It’s no secret: the newspaper industry in the US is struggling. Papers are closing left and right, as others are trying to figure out how to make the industry succeed in the digital age.

The problem isn’t that no one is reading the newspapers. On the contrary, readership across formats is the highest it’s ever been. The problem is that news is faster, easier, and freer online. Why pay tomorrow for something I can read for free today? This is a question newspapers need to figure out, and fast.

There was a Senate hearing this week about the future of journalism, and the blogosphere was in full swing to talk about it. Here’s some of the most interesting coverage of the hearing, and the issue as a whole:

TechCrunch – “Arianna Huffington Says Online Journalists May Have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder”

ReadWriteWeb – “Journalism 2.0: Don’t Throw Out the Baby”

The Daily Beast – “Why the End of Newspapers Is Not the End of News”

PoynterOnline – “The Future (We Hope) of Journalism”

The Nation – “The Death and Life of Great American Newspapers”

Columbia Journalism Review – “Live Blogging ‘Future of Journalism’ Hearing”

WebProNews – “Google’s Mayer Testifies on Future of Journalism”

ReadWriteWeb – “The Future of Journalism Will be Radically Different”

This is an issue with huge ramifications for political, economic, and social life in America as well as around the world.  The newspapers’ and news industry’s shift into a digital world is going to be a fascinating, and probably painful, process. But it’s a crucial one that will ultimately be better for all of us.

What’ve you read, written, thought, or spelled with breakfast cereal this week, about journalism’s future or otherwise?

Photo: Cayusa