Newspapers hold ground as digital fatigue puts credibility back in focus

New Delhi: For over a decade, print has been declared dead with predictable regularity. Each new social platform, every shift in audience behaviour, and every advertising downturn has been presented as proof that newspapers are approaching extinction. Yet as the media industry moves into 2026, the narrative is quietly changing. Print, far from disappearing, is reasserting its relevance!

The fundamental reason is trust. In an era marked by information overload, audiences are becoming increasingly selective about what they believe. Sridhar Aranala, Chief Sales & Distribution Officer, The Hindu Group, argued that the panic around print was always misplaced.

“Print has always been a relevant medium in this country. It never really lost relevance, there was just a lot of noise around changing consumption habits.” This reassessment gained momentum in 2025, a year that forced advertisers and publishers alike to pause and evaluate what was actually delivering results.

“What 2025 did was consolidate those shifts. Advertisers started reassessing where their ROI actually works better,” he added.

That reassessment has been mirrored at the Free Press Journal as well. Abhishek Karnani, its President, said internal research reinforced what publishers had long believed. “2025 has proved one thing very clearly for us: newspapers and print media continue to be regarded as the most credible source of news, even above television and social media.”

Credibility has emerged as print’s strongest differentiator in a media economy flooded with content. Aranala pointed out that the sheer volume of information circulating today has made trust a scarce commodity. “There is overcrowding of information today, and that has brought credibility back into focus.”

The race for speed in digital news has further exposed this gap. “Speed alone does not qualify for trust. Just because something is fast doesn’t mean it’s true,” he added.

Karnani sees the same pattern across audience segments, including younger readers often assumed to be indifferent to print. “Through a recent internal survey, we found that even among younger audiences, news is perceived as more authentic and trustworthy when it appears in print.”

This trust does not disappear when content moves online. Instead, it travels with the brand. “While people may consume news across multiple platforms, their trust still firmly rests with legacy print media,” Karnani said.

That consistency has allowed print-first organisations to expand digitally without diluting their core value. “This trust in credibility allows us to extend our presence seamlessly, from printed newspapers to digital-first platforms like Snapchat, Instagram or YouTube without dilution of our core value,” he added.

For advertisers, the implications are increasingly clear. Visibility alone no longer guarantees effectiveness. Aranala drew a sharp distinction between reach and impact.“Influencer marketing gives visibility, but credibility is still measured by whether it appeared in the newspaper.”

The digital ecosystem’s obsession with views has revealed uncomfortable truths about performance. “Digital exposed the gap between views and conversion. Millions may see something, but very few actually act,” he added.

Karnani’s experience aligns with this shift, as brands look for environments where attention is intentional rather than accidental. “While people may consume news across multiple platforms, their trust still firmly rests with legacy print media,” he reiterated, underscoring why advertisers continue to value print placements.

Aranala argued that this has forced marketers to rethink targeting strategies altogether. “You can’t keep spraying bullets without knowing who you’re targeting.” The metric that matters now is not scale but specificity. “What matters to advertisers now is not how many people you reach, but who you are reaching,” he added.

Print’s value proposition lies precisely in that clarity. “Print gives specificity. It reaches a clearly defined audience,” said Aranala. And contrary to long-held assumptions, cost dynamics are shifting too. “Digital is not necessarily cheaper. That assumption is slowly breaking,” he highlighted.

According to him, attention, when it comes to print, remains largely uncontested. “In print, your ad gets undivided attention.”

The industry’s renewed confidence in print took shape over the course of 2025, a year many publishers describe as a reset. “2025 gave the industry confidence to sit down, recast, and forecast the business,” Aranala noted.  That reset has also led to difficult conversations about sustainability.

“Print has to become economically viable. Pricing must change dramatically.”

Rather than positioning print and digital as rivals, publishers are increasingly defining complementary roles. “For brands, Print should be the anchor, and digital should be the amplifier,” Aranala said.

Karnani echoed this integrated approach, noting that credibility built in print strengthens digital extensions. “The medium may change, but the credibility remains consistent across formats.”

This blended strategy recognises that modern audiences engage across touchpoints. “You cannot get away from experience. Print, digital, community, and content all have roles to play, said Aranala.

External indicators suggest the market is responding. Karnani pointed to policy support as a meaningful signal. “Additionally, the government’s decision to finally address the long-standing demand of increasing DAVP rates is a significant acknowledgment of the role and relevance of print media in today’s media ecosystem.”

Advertising forecasts support this cautious optimism. According to the WPP TYNY report 2025:

“Newspaper advertising is expected to grow modestly, with a 3.5% rise in 2025 and 4.5% in 2026 to about Rs 17,090 crore, driven mainly by government, political, and retail-led ads outside major agency groups.”

Growth may be incremental, but it is telling. In a media economy obsessed with scale and speed, print’s strength lies elsewhere: in trust, attention, and accountability.