In a follow up to my previous post on the future of the newspaper industry. The OECD recently released a report on the future of news and the Internet. The report provides an in-depth analysis of the opportunities and challenges the global newspaper industry faces. The report shows 20 out of 30 OECD countries are facing a decline in newspaper circulation and that the US and UK have seen the heaviest decline.

“UK circulation has fallen by 25% between 2007-09, second only to the US, where the decline was 30%. Greece (20%), Italy (18%) and Canada (17%) have also seen significant falls.”

Despite this, the study says that newspapers are unlikely to disappear. “Reading news online complements other forms of news rather than replacing it.” One of the benefits of decentralised news, according to the report, it “will liberate readers from partisan news monopolies which have tended to become more concentrated and to dominate the production and access to news.”

There is a future for the printed news. But there needs to be an innovative approach. Something editors and owners need to be mindful about. Trash can be accessed online anywhere. Quality news is a commodity in short supply. And people will be willing to pay for it, in printed form as well.