The Independent newspaper said it will shut down its print version next month and focus the new operation on its digital versions, and in my opinion, this is the first of many majors to make the courageous move. I’m a big fan of The Independent, mainly because of the quality of its content and independent nature; I relate to these traits and they’re successful on the World Wide Web.

The main reason that newspapers are losing sales and circulation is because traditional publishers have not adapted to the Internet age, and have failed to understand the cross-platform concept in which a print version needs to complement the online, tablet and mobile versions of their publications.

CyprusNewsReport.com was deliberately started without a print version for financial and environmental reasons, but if we were to enter the world of print, it would be like this:

• The print version would have content that is targeted to older readers, and has special offers, giveaways, and exclusive articles just for them.
• Value-added content in the print version would be promoted in the digital versions for more exposure and word of mouth.
• The print versions would be more highly distributed in places where people gather, and special events. This means that the newspaper would be more easily available and get more attention. The lack of attention is the main reason they are losing circulation; more on-the-ground sponsorships are necessary.
• The new information paradigm is ‘usefulness’ - whatever is useful will thrive in this practical, fast-moving era. The offline version would need to up its usefulness quota and move more towards analysing the impact of big news stories on the ordinary person. Breaking news is now the territory of the Internet, there’s simply no way a print version can compete with the speed and vast distribution of an online story.

Having said all that, rest assured that the CNR team doesn’t see the need for a print version anymore and never did, but this article may help traditional news media that are looking for ideas to transition past the printing press era.