More disruptions ahead for news organisations

Many traditional news companies are struggling with a second wave of digital innovation that threatens to sweep away the relationships they have enjoyed with readers and viewers for a century or more, Advanced Television reports.

In its third annual Digital News Report, covering ten countries, the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford shows that while some established print and broadcast titles have made strides to meet the challenges represented by the shift to mobile consumption, the speed of change in habits is outpacing others. 

In some countries such as Japan and US many established news organisations are finding it hard to move success offline to the web, but in the UK, Denmark, Finland and Germany traditional news brands have managed to maintain market share online at the same time as driving editorial and business innovation

The report identifies new threats to the traditional sources of news – with the smartphone and social media as the most powerful agents of change. A generational split in how people find and interpret news is emerging.

As these trends increase, profound effects on society are possible if different groups develop their own, narrow relationship with news sources rather than sharing a broader range of views, the report suggests.

Adoption of new technology is driving these trends, the report says.

Smartphones are encouraging users to consume news more frequently throughout the day reducing the dependence on appointment to view television and newspaper editions.

The full report can be found here.