There is still definitely an important place for print media in this industry and every other one. However, that place is
not going into direct competition with digital media at what electronic media does best.
Most magazines and periodicals that fail go out in large part because they focus on the same sound-bite journalism that electronic media can provide faster and better than any printed issue ever will. The role print media should focus on is in-depth, investigative, thoughtful journalism.
Websites do not print 5,000 to 10,000 word articles that span 4 or 5 full pages because most people are unwilling to read long form journalism on a computer monitor. When they are away from their desks, people are far more willing to read a book or a lengthy report or article about something interesting and important to them.
If magazines do thorough statistical analysis of market trends, meaningful industry research and in-depth interviews with people capable of exploring topics in greater detail than most blog entries, they find a much wider audience.
The trend toward 1,000 word articles in print that gloss over major topics leaves printed periodicals in direct competition with what the web does best. The obviously better path is the one that significant publications like Wired Magazine continue to take, offering content that goes beyond what internet media provides for people who are seeking a greater understanding than sound-bites can contain.
