Spitpress

Being a freelance writer (or trying to be whilst composing a thesis) I am constantly keeping track of what’s going on in the print journalism industry as I watch the rise of digital magazines. When each new media has been established there has been concern that it will be the death of the last; the radio of the newspaper, the television of the radio, the Internet of everything! In the past, each medium has managed to find its niche, and I am hoping the newspaper and magazine industry will manage to do this yet again. However, I am discouraged with the constant folding of publications such as TIME South Pacific which is now replaced by the distribution of the American issue through Australia. TIME editor Richard Stengel this month herald the iPad as the "new reading experience" to "showcase the very best in journalism". It could indeed be the possible savior of journalism because it will ‘revolutionize’ the ways in which we receive and consume our news and print. Stengel reveals that they are racing to design a format for the TIME iPad edition which will delivere the entire magazine in digital to your latest apple gadget for a paid subscription. I suspect it might be in a similar format to the digital magazine PagesDigital, and Groupie, with many links and interactive advertisements. Either way, I eagerly await it..

That said, it is because of this rise of the digital publication this that I highly encourage a new (tagible!) publication I found at uni the other day. It's not just another niche or health magazine banking on lifestyle trends, but something useful to the community that supports freelance creatives (like me!). Introducing Spitpress. Spitpress is a ‘creative newspaper’ distributed bimonthly for free throughout Sydney. Not only is it starting in a period when the newspaper industry is less than stable, but when the digital magazines are stealing our short attentions spans. However, even from its first issue you can tell it is a brilliant text full of the vibrancy of the young Sydney creative community, and it is filling a gap in the industry that truly is needed!