Do me a favour. Go online and Google “end of newspapers.” Please do so AFTER reading this blog.

The newspaper industry has seemingly been on the verge of death for years. We have been told, time and again, that readers will get their news online and will shun print.

So it was with curiosity that I attended a session during the Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation conference in Moose Jaw, SK on Saturday morning. This particular session’s theme was ‘Big Webisphere’ and the discussion was led by two of Canada’s more well-known agriculture journalists, John Morris (Farm Business Communications) and Mike Raine (Western Producer).

Morris and Raine spoke to the session’s delegates about their respective companies’ new online initiatives. Both FBC, with agcanada.com, and the Western Producer have recently launched new websites. Both companies have also recently developed applications for smart phones.

Morris and Raine understand the need to have strong online and mobile presence to help support the print editions of their various publications. Both agree that the website needs to be more than just a duplicate of what people read in the print version.

And, though I agree with Morris and Raine on the points above, there is an area in which I disagree when it comes to online and mobile content. And that is the issue of whether to charge people to read this content.

I once worked for an editor who believed – and still believes, to this day – that newspapers should charge readers for their online stories. This view is held by others in the industry, including Morris. Their argument is that it’s unfair to charge Joe Smith to buy a copy of the newspaper and then turn around and release all content for free, online, to Joe’s neighbor.

To me, that’s not the point.

People will pay for well-written and thought-provoking journalism. Strong online content will drive people to the newspaper’s print edition.

Charging people for online content is similar to the debate in sports on blacking out games in certain markets. This is an old-school mentality that needs to go away. Websites and smart phone apps are additional tools that journalists should use to sell their print products, in the same way that a sports team can successfully use games on TV to drive up attendance and increase apparel sales. Blacking out a game to try and increase attendance is backwards thinking. So is charging people for online journalism.

The Internet hasn’t and won’t spell the demise of newspapers. As impressive as the iPad is (and I’m sure the soon-to-be-released Playbook will be as well), no form of media is more user-friendly than the newspaper. It’s here to stay.

Have you given up on the lowly newspaper or are you sticking with it?

Chris Jurewicz is a PR Specialist in AdFarm’s Calgary office. You can follow him on Twitter @chrisjurewicz.