Despite the gradual decline of the number of local newspaper subscribers, Tim Chan, executive chief editor of the Hong Kong Economic Journal, feels optimistic about the future career of newspaper journalists.
During the past 20 years, local newspaper companies have faced the decline of profit due to the decrease in number of readers, which is described as ‘sunset industry’. Yesterday, Chan shared his opinion about the demand of citizens towards the content of news in a general assembly of Hong Kong Shue Yan University. He claimed that with the rapid development of technology, new media will replace the printed newspaper.
“The creation of iPhone, iPad and 3G connections allows everyone to surf the internet easily, with only a handy, mobile device. Such advancement of mobile technology increases the demand in news information,” said Chan.
Chan predicted that the printed press would eventually decline in the future. However, he felt bright about the career prospects of local news reporters, as millions of internet users kept searching online news every day, looking for instant updates. Therefore, journalists still play an important role in the press industry. “The carrier is not the most important part, but the needs of news,” Chan emphasized.
In dealing with the changes in the ecosystem of the press industry, Chan claimed that newspaper companies have to focus on the development of online journalism and news Apps. Also, journalists had to bear the responsibility of criticizing those in power, as well as be willing to point out the problems of society. “Journalism is now in a ‘great era’, and you, the journalists, are all a part of it,” Chan said.
