Print will survive but it need nurturing

San Franciscan literary figure Dave Eggers is far from convinced that print is dead and has written a general email to that effect (via Gawker)

because I work with kids in San Francisco, I see every day that their enthusiasm for the printed word is no different from that of kids from any other era. Reports that no one reads anymore, especially young people, are greatly overstated and almost always factually lacking.

Taking this on board he is soon to launch the www.mcsweeneys.net which will

demonstrate that if you rework the newspaper model a bit, it can not only survive, but actually thrive.

adding that

We're convinced that the best way to ensure the future of journalism is to create a workable model where journalists are paid well for reporting here and abroad. And that starts with paying for the physical paper. And paying for the physical paper begins with creating a physical object that doesn't retreat, but instead luxuriates in the beauties of print.

It is an interesting read as he continues

As long as newspapers offer less each day— less news, less great writing, less graphic innovation, fewer photos— then they're giving readers few reasons to pay for the paper itself.