The end for the dinosaur newspapers?

I like the term that Roger Parry uses in the FT this morning for the decline of the local newspaper.

Local newspapers are nearing the end of their Cretaceous era. The asteroids – recession and the internet – have landed and the K-T extinction horizon is imminent.

He makes three predictions for the industry in 5 years

1.total local advertising income will be less than it is today;
2.many local daily titles will have been converted into weeklies;
3.the number of journalists and sales people will be down 50 per cent.

But maybe his biggest critique is for the journalists

Journalists are often busy doing things the audience no longer want. The traditional professional output is no longer valued by readers. Much, but not all, of local news gathering, feature production and photography are better done by enthusiastic amateurs for next to nothing. Want a critique of local rubbish collection policies? Ask a local resident for 500 words. It matters to them and they are more connected than a journalist sent over in a taxi. Want passionate reporting of local sports? Ask the fans. There will remain a vital role for trained journalists in investigations, analysis and quality control. But it will need fewer of them. They will need new skills of assembling user-generated content including video, digital pictures and audio.