The first and the most important question which provokes our interest is: what newspaper will be in the nearest time and in a more long-term future? Will a newspaper remain a habitual mass media for many of us, will its social role known to us remain, or will it find the new lines which change cardinally its place in life of society?
In my opinion, during the nearest quarter of the twenty-first century and may be after that the newspaper will continue its existence, “it will remain as one of mass media which many representatives of various levels of our society will use” (Ingram). It will also remain “an important element of the market economy, means of making a profit — its value will even increase” (Harris). But it will essentially change — both in the contents and in the form and appearance. The process of its preparation, publishing and distribution will also change radically.
Some variants of the further development of the newspaper are possible.
The first of them — we will consider it to be optimistic: in the course of the development and all its changes, the newspaper will remain within several next decades as a special mass media, “one of the most important elements of the mass media system, with some specific possibilities and a social role”.
And the second variant, we will call it pessimistic — the changes of mass media in our society will be so radical and so fast that the newspaper as a special periodical will disappear, as well as television and radio. On the basis of new technologies “Multimedia will replace them — a new universal means of mass information combining qualities and possibilities of the newspaper”, the magazine, television, radio, the network edition, giving a person a chance “to receive news, analytical and figurative information, a text and an image in any form — printing, visual or sound according to his/her desire, interests and requirements” at any time. However, this variant is actually too optimistic.
For an embodiment of these or other variants new people — new journalists are really required. The requirements will increase to them — to their knowledge and abilities, to their intellectual and cultural level, to their professional skills, including mastering new technologies and innovations. But the same as before and the same as nowadays, they will be required to have abilities to receive information, to comprehend it and to create high-grade journalistic works.
And certainly, they will need their understanding of the responsibility for the results of their activity, their understanding of the mission in our society.