Meyer Looks Into the Future

Quoting the Raleigh News & Observer:

(Phil) Meyer said there's a way out for newspapers. The trend since World War II has been a shift from mass media to smaller, specialized media that occupy niches. Newspapers' niche, he said, should be public service journalism.

"I can see a role for newspapers in this 'demassification' where newspapers pull back to the essence of the watchdog function and maintain political and social influence in the community," he said. "They do this by providing the coverage of public affairs, especially in investigative reporting, holding public officials accountable. There are not many [other media] that do this."

The reporting could be done both online and in print, maybe daily on the Internet and weekly in print, Meyer said.

"At this point, the social goal should not be to save newspapers, but to save journalism. "