INNOVATION OR DEATH: THE ONLY OPTION FOR THE NEWSPAPER COMPANIES OF THE FUTURE AND THE FUTURE OF NEWSPAPERS

Jeff Jarvis is very direct:

Last night, we had our gala opening for the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism and many noted with rueful nostalgia that we were in the old Herald-Tribune building (next to the new New York Times building). We were surrounded by computers and screens and students: in short, the future. It’s a reminder that newspapers do die. But journalism will continue, in one form or another.

My view is this.

The English word for news-papers is very bad.

Because we are in the news business not in the printing one.

The French work "journal", the Spanish one "periodico" or the Italian one "giornale" are better as they don't stress the print part.

Let's not forget that the first "papers" were called just "gazettes"

For this reason, I prefer not to announce the death of anybody, including news-papers.

As you reported, and the editor of The Guardian said, for many newspaper companies "perhaps these are the last printing presses that we buy..."

But great newspaper brands like The Guardian, The New York Times, La Vanguardia, La Repubblica, Expresso, O Globo, Reforma, The Sidney Morning Herald, Frankfurter Allgemaine Zeitung or El Pais will be able to make the transition if they embrace the "agnostic platform" approach.

Of course many other will not as they do not realize this dramatic shift.

The New York Herald is dead, and it was not killed by internet.

The newspapering history is full casualties.

The option has been here like in any other industry, to innovate or die.

I am sure that we will see a lot of innovators, and, why not?, a lot of deaths.

Innovation is not easy and "leading from the back" is the last strategy to adopt.

Newspaper publishers and editors need to take risks and lead taking the shots, because the "wait and see" is not an option anymore.

The Guardian's set of mine is perfect: let's start the transition right now at the same time that we are investing big money in what is going to be the past very, very soon.