The British Newspaper Industry: The Future?

The media is probably the most influential thing in the world, it so easily shapes and moulds peoples thoughts and opinions and doesn’t simply inform the public of world events but it spectacular alters the way we think and feel to ultimately agree with the views of the newspaper, magazine, broadcaster, any form of media that is relaying the events.

Everything is covered by the media, everything. There is no stone left unturned, no dirty scoundrel left unnamed, no celebrity gossip left unreported.

The society we live in makes us obsessed with the news; entertainment, staying in touches being social and having an overwhelming desire to be constantly informed. The media has pounced on this and used it to their advantage with newspapers in particular using this to their advantage.

Many of the red top tabloids have combined the thirst for knowledge with the celebrity culture and aimed to out do each other with the latest breaking news that will see newspaper sales increase and the popularity of those named and shamed take a hit.

The News of the World was by far the biggest selling Sunday newspaper with people waiting with baited breath for the latest revelation. The origination of the stories was a mystery with things being reported that were almost impossible to know and would surely have been well hidden from the prying eyes of reporters. No one could understand how the scoops were being… well scooped and good quality journalism was blamed… as it turns out this was not the case.

It was discovered two years ago, that NOTW journalists were intercepting voicemails, bribing country officials and hacking email accounts to find the most interesting and shocking stories. The results of this was not always pleasant for either the victim or the journalist and things would have not become so serious had the journalists simply stuck to the divulging of celebrity information. Things took a turn for the worse when a voicemail from murder victim Milly Dowler was erased.

This scandal will see the shape of the press change forever. The phone hacking scandal investigation has lasted for over two years already, with further investigations being launched to determine exactly what happened and how it can be prevented in the future. Media ethics is the main focus for investigation and laws are being proposed to police the press to make sure that something like this never stands to happen again. Freedom of speech and the idea of a free press could quickly become a distant memory.

In spite of the changes, there is no doubt that newspapers will still play a vital role in the way news is reported and shared. Since the beginning of the scandal, the popularity of any of the newspapers has not waned, nor has it ceased and in fact circulation demands are on the increase even in spite of the introduction of online newspapers and publications. State of the art printing technology is constantly evolving to make sure demand is met, particularly for red top tabloids and local editions of papers as the need to be informed is maintained. The technology, such as landa printing has allowed newspapers to remain popular and relevant throughout the eras and to allow the publications to be transformed with every desired change and to meet every need.