Shirky and Herminda weigh in on the death of the newspaper

As print publications lie bleeding profits on their death bed the internet thrives as it redefines the way we consume media. Clay Shirky, a technology analyst at New York University, says the main issue with the way publications are adapting to the internet is their misguided idea that the organizational format of newspapers is transferable to the web.

Alfred Herminda, founding member of BBCnews.com and professor at the UBC Graduate School of Journalism says that the newspaper once provided convenience. It bundled information, from news to horoscopes and recipes and conveniently delivered it to your door.

"The impact of the internet is that it has unbundled the newspaper," said Herminda."Now you can customize and personalize content to your liking." This, paired with the quick pace of the internet means that the web has both diminished the value and newsworthiness of newspapers.

Herminda says that as journalism moves forward, it must push and reconsider the very role of the modern journalist. “The job should be less about simply gathering information it should be about contextualizing information, letting readers know why it matters and what it means,” he said.

Herminda and Shirky both agree that while journalism has not been devalued by the internet, the newspaper has. “We must think beyond the delivery mechanism and begin to view the newspaper as a concept,” said Herminda. “We must continually ask ourselves, 'does this concept continue to fulfill a need?”