Newspaper Trust

I am posting today after reading a very thought provoking and quite true article written by Peter Wilby in the Media Guardian today (page 7 or here)
This is a topic area we have covered a lot of while studying at university because it comes to the point Wilby says "Newspapers are losing readers and advertisers to the web and are becoming desperate." He gives some very good examples of papers seeming to publish opinion as fact or influence the reader by sensationalism instead of good journalism. Most notably is the recent Express payout to the McCann family, he also cites the example in the case of Shannon Matthews, her mothers partner was forced to deny abuse allegations and finally Wilby identifies the press determination to identify Fiona McKeown as a bad mother due to the fact that she left her daughter (Scarlett) go off with her boyfriend.
These people are dealing with grief and shock all the media (it is not just papers that are gulity) can do is try and make a scandal out of it? Maybe that is being a bit cynical but Wilby states that "This reckless reporting cannot continue" and he isn't wrong.
It is not surprising that some people trust the online medium more than newspapers as Leigh Holmwood writes. If newspapers don't follow up the facts and check truths they are in danger of turning more of their already draining audience away.
I still believe that newspapers are not in serious danger of going out of business but this is a setback - although most newspapers do have online sites the printed versions are taking a blow.
Wilby makes a valid point when saying: "If readers can't be sure that distinguished papers are seperating facts from gossip, there isn't much point in buying them or going to their websites."
Maybe it is time for something like what Paulie calls for here - a full disclosure of the steps taken to make sure a story is of a suffciently high standard because if news stories become gossip and rumour than the future is bleak.
Hopefully Wilby is not right when he fears that too many owners and editors take the view that reckless reporting pays off in the short term to sell papers and get readers back.
Whatever the future holds it is key to not present gossip as hard news as the express found out !