In the year ahead, the era of Selfie Journalism fully takes root. Reporters on the local, regional and state levels, in particular, will be judged more by their social media footprint than by the quality of their journalism. As traditional newspapers become fully digitally-driven and attempt to cover their markets with fewer resources, robust coverage of communities and the issues that drive life in those areas suffers.
This encourages upstart media outlets to fill the coverage gaps — and local advertising gaps, too. Family-owned operations, satisfied with reasonable profit margins, can increase their relevance and importance to the communities they serve.
On the larger scale, the big chains will still see potential sizable profits in the short term by cutting expenses even more as they acquire properties and consolidate operations.