The writing is on the newsroom wall; editors believe news will soon be free

"The evolution of the 4th Estate is no longer questions of if, when or how. Editors now know the solution: Innovate. Integrate. Or perish." -- John Zogby, pollster, Zogby International.

According to a poll conducted for the World Editors Forum and Reuters, newspaper editors around the world expect that their papers will compete with the Internet by becoming free and concentrating on news and opinion. The editors were still optimistic about the future of their publications but believed they would have to adapt further for the digital age.

Some 86 percent of respondents believed newsrooms should become more integrated with digital services as two in three believe the most common form of news consumption will be via electronic media such as online or mobiles within a decade.

"For these editors the future is self-evident and our survey shows that they see the writing on the newsroom wall," said Zogby.

• 56 percent of respondents believed that the majority of news, be it via print or online, would be free in the future. (This was up from 48 percent who answered yes a year ago.)
• The free scenario was believed by 61% of editors from "emerging" markets in South America, Eastern Europe, Russia, the Middle East and Asia.
• 48% of Western European editors were less likely to believe in news becoming free.
• North American editors' response was the average between these two views.
  

According to 704 senior news executives surveyed, the greatest threat to the industry was the declining number of young people who read newspapers while the increasing emphasis on speed meant only 45 percent of editors thought the quality of journalism would improve over the next 10 years. More than a quarter thought it would become worse.

To meet the many challenges, more than 30 percent of respondents wanted to be able to recruit more journalists while 35 percent would like to train the journalists they have in new media.

Nearly two-thirds also believe that some traditional editorial functions will be outsourced in the future.