • 48 percent who answered yes a year ago
  • Only 45 percent of editors thought the quality of journalism would improve over the next 10 years (more than 25 percent think it will get worse)
  • Nearly two-thirds believe that some traditional editorial functions will be outsourced in the future

An interesting split between so-called emerging markets and more mature markets was revealed by the poll. Editors in South America, Eastern Europe, Russia, the Middle East and Asia were more likely to think newspapers would become free, while those in Western Europe and North America were likely to think the paid model still has a future. [Source: Reuters]

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