Does print journalism have a future in Africa?

- The poor broadband access in Africa is good news for the print newspaper industry, according to the print newspaper industry: (...)

The global economic meltdown and new media technology may be killing off traditional newspapers in the developed world, but rising literacy levels in the developing world mean they will not disappear any time soon, according to Print Media South Africa chair Prakash Desai.

Speaking at World Press Freedom Day in Grahamstown, South Africa, mr Desai said he was confident the growing popularity of online media would not sound the “death knell” of newspapers – especially in the developing world, according to Dispatch Online.

"The fact that online newspapers are still running at a loss leads me to believe that big changes will only happen in the distant future. Only three million people out of 48 million in South Africa have access to new technology, and there are billions of people around the world in a similar position", said mr Desai.

Speaking with other local and international media experts on the theme that “Print is Eternal”, mr Desai said the financial problems of many international newspapers have more to do with “bad debt” than media issues.

"Research over the past year reveales that newspapers that stopped their print versions to go solely online are now suffering more than those that embraced both versions. They had a 75% decrease in revenue and lost 50% of their readers", said the deputy director of Press Freedom and Development Programmes from World Association of Newspapers, mrs Mirjana Milosevic.

"The problem will only become really apparent in South Africa when more people can access the Internet. Media are blossoming in some parts and in a maelstrom in others, the industry varies greatly around the world. In some countries print is eternal, in others it is not. The challenge for newspapers is to hold communities together when people have access to 250 million websites”, said the “problem” would only become really apparent in South Africa “when more people can access the Internet”, said US media consultant Vin Crosby.

Louise Vale, general manager of Grocott’s Mail and the David Rabkin Project for Experiential Journalism, said producing a newspaper that was seen as the voice of the community ensured that “print is eternal”.

"Although high unemployment capped newspaper sales at 4000 per edition in the Grahamstown area, very limited access to the Internet in the broader community means this is no major threat to the newspaper’s survival – as long as they tackle relevant community issues. The smell and aura of printed news will always beat the buzz and interference of computers", said mrs Vale.

- Sure. Keep teling yourselves that.