By Salama A Salama We are, no doubt, on the verge of a new age in world media. Egypt and the Arab world may be safe for now. But in Europe and America, the stage is set for lasting changes in the media world. Web-based journalism is not only becoming a strong rival to print media; it is about to eclipse it. Since everyone seems to have a computer, often a laptop, it is quite easy for the common reader to get on the Internet and surf alternative news sources, newspapers and otherwise. In the cyber world, there are no sponsors to restrict information and no geographical obstacles to hinder dissemination. Users can surf any material they wish to, useful or otherwise. For all intents and purposes, this is the end of an era. Recently, the much- celebrated, London-based newspaper The Times told its readers that they can no longer read its online copy for free, as they had been doing for the past 12 years. As of June, readers of the Times online copy will have to pay one pound sterling per day, or two pounds per week, to access the paper's website. The print copy will continue to appear, but no one knows for how long. With the media scene changing so fast, the future of print media is uncertain. The man who owns The Times, Australian tycoon Rupert Murdoch, is said to be about to buy Rotana from Saudi Prince Walid Bin Talal. The latter has a similar experience with online music and songs. Posting music online used to be a losing venture, but now as people get used to paying for the service, the music industry is again making money from online sales. A major change is taking place in the media, and it is not confined to The Times and its sister newspaper The Sunday Times. This change has been induced by the massive drop in the distribution of print media, and by the attending increase in newspaper prices, due to the economic crisis. Officials in The Times expect the number of browsers to drop as soon as online fees are introduced, but they believe that regular readers wouldn't mind buying the service. The switch to online publication is also expected to be profitable, for the losses in advertising the Internet and satellite television services would be reversed. In Egypt and the rest of the Arab world, online editions are not expected to supplant print media for sometime to come. But already, the print media is feeling the pinch as readers turn on to satellite television stations for news. Television offers the public a chance to read less. In a region where illiteracy is widespread, one can see the attraction of television. No wonder talk shows are all the rage now, for they provide viewers with no real information, no useful knowledge, but a lot of entertainment, and plentiful opportunity to waste time. According to recent research, print journalists -- at least in advanced countries -- may face the same fate of iron and steel workers in the 1970s. Back then, a change in technology led to extensive layoffs in the steel industry. The same thing is happening to print journalists today. Therefore, print journalists must get smart and acquire new skills, suitable for television and online media. Journalism as we know it is coming to an end. Journalists in advanced societies have learned this the hard way, and we're next.
