What are you saying Geomac if Murdoch closed Australuan papers ????

Crikey

Today, Crikey publishes the stark truth about the news business that you’ll never read in the mainstream media -- the detailed full-year figures that disclose the rapid demise of News Corp’s Australian news business.

In a broader context, these figures reveal the unravelling of the legacy newspaper industry -- the industry that still funds the bulk of Australia’s “accountability” public trust journalism that is a centrepiece of our democracy. They are a year old, but in fact in the year since, publicly released results suggest the numbers have continued their alarming decline.

Why does this matter? Isn’t this just another story of the Darwinian impact of the internet on so many industries?

No, it isn’t. This matters because large-scale accountability journalism is central to everything that underpins democracy in Australia. Without this journalism -- manned by a few thousand independent reporters and editors whose wages are paid mainly by the revenues from commercial newspaper advertising -- every part of our system of government and civic life will be measurably weaker.

What is revealed in the figures published by Crikey today is that unless another funding source can be found, the number of journalists and newspapers capable of being financed by commercial media will continue to spiral downward.

Let us be clear: News Corp is still profitable. But this is through its continued diversification away from its journalism assets.

That part makes one stop and think . Personally I would not subscribe to any of the Murdoch rags except maybe the Sunherald for its footy coverage . I have however recently subscribed to Fairfax .

So it would make sense to sell its newspapers . Fairfax is broke and heading towards digital only . I think the future is online . As I receive all my media now and obviously you do through crikey .,

so at that point what role does a govt source play . 

Yep pretty obvious we are witnessing the demise of the 'newspaper of old' and like you Geomac probably wouldn't personally subscribe to a Murdoch rag  - but having said that - and probably out of habit more than anything else - still do buy newspapers about 3 times a week and almost always the weekend papers - money wasted of course because it's mostly old news.  

Likewise and almost out of a sort of parochial sentimentality more than anything else (Births, Deaths, and Marriages etc. - 'nosiness'/'staying in the loop' so to speak) still do purchase my local town newspaper fairly regularly - and often find the first thing I buy when I visit a new place, be it cities or country towns,  is the local paper...

Really find the National Library's 'TROVE' site darn interesting, where you can access past Australian newspaper-  Trawling through issues of the day, biased writing styles, what's left in what's left out, whose perspective is sought, valued etc.

A couple of years ago went through a 'Search the Family Tree' phase and with the help of the State Library of Queensland was able to access a couple of English newspapers that contained articles, well police reports really, relating to the conviction of my 4 or 5 greats back maternal grandfather transported to Australia as a 21 year old convict in 1834 - very small print and verbose - but still interesting on a personal level.

Still must admit like old photos, which in some families were rare and seldom taken, rather than the dime a dozen 'selfies' of the 21st century,  and despite the wealth creating factor for newspaper barons such as Murdoch, still do have a sort of soft spot for 'newspapers of old.'...

Wouldn't mind seeing 'The Australian' fold because it is trash in my view but in general I feel sad about the demise of newspapers. My subscription to the Sydney Morning Herald gives me daily on line coverage and the real deal on Saturdays. Still get that extra thrill from reading the paper version. 

i haven't read a newspaper for years.  the internet gives us access to a very broad range of news items and newspapers, from different points of view.

i would love to see the end of the whole evil murdoch empire.  they are simply propaganda agents for zionist/corporate interests and do much harm. 

Battle for survival

What a bunch of hypocrites the folk at News Corp are. They are happy to splash all over their papers leaked Fairfax and ABC internal documents but threaten rival organisations with legal action when the shoe is on the other foot. The news they don't want the public to see is that Fairfax Media appears to be outperforming News' papers in the battle for survival in a digital world.

Gary Ross, Heidelberg