It seems to me that newspapers in their current form are doomed to be wiped off the planet in most 1st world countries within the next 10 years*. Why? Other than the use of coupons giving many people a reason to buy a newspaper every Sunday there is very little motivation to actually buy a stack of newsprint. I actually prefer reading news out of newspapers due to the large pictures and the limited articles that I know which paper to find them in better than I could scout them out on the internet.

Reasons that Newspapers will Survive:

• Coupons.
• Convenience.

Reasons Newspapers will Demise:

• No exclusive content.
• Relatively expensive compared to free WIFI streamed to a device you already own.
• Most material can be read hours if not days online before it reaches print.

I think these are the major reasons that newspapers aren’t going to make it. I can’t see myself paying 50 cents to a dollar or more to received dated information that I probably read on the internet previously even if it is a new story.  Unlike local newspapers, the internet can provide you with tens if not hundreds of different articles and points of view instead of the local writer that you can’t stand.

Do you think newspapers are ever going to disappear or will there always be demand to support a local paper in large cities? Do you prefer a real paper or online news? When is the last time you purchased a paper?

*This is a fact that I cooked up for the purpose of this post.