Does Virginia Show The Way To The End Of Newspapers In Print As Law Changes For Notices To Be Only In Print

8th April 2024

Newspaper circulation has been in decline ever since the internet and digitisation offered free news to everyone.

The end has been speeding up in recent years as the sales of newspapers continue to fall.

Advertising has gone more and more to online undermining the financial prop for keeping newspapers in print alive.

A major range of advertisers has been government and local government due to the fact that so many aspects have legally to be advertised in print newspapers.

Suggestions that councils for example could save money by stopping advertising in newspapers have been blocked by the Scottish Government.

As far back as 2010 A Guardian article spelt out what happened to the idea of stopping advertising by councils in newspapers.

Questions continue to be raised as council finances are squeezed and falling newspaper sales add to the fact that cell phones in people pockets are able to get news and ads instantly. Most people are not buying newspapers but are accessing their news online by computer, tablet or cell phone.

The same arguments have played out in the United States. Now Virginia is to become first state to allow online-only local news sites to publish legal notices

With public finance both national and local council under severe pressure it may not be long before demands to save money for planning, licencing and whole range of other public notices are only online. Council and government web sites already have much of the information so is paying for duplicate in newsprint really sustainable.

It may not just be councils and main government but for example Health Boards and other organisations may feel they are no long reaching target audiences.

There may be scope to help newspapers if advertising goes to local newspaper who are transitioning to online only.

Older people may miss their long read local newspapers but younger people have almost given up on them. If you read a newspaper ask your children if they still read one or even want one.

So Virginia may be pointing the way to what is happening worldwide. It would seem unlikely local newspapers can long with stand the trend and indeed many have already gone under in the last few years.

The age of the paper shop and even the print industry is coming to an end.

Many journalists now work online and the rise of AI is speeding up the process.


PHOTO
The Corner Shop that was not on the corner as it had moved premises in Wick closed many years ago.

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