The announcement by TÜİK (Turkish Statistical Institute) that newspaper and magazine circulations have fallen brought to mind the question of whether we need print newspapers and magazines. Stating that he sees the complete end of print publishing as an ‘inevitable conclusion’ due to the increase in young population and the preference for visual content, Prof. Dr. Süleyman İrvan said, “I predict that print journalism will come to an end due to social media, the pandemic, and rising costs. Although we are saddened by every newspaper that closes, we have to declare that print journalism is over.” Emphasizing that journalism will continue even if print newspapers disappear, İrvan stated that traditional journalism will give way to digital journalism, and journalism education also follows these trends.
According to TÜİK data announced in recent weeks, the number of newspapers and magazines decreased by 9.2 percent in 2022 compared to 2021, reaching 4,048. Magazines constituted 53.9 percent of these publications. Newspaper and magazine circulations decreased by 8.3 percent in 2022 compared to 2021. The total annual circulation of newspapers and magazines published in our country in 2022 was 848 million 365 thousand 241, with newspapers accounting for 95.4 percent of the circulation.
Üsküdar University Faculty of Communication Dean Prof. Dr. Süleyman İrvan evaluated the reasons and consequences of declining circulations in print media products.
With the pandemic, older generations also moved away from newspapers…
Prof. Dr. Süleyman İrvan, drawing attention to the increasing influence and speed of social media on print media products, stated, “With social media becoming the main news tracking platform, interest in print newspapers had begun to decline. With the pandemic, which quickly took the world by storm in early 2020, print newspapers became almost unbought and unread. In other words, the younger generation was already not touching print newspapers. With the pandemic, older generations also moved away. I predict that this trend will bring about the end of print journalism in the not-too-distant future. Indeed, due to rising costs, print newspaper owners are also experiencing economic difficulties. As a matter of fact, in recent weeks, Yeni Adana Gazetesi, the oldest surviving newspaper in the Turkish press, announced its closure. Other newspapers will follow suit, and digital journalism will come to the forefront.”
“What matters is quality news, quality content”
Stating that he sees the complete end of print publishing as an ‘inevitable conclusion’ due to the increase in young population and the preference for visual content, İrvan said, “Print journalism has to give way to digital journalism because it has run its course. Although we are saddened by every newspaper that closes, we have to declare that print journalism is over. If the Basın İlan Kurumu (Press Advertisement Agency) changes its policy to encourage online journalism instead of supporting print journalism with official announcements and advertisements, the process will accelerate. What is important is quality news, quality content. Of course, the word newspaper is synonymous with print newspapers. However, journalism is a profession; it is about making news, writing comments.”
“It cannot really be said that we need print newspapers”
Drawing attention to the fact that today even Generation Y and Generation X do not hold newspapers in their hands, İrvan made the following statement regarding whether we still need print newspapers and magazines:
“Even if e-newspapers, news portals, and e-magazines completely eliminate print media, journalism will continue. Society's need for information is growing. There are huge differences between the number of news produced in a day 100 years ago and the number of news produced today. A news website can publish a thousand news items in a day. However, the most comprehensive national newspaper can fit at most 100-120 news items on its pages.”
“Even if print newspapers disappear, journalism will continue”
Stating that journalism education also follows these trends, Prof. Dr. Süleyman İrvan concluded his remarks as follows:
“Today, it cannot really be said that we need print newspapers. The rock-bottom circulations clearly show this. In the past, newspaper circulations were often the subject of news; nowadays, no one is curious. Digital journalism is now taught in classes, and digital journalism applications are being conveyed. At the Faculty of Communication, we primarily focus on online journalism practices. Our news website, established for this purpose, helps students gain experience by publishing their news. We also have a print newspaper, of course. However, we mainly use that newspaper for competitions.”