New era of journalism ahead: Hartigan

Mainstream journalism is on the cusp of the most exciting era ever as an explosion
in demand for mobile communications devices drives consumer appetite for news, News
Limited chairman John Hartigan says.
Mr Hartigan also says that while the industry's transition is going to be rough and
presents bigger and more complex challenges, he's not giving up on newsprint.
"Mobile devices have given us a golden opportunity," he told the Pacific Area
Newspapers Publishers' Association (PANPA) annual conference in Sydney on Thursday.
He predicted that most Australians would own a smart device within a decade,
allowing publishers to reach more people and more often than ever before.
"It is already clear that reading news will move to digital devices quite quickly,"
Mr Hartigan said in an opening address to the conference.
"The effect of mobile devices on media consumption - particularly smart phones and
now the iPad - is staggering."
Young people in particular were heavy users of the internet and mobile devices and
their media consumption had increased to more than seven-and-a-half hours a day.
Sales of Apple's iPad and other tablet devices worldwide are tipped to reach about
11 million by the end of 2010 and will continue to rise.
"Some believe this is terrible news for publishers - that if people are on mobile
devices, they won't be reading newspapers and that we are all doomed," Mr Hartigan
said.
"I disagree. The demand for news is greater than ever before, and rising rapidly."
Mr Hartigan said one of the challenges for publishers in the new era would be to
shift to "owning" the news agenda all day, instead of each morning - which he
admitted was a "massive" ambition.
"The challenge for journalists is to seize the opportunity," he said.
"The challenge for management is to create the right environment for them and then
get out of the way.
"I don't think we've ever had a more exciting or rewarding future in prospect than
the one that now awaits journalists with the right creative spirit and
entrepreneurial flair."
Mr Hartigan pointed to potential initiatives such as delivering stories and
advertising relevant to a reader's geographical position, using GPS technology.
For example, election coverage delivered to hand-helds could be differentiated
depending on the electorate, and sports team coverage could be similarly tailored.
"We have to get ahead of the curve and think about what may be possible in one, two,
five years' time, not just what is possible now," Mr Hartigan said.
In looking to the future, Mr Hartigan was optimistic, if somewhat rueful.
"I wish I was starting out all over again," he said.