In 2010, analyst Ross Dawson produced a map for consulting firm Future Exploration Network indicating that, in less than 30 years, printed newspapers would disappear in the form they are known today.

The process will be gradual. The next decade, they will stop being printed in the most averse European countries, such as Bulgaria, and as soon as 2040 they will no longer be printed as a business in any country.

Argentina will be one of the last countries in the world where newspapers will be published forever (2039). In Spain, the date is 2024; that is next year.

Although it is true that in Dawson 2017 fixed and admitting that some dates are “too aggressive” (for example, in the United States they should have disappeared in 2017 and in the UK in 2019), his predictions have been the subject of countless debates.

Now, a recent investigation in France is limiting the dates again. According to the 3rd edition of the annual Comfluence study for the French Press Club, slightly more than 60% of journalists (29.2% strongly agree, 31.5% somewhat agree) predict that there will be no more print editions in daily newspapers within 20 years.

The company responsible for the report conducted an online study of 1,000 journalists between December 26, 2022 and January 14, 2023.

Many also doubt the future of this profession

The response of the journalists also left many doubts about his profession. Only 26% of journalists surveyed believe their profession will still exist in the next 20 years. Last year, 1 in 5 journalists already believed journalism was losing the battle for audiences and trust with respect to young people, and that, if it were impossible to connect with this young audience, the future would be very gray. This year, the pessimism is greater.

However, pessimism about the future of this profession does not necessarily give rise to the same feelings when what is being discussed is one’s own future as a journalist.

60% of journalists declare themselves optimistic and They see themselves working in the environment in which they are now or in another environment, and they have no thought of leaving the profession. Positive feelings that even contrasted with last year’s mood, with one in three journalists predicting that their working conditions will become more precarious and this could put them out of their professional career.

Another opinion shared by the majority of respondents (60%) is that media concentration will continue to increase 20 years from now.

The journalists were also asked if they thought a more open editorial line was needed
strong on a variety of topics, and the majority of those surveyed answered yes, and that the focus should be placed primarily on covering more environmental issues.