3 responses to “The future of journalism: from 1981”
Great spot Adrian.
Who would have thought it-Newspapers on your computer coming down the Telephone line.I bet there are still some connections that take longer than a hour to download the morning’s news
“Richard Halloran: Owns Home Computer”
That made me lol!
Adrian
Your 1981 video, which I actually listened to, accurately reflects what a lot of people were saying in 1981. We were moving into a new age when newspapers were going to be printed out at home. No need to buy them any more. No need to wait for the newspaper boy to deliver them.
But the important point is that it has not happened. No-one I know prints their newspaper out online. Because, even now 27 years later it takes an age and is not easy to read!!!
The people I talk to still read newspapers. But they also read many newspapers online. And the day before they read whatever newspapers they buy.
I know because in 1981 I was doing the job you are doing now. Running City U journalism department and trying to prepare students for a work life in the new era. The then solitary visiting professor at City, Harold Evans, then editor of the London Sunday Times, thought just like then just like your 1981 clip.
He was wrong.
The San Francisco Examiner did not make a fortune out if its futurism. Then, as now, it is a decent local newspaper, but it does not compete with the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Wall St Journal, who got into computers rather later, and still depend on selling their own print version to survive.
How much longer they will be able to do that is an important question.
But the answers are not to be found by looking un-critically at what was being proposed in 1981.
3 responses to “The future of journalism: from 1981”
Great spot Adrian.
Who would have thought it-Newspapers on your computer coming down the Telephone line.I bet there are still some connections that take longer than a hour to download the morning’s news
“Richard Halloran: Owns Home Computer”
That made me lol!
Adrian
Your 1981 video, which I actually listened to, accurately reflects what a lot of people were saying in 1981. We were moving into a new age when newspapers were going to be printed out at home. No need to buy them any more. No need to wait for the newspaper boy to deliver them.
But the important point is that it has not happened. No-one I know prints their newspaper out online. Because, even now 27 years later it takes an age and is not easy to read!!!
The people I talk to still read newspapers. But they also read many newspapers online. And the day before they read whatever newspapers they buy.
I know because in 1981 I was doing the job you are doing now. Running City U journalism department and trying to prepare students for a work life in the new era. The then solitary visiting professor at City, Harold Evans, then editor of the London Sunday Times, thought just like then just like your 1981 clip.
He was wrong.
The San Francisco Examiner did not make a fortune out if its futurism. Then, as now, it is a decent local newspaper, but it does not compete with the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Wall St Journal, who got into computers rather later, and still depend on selling their own print version to survive.
How much longer they will be able to do that is an important question.
But the answers are not to be found by looking un-critically at what was being proposed in 1981.
Cheers
Bob Jones