Paper-less newspapers may be wave of the future

You stumble out of bed, brew the coffee and sit down to read the morning paper. Only the newspaper's not a newspaper anymore – it's "a multi-purpose portable electronic tablet." You scan the "front page" – really a magazine-sized LCD screen – and choose stories from a customized sample based on your own interests. And when you're done, you just flip the switch. Sound far-fetched? Not to Roger Fidler, director of Knight-Ridder's information design laboratory, who says that scenario will be a reality by the year 2000 and could be the norm in 20 or 30 years. Fidler outlined his vision during a symposium on the future of newspapers Tuesday night at the Annenberg School. The question at hand was how the newspaper will evolve in the face of forthcoming information technology. Not everyone at the forum seemed ready for the technology of the future, however. Maxwell King, editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer, addressed the industry's concern that such changes could weaken – if not destroy – the value of skilled journalists. "We're scared that what we value, what we're good at, won't matter anymore," he said. And Steve Lovelady, the Inquirer's managing editor, was somewhat skeptical. "Fidler presented an interesting scenario, but it is just that, a scenario," he said. "I think he's right about the technology but not the occurrences." But Fidler said the next generation of flat panel technology will revolutionize, not destroy, the newspaper industry. This burgeoning technology, he said, will decrease distribution costs, as well as provide a greater need for reporters and editors alike. He said the devices, which will electronically duplicate the conventional ink-on-paper newspaper, will provide access to more in-depth stories. This technology, Fidler said, will be the basis for information technology in the future. "We are in a much better position to take advantage of the technologies that are emerging than television or any other form of media," Fidler stated. The electronic newspaper that Knight-Ridder is developing is only a few years away. The expected cost of first-generation electronic newspapers is expected to be around $1,500, but in time, Fidler said, will become affordable to everyone. "Once there is a real alternative to ink on paper, environmental pressures will push the transition to electronic newspapers," Fidler said. The Annenberg School, the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Society of Professional Journalists co-sponsored the event.