Words by Ebi Fabonan III
As younger generations increasingly consume content online, print media’s survival has become increasingly threatened.
According to the 2018 digital report of London-based consultancy firm. We Are Social, the Philippines currently has 67 million Internet users, most of whom consume content through social media websites like Facebook. The report also noted that Filipinos spend an average of three hours and 57 minutes a day in social media websites.
But while online media continues to increase its share of readership, the print industry continues to thrive as evidenced by recent acquisitions of major newspapers and magazines by billionaire entrepreneurs. In 2013, Amazon.com founder and CEO Jeff Bezos also acquired The Washington Post for $250 million. More recently, the Koch Brothers acquired Time, Sports Illustrated and People magazines for P650 million. Likewise, in February 2018, biotech mogul Patrick Soon-Shiong bought the Los Angeles Times for $500 million.
The print industry thrives because it offers something that online media is less known for: credible content. The rise of online media has brought with it the proliferation of fake news. With the relative ease of creating websites and social media pages, anonymous individuals can now spread false information online like wildfire and there are not enough measures in place to vet the information being spread.
It is through this opportunity that print media continues to thrive. With its stringent editorial standards and guided by journalistic ethics, print media organizations are able to produce content with greater integrity compared to those online. Newspapers, magazines and other print media can help stem the spread of online misinformation.
How print media can thrive through delivery of credible content will be key subject of this year’s Print Congress. The biennial event, organized by the United Print Media Group (UPMG), gathers some of the biggest brands and personalities in the print industry under one venue for an exchange of ideas and solutions to important issues in the print media industry today.
Dubbed “Printegrity,” the 2018 Print Congress hinges on the theme “Innovating Print through Credible Content” and will feature several noteworthy speakers from the global and local print media industry who will share their expertise on how to create and effectively disseminate credible printed content.
The 2018 Print Congress will be held from November 15 to 16 at the Manila Hotel.
To register, call the UPMG Secretariat at 403-7787 or 0915-2130236, email upmgprintmediacongress@gmail.com or send a message to the UPMG Facebook page.
