Is the cup half empty or half full? --the Extinction of Print Journalism

With the recent rise of the digital media (on the Internet, phone apps, etc.) many forms of print journalism are going extinct; newspapers being at the forefront.  There are varying opinions about whether this "dying-out" is good or bad for the business. I personally believe it is a mix of both.  It is good that news can be shared by countless methods using technology, but regrettable that the print portion of the media will be lost to new technology.

The answer lies in how you choose to view the situation: is the cup half empty, or half full? 

 Recently, the "Daily Universe" newspaper on BYU campus announced that they will be using a digital-first newsroom with one weekly print of the newspaper, instead of a five-days-weekly newspaper with an online component.  The goal is to eventually create phone apps and an internet site that will provide the "Daily Universe" to readers at any time of day all across the country.  This goal is good, but it comes at a cost.

In my observation, most consumption of the "Daily Universe" occurs by students waiting on benches or eating in the cafeteria as they wait for their next class.  It is something students read because they are bored, not necessarily because of the quality of the stories.

Do not get me wrong, this is not a slam on the writers at the "Daily Universe."  I find many stories intriguing and well-written.  There are just not a lot of exciting things happening on BYU campus to fill a newspaper every day.

So, I think this move to the internet is dangerous.  I do not know how many readers will continue to follow the newspaper when it moves online.  I do not feel it is as established as it should be to maintain readership without being printed.  In this situation I believe the cup is being half empty.

But the cup is also half full.  New digital media provides countless ways for the news to be shared with thousands of new people.  Stories can be accessed anywhere at anytime.  And while I question the online success of the "Daily Universe," it will still be made available to many more people, and the possibility of future success is greater because of the possibility of a greater audience.

So what do you think?  When it comes to the extinction of print journalism, is the cup half empty or half full?