Editors optimistic about multimedia newspapers - survey

The second annual "Newsroom Barometer," conducted by Zogby International for the World Editors Forum (WEF) and Reuters, found that 85% of editors are very optimistic or somewhat optimistic about the future of their newspapers. The%age is unchanged from last year.

The survey of 704 senior editors from around the world, conducted in March 2008, found that:

• 86% believe integrated print and online newsrooms will become the norm, and 83% believe journalists will be expected to be able to produce content for all media within five years.
  
• A majority - 58% - think the decline in young readership is the biggest threat for the future of newspapers.
  
• Two-thirds believe some editorial functions will be outsourced, despite frequent newsroom opposition to the practice.

"The survey shows that editors-in-chief are already multimedia minded and that they have the capacity to carry out the transition from print-only to print and online," said Bertrand Pecquerie, director of WEF.

Monique Villa, MD of Reuters Media, said, "The 2008 Newsroom Barometer survey demonstrates continued optimism for the future of the newspaper industry, with editors ready to face the huge complexities of embracing a multimedia world.

"Reuters is delighted to be associated with this important poll for the second year in a row. With over 700 global participants, the Newsroom Barometer poll shows how change and trends are evolving in each region around the world, year on year, to build a broad overview of the state of the industry."

The survey found:

• A majority of editors - 56% - believe news in the future will be free, up from 48% from last year's survey. Only one-third believe the news will remain paid for, while 11% were unsure.
  
• A plurality - 44%-­ believe on-line will be the most common platform for reading news in the future, compared with 41% last year. Thirty-one cited print (down from 35% last year), 12% mobile and 7% e-paper. The rest were unsure.
  
• 35% said training journalists in new media was the number one priority for investing in editorial quality. Recruiting more journalists was cited by 31%, up from 22% last year.
  
• Two-thirds of respondents believe the importance of opinion and analysis pages will increase.

The results of the Newsroom Barometer survey, released at a news conference at Reuters headquarters in London yesterday, are contained in Trends in Newsrooms 2008, the annual WEF report on the latest editorial developments from around the world (www.trends-in-newsrooms.org). The Newsroom Barometer, a partnership among WEF, Zogby and Reuters, will be conducted annually to assess changes in attitudes and strategies in newsrooms around the world.

The survey results can be found at www.editorsweblog.org