Murdoch says newspapers have a big role to play in the future

by Staff, Brand Republic 17-Nov-08, 15:55

NEW YORK - Rupert Murdoch has said that the internet will not kill off newspapers and that people have more hunger for knowledge than ever before.

Read Gordon's Republic blog post - A positive story about the future of newspapers.

The News Corporation chairman made his comments in a speech called The Future of Newspapers: Moving Beyond Dead Trees.

In the speech, he accused journalists of taking "a perverse pleasure in ruminating on their pending demise".

He said: "Unlike the doom and gloomers, I believe that newspapers will reach new heights.

"Readers want what they've always wanted -- a source they can trust. That has always been the role of great newspapers in the past. And that role will make newspapers great in the future."

In the speech, he cited the examples of WSJ.com and Times Online as two good examples of News Corporation papers winning large online readerships but said they must recognise readers want the opportunity to choose the news they choose to receive and have it delivered in the way that they want.

The speech was recorded for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and broadcast on national radio. It is one of a series of lectures recorded by prominent Australians.

Murdoch's News Corporation owns newspapers such as The Sun, The New York Post and The Australian. The company also owns online social networking site MySpace.

Read Gordon's Republic blog post - A positive story about the future of newspapers.

Comments

Jerome Manicom - 17/11/2008

Let's speak about knowledge mr Page 3.....

Margaret Cassidy - 18/11/2008

Rupert Murdoch's comments come from the six part 2008 Boyer Lecture series, A Golden Age of Freedom. All six lectures in the series for 2008 are presented by Rupert Murdoch. The 2008 Boyer Lectures is broadcast during Big Ideas on the ABC's Radio National at 5pm each Sunday between 2 November and 7 December 2008 \(repeated the following Saturday at 7pm.) All lectures are available as audio on demand, podcast and mp3 for download from the website at: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/boyerlectures/stories/2008/2396165.htm The ABC or Australian Broadcasting Corporation is Australia's national non-commercial public broadcaster. http://www.abc.net.au