Google isn't killing journalism, it's more of a suicide
Newspapers are in big trouble these days -- subscription rates are way down, and more people are turning to the internet for their news all the time. Google is being accused of ruthless aggregation of expensive-to-produce content, and making a huge profit from it.
Looking at the situation, I honestly believe it's not Google's fault that there is trouble brewing in Newspaper land -- it's their own. Failure to think outside the box, and innovate, is what is causing their own problems. It could even be argued that Google is actually trying to help newspapers retain readership by rewarding their quality journalism with readers through sites like Google News.
Google doesn't steal news and give it away for free, it just finds the best and most popular articles that people are looking for, and provides links to them. Google News doesn't even have advertisements, so claiming that Google is making millions of dollars directly off stolen content is a little bit unfounded.
Now, if I was a newspaper with diminishing subscription rates and less advertiser money coming in, I would probably initially come to the same conclusion -- Google is wrecking our business. However, if I was to stop pointing fingers, and actually try to fix the problem, these are some bold steps I would take:
1) Make electronic delivery standard, and printed material expensive. Some people might like the smell and feel of a physical newspaper, but as your subscriber rates suggest, people prefer a more convenient way to consume the news. Shift to electronic delivery via email.
Sending electronic versions of the news to email accounts will do three things -- reduce your operational costs, leverage a form of communication that everyone (even my grandpa) is comfortable with, and it will give you a valueable database of email addresses that will provide a direct line of communication between you and your subscribers.
2) Provide real-time news rather than only daily news. Once you move toward electronic delivery, you now have the opportunity to push out breaking real-time news to your subscriber base. Of course, you will want to avoid becoming annoying, so a daily digest of the news is still necessary -- email communication should be reserved for important breaking news.
3) Leverage Google rather than fight them. Google isn't going anywhere -- learn to leverage the tools they give you rather than fight. The traffic they send you is valuable -- it's your job to take advantage of it.
What would you do if you owned a newspaper that was suffering? Let's hear what you would do in the TalkBack!