Uploaded November 2016 | Updated September 2026, 12 minutes ago
The newspaper industry has been greatly changed and challenged by the emergence of the internet. Early decisions to make a great deal of news content available for free made it difficult to charge users later. As a result, we now have entire generations that are used to finding free news online. There’s only one problem—good reporting costs money, and good reporting matters a great deal in a free society. Newspapers will continue to adapt to the internet, and it is unlikely that paid reporters will ever be replaced by the crowd. But it is far from clear that the internet has, to date, had a positive effect on news reporting and society’s need to know the truth.
Credits: Talking: Geoffrey Challen (Assistant Professor, Computer Science and Engineering, University at Buffalo). Producing: Greg Bunyea (Undergraduate, Computer Science and Engineering, University at Buffalo).
Part of the internet-class.org online internet course. A blue Systems Research Group (https://www.bluegroup.systems) production.
The newspaper industry has been greatly changed and challenged by the emergence of the internet. Early decisions to make a great deal of news content available for free made it difficult to charge users later. As a result, we now have entire generations that are used to finding free news online. There’s only one problem—good reporting costs money, and good reporting matters a great deal in a free society. Newspapers will continue to adapt to the internet, and it is unlikely that paid reporters will ever be replaced by the crowd. But it is far from clear that the internet has, to date, had a positive effect on news reporting and society’s need to know the truth.
Credits: Talking: Geoffrey Challen (Assistant Professor, Computer Science and Engineering, University at Buffalo). Producing: Greg Bunyea (Undergraduate, Computer Science and Engineering, University at Buffalo).
Part of the internet-class.org online internet course. A blue Systems Research Group (https://www.bluegroup.systems) production.
