Is the sky really falling on print newspapers?

I’ve wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. Throughout high school, the thought of getting to know someone or something intimately enough to write about them/it made me decide to pursue a degree in journalism. While the shift from the printing press to the Internet has been prevalent for as long as I can remember, my early dreams of becoming a published writer didn’t exist online. In fact, what seemed most prestigious to me was being published in print. While my goal has already become a reality, studies are starting to show that I may be counting down the dwindling days to seeing my name on the front byline of a newspaper page.

The reason being for this is because various studies – including one done by Medium – shows that print circulation has been on the decline for quite some time. The website took statistics from the top circulated newspapers from across the country and the results were startling. It shows that only two print newspapers (the Wall Street Journal and New York Times) sell more than a half million copies per average weekday, only six that sell a quarter of a million copies and around 22 that sell more than 100,000. Compare that to 2013, where the numbers for each newspaper listed was sometimes even double what is was last year in 2015. While the numbers are somewhat disappointing, I can’t say that I’m surprised. With so many digital innovations, it seems rational that newspapers would make the shift as well. Another reason for the decline in print is that there’s a very small cost associated with doing so. If everyone is making the switch to smartphones and tablets, wouldn’t newspapers benefit more from going digital? Or are they losing profit and readership from doing so?

An opinion columnist from Prince George Citizen backs up the claims made by Medium and asks the audience a question – How does one save print journalism? While this author doesn’t have many facts to back up his claim, he says the main reason we should fight to keep print alive is because of the want for written records. “In an age where governments delete emails and people take down tweets or posts that garner too much negative attention, there is something right and just about keeping a permanent written record,” he writes. Furthermore, he’s respected print for so long because it gave him a space to write and actually be a journalist. While that may be true, one might argue that one is given the same space in the digital sphere and that you don’t have to be in print to be classified as a journalist.

While both articles made good, yet similar, points, they both seem pretty pessimistic about the future of print journalism. Unfortunately, the numbers back them up. For me, I can say that while I may not like what’s happening with print, as an up-and-coming journalist in the digital age, I can tell this is something I’ll just have to accept.