Newspaper subscriptions have been in decline for a long time now and it’s easy for the struggling publishers to point the finger at who to blame for this issue. It’s not that people aren’t interested in the news anymore, it’s just that people can’t see paying for it anymore.

If you don’t have an internet connection in your home or office, chances are you have it on your mobile phone. If all else fails you can probably walk a few steps to your nearest coffee shop or restaurant and access it for free there. So with all these avenues to  connect to the web and conduct a quick search to get the information you want at your fingertips – why bother paying the extra money to have just a fraction of that news printed on paper and delivered to you? Of course, some people enjoy  the smell of a freshly printed newspaper, the daily ritual of senjoying a cup o’ joe while enjoying the feeling of having the news physically there in their hands and not having to stare at a flickering computer screen.

Google CEO Eric Schmidt said, Google Inc (GOOG.O) is not to blame for the news industry’s problems but is committed to playing a role in helping struggling publishers survive the transition to the online age (source). “With dwindling revenue and diminished resources, frustrated newspaper executives are looking for someone to blame…Much of their anger is currently directed at Google, whom many executives view as getting all the benefit from the business relationship without giving much in return…The facts, I believe, suggest otherwise.” he said.

google, Search Engines