Written on July 2, 2019, this essay sharply argues that the rapid decline of Japanese newspaper circulation was driven in part by the rise of the internet, which made visible the distortions and ideological bias of the press.
Through a dialogue between Ryusho Kadota and Masayuki Takayama, it reveals how newspapers, relying on the privilege and arrogance of the press club system, lost the trust of readers by twisting even ordinary news.
In the age of social media, this important piece illustrates how the old media began losing control of the information space, using the Hyakuta Naoki phenomenon and Shinzo Abe’s remarks as emblematic examples.

2019-07-02
With the development of the internet, it became clear that they had become so excessively fixated on their own doctrines, claims, and ideology that they were even distorting ordinary news.

What follows is a continuation of the previous chapter.
Newspapers beaten up on social media.
Takayama.
By now, circulation must also be in decline.
Kadota.
According to the ABC audit figures for the second half of 2018, the Asahi stood at 5.76 million copies.
It is said that about thirty percent are oshigami, so if that is subtracted, the real number is probably in the four-million range.
The peak period of Japanese newspapers was around 1996 to 1998, when total circulation reached as high as 54 million copies.
Japan was a newspaper kingdom crowned above the world.
But by 2018, that had fallen to the 38 million range.　
One reason newspaper circulation has declined this far is that, with the development of the internet, it became clear that they had become so excessively fixated on their own doctrines, claims, and ideology that they were even distorting ordinary news.
No one wants to pay money to read such articles.　
Until then, newspaper companies had monopolized information through the privilege of the press club system, but conversely, the internet came to monitor the accuracy of information.
Yet because of their arrogance, the newspaper companies could not even realize that they were being watched.
The result is clearly reflected in the numbers.
Takayama.
Newsweek (June 4 issue) featured the “Hyakuta Naoki phenomenon.”
Mr. Hyakuta himself keeps sending out information on social media (social networking services such as Twitter and Facebook), exposing the hypocrisy of the left-wing media.
Above all, it seems that the left-wing media, fearing that social media will pull the rug out from under them, attack Mr. Hyakuta.
What struck me as a symbol of the social media age was the party leaders’ debate in November 2012.
When Mr. Abe was asked about the comfort women issue by moderator Hiroshi Hoshi, a former Asahi reporter, he answered directly to his face, “Isn’t it because your newspaper spread the story of a fraud named Seiji Yoshida?”
Because the falsehood of the Asahi had been brought to light through the internet, Mr. Abe was able to say that much.
Kadota.　
I truly feel the astonishing power of the spread of the internet.
Takayama.　
Even small voices, if they unite, can become quite strong.（laugh）
It seems to me that social media is something like the modern-day “Kiheitai.”
There is no doubt that the nature of journalism will change dramatically.