Newspapers should expand online to remain relevant — editors

AMMAN — Amidst difficult financial conditions and the decline in advertising and distribution, newspapers in Jordan should focus on breathing life into their websites and improving their content, media leaders said Saturday.

Since 2011, newspaper ads and distribution have declined between 50 and 65 per cent, following the global financial crisis that hit print media, Ramadan Rawashdeh, chairman of the Jordan Press Foundation, said at a conference titled “Media and Current Challenges” held by the Jordan Press Association (JPA).

“The concept of citizen journalism, the presence of a large number of news websites and the heavy usage of social media networks are all issues that have affected print media outlets, which need to adapt to continue to operate,” Rawashdeh said at a session on the current situation and future of print media.

Mohammad Al Tal, chief editor of Ad-Dustour daily, said newspaper administrations should focus on parallel investments to support their dailies.

“Print media can rise again and take a leading position by focusing on credibility and professionalism,” Tal said.

Tareq Momani, chief editor of Al Rai daily and JPA president, said newspapers need to enhance their performance and coverage to attract a wider readership.

In addition, the government should increase support to newspapers, he said.

“In France, for example, the government allocates about 600 million euros annually to supporting newspapers and this does not affect their independence or their objectivity,” said Momani.

For Jumana Ghneimat, chief editor of Al Ghad daily, traditional media outlets need to be ready for the future and make their websites interactive and updated around-the-clock to be able to compete in the Internet age.

“Newspapers should focus on providing value-added content… It will take maybe 15 years for newspapers to cease to be printed... Therefore, they should prepare themselves for the future and the digital world,” she added.

To be able to continue operations, newspapers should resort to controlling their expenditures, Atef Joulani, chief editor of Al Sabeel daily, said.

“Newspapers have two options; either to withdraw and shut down or to adapt to the new media environment.”