Stability in Times of Change: Trends in Newspaper Executives’ Attitudes towards Digital Media

Five biennial surveys from 2005 to 2013 reveal a high degree of stability in Norwegian newspaper executives’ attitudes towards digital media, despite a high turnover in the executive ranks. Editors and managers do not approve fully of their own organizations’ online activities, and they struggle to find a balanced focus between traditional and new activities. However, the rationale for online publishing has become less blurred through the period, and an important shift in the strategic development of user fees is reviled: While it was driven by perceived threats from 2005 to 2011, opportunities for the industry is the strongest predictor in 2013.