Sulzberger: ‘We Can’t Care if Newspapers Die’

Arthur Sulzberger Jr., chairman and publisher of The New York Times Company, said at his keynote address at the WebbyConnect conference on Wednesday that today’s news overload could actually be a boon to old school media companies, CNET News reports.

“Our 21st-century news cycle, with its trials and tribulations, feels even more immediate because of our access,” he said. “It is reasonable to ask: Do we need all this news and information? Do we want all this news and information? Can we tolerate all this news and information?

“Now that everyone is in their end-of-the-world mode,” he continued, “we should make a conscious effort to reject the increasingly frenzied ‘apocalypse now, tomorrow, and forever’ talk… Quality content matters… trustworthy voices are more important than they have ever been.”

He said that as an industry “we can’t care” if newspapers don’t exist in 10 years, responding to a question from WebbyConnect organizer David-Michel Davies, saying that instead “we must be where people want us for our information. It’s the thought of cannibalizing yourself before somebody else cannibalizes you.”

Join Baratunde Thurston (left), The Onion’s Director of Digital and author of How to Be Black, for an entertaining look at creative social media campaigns in our Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting February 16. Other speakers include Morin Oluwole (Facebook), Tim Devane (bitly), and SocialTimes' writer Devon Glenn.   Register now.