Creator of “Newspaper Extinction Timeline” lays out industry’s optimistic future

Ross Dawson is famous for predicting, year by year, the end of the newspaper. But thats not exactly what he meant.

Almost five years ago, Dawson, founding chairman of Future Exploration Network, created the “Newspaper Extinction Timeline,” which he calls “significantly misunderstood.”

“This is one of the only predictions that I’ve made,” Dawson said at the INMA World Congress in New York City last month. “As a futurist, I believe predictions are often not worthwile because nobody knows the future. The future is unpredictable. Yet the reason why I did make these predictions was to provoke, to be able to wake people.”

If he provoked people to consider why they disagreed with the timeline, then “I’ve served my purpose.” His intention was never to necessarily be right — although he might be closer than you'd like to think.

“This is about news on paper. I think the dynamics of that are not bright. But the point is about the news overall, the future is extraordinarily bright.”

Dawson will revise his predictions at the five-year mark later this year. 

For the Dawson’s full presentation, click here.

About Dawn McMullan

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