By: Juanita Scott
There is no denying that the broader media industry is going through changes. In an era dominated by what comes across a screen, it was only inevitable that the way the public receives news would have to adapt accordingly.
The problem isn’t that the industry is adapting the way it produces media. In fact, if the broader industry were behind, it could hurt the industry’s finances and social relevance.
Media outlets such as The New York Times, the Associated Press and The Guardian need to be able to keep up with the times, and it just so happens that these times are run by social media. These are major legacy news outlets that people continue to rely on for news, so they have to be able to find a way to keep their names relevant.
But my concern is how the rise of social media and short-form video content results in the death of print and other physical media. I strongly believe in being able to own the media that I consume. I have seen far too many examples of how the lack of physical media hurts society.
As someone who keeps up with the film and television industry, I can’t even count how many times I hear about a streaming service removing a popular movie or TV show, only for it to appear on another service months later. Sometimes, streaming services even remove productions they own or have produced themselves. When those titles have never received a physical release, they can become difficult or even impossible for ordinary viewers to access.
But over time, as I started to interact with more news media, I started to have a greater appreciation for physical print media like no other. It allowed me to engage with the stories in a more critical manner. I found it easier to read slowly and absorb information at my own pace when I had the text physically in front of me.
This isn’t to say that it isn’t possible to engage with media critically if it’s on a digital platform; I also do it when necessary. But one thing I have noticed is that digital media often seems designed for shorter periods of attention, and, in my opinion, some news content has become more surface-level in the process.
And this isn’t the only problem that I have noticed with digital news platforms. When newspapers were still a dominant force, it was rather easy to go and see if a mistake was published or not as one had physical evidence of it. But digital publishing also makes it easier to change previously published articles without publicly disclosing those changes. In a 2014 examination published by the Columbia Journalism Review, Ryan Chittum documented instances of news organizations making corrections or substantive changes without clearly notifying readers. This practice is sometimes called “stealth editing.”
This doesn’t mean news organizations routinely engage in the practice; it varies from one outlet to another. And I don’t mean small things such as grammar or formatting, but removing context or changing it altogether.
To me, this demonstrates the importance of physical media in holding outlets accountable for mistakes they have made, but it’s also completely unethical in its own right. For me, it causes me to question their credibility. I wouldn’t have a problem with it if they at least owned up to their mistakes.
But as I started to become more active in how I engage with all types of news, I started to realize how connected the decline of print media and the decline of local news are. Northwestern University’s 2026 State of Local News findings document continuing newspaper closures and expanding news deserts, even as new local news publications emerge. However, the decline of print media alone was not the sole cause of this.
When print newspapers dominated local journalism, advertising and circulation revenue provided important financial support for many outlets. After all, news media is a business, and they need money to run said business.
And it’s not like local outlets can’t make money to run their businesses in today’s day and age. There are ways to be able to financially support yourself by running digital publications. In fact, some of the same business models that print magazines used when physical magazines were still popular are now used in the digital market. People can still buy subscriptions for whatever sites they want to get their news, entertainment, etc.
It’s just that I have noticed that because these legacy and major media outlets and companies have become so aware of the fact that digital content is what will keep them alive in today’s society, they have started to adopt topics that a lot of smaller outlets may specialize on. But it’s not that these publications do this for competition with smaller companies; it’s more so due to the shifting of the industry and what will attract audiences. If anything, it’s the smaller companies that have to do everything in their power to stay visible.
For example, The Whit, which is run by the student journalists of Rowan University, has adopted this model rather flawlessly. They can balance both mediums with the physical newspaper copies they put out, along with having space for the articles to be published digitally. Along with its extensive coverage of Rowan University and Glassboro, this approach helps the publication reach its audience.
South Jersey can play its part in making change when it comes to the lack of local news. I know there is a plethora of journalists, both young and old, who believe in effective, accessible, accurate, and accountable reporting. There just needs to be effort from the people who are financing these projects. Having local publications around the region will not only keep the public abreast on issues in their communities, but it also provides a way for communities to stay connected.
And it doesn’t even have to be just hard news; a lot of smaller, specialized outlets are going to have to compete with the larger ones because of their established name recognition. For example, an article on fashion trends from ABC News might appear above one from a specialized fashion publication in search results, making it harder for smaller outlets to compete for visibility. According to Google’s explanation of its search ranking systems, search results are determined by multiple factors and signals, rather than a publication’s name alone.
I have had conversations with several people about how 50/50 the incentive structure is when it comes to digital media. Consumers can influence what appears in their feeds through the content they interact with, although recommendation algorithms also consider other factors.
So if someone regularly gets their news from a site such as CNN, an algorithm may recommend additional CNN articles based on those interactions. A 2023 study published in eLife examined how changing social media’s incentive structures could help reduce the spread of misinformation. Through six experiments involving 951 participants, researchers found that rewarding the sharing of accurate information increased the proportion of true information participants shared relative to false information in simulated social media environments.
But even when major outlets appear prominently in search results or pay for advertising, that doesn’t mean the public has to engage with their content. We have to be active and mindful in how we interact with the media, or anything for that matter. So if someone wants the industry to change, then consumers must also make an effort to support that change.
And I won’t pretend to be a perfect consumer of media. There are so many layers in how the industry operates; as previously stated, it is a business at the end of the day. I do think that there could be more effort to ensure that consumers are able to engage with the media they consume critically.
I also think that there can be a market for print and digital media to coexist and thrive in today’s media environment. The next generation of creatives and journalists who believe in the power of truth and getting it out there adequately could help bring about the change we want to see.
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This article was produced as part of Follow South Jersey’s student journalism program, which provides aspiring journalists with practical experience in professional news reporting and writing.
