I’ve heard that newspapers are dying. This interests me, because I can’t get over the fact that the real issue is the paper, not the news. The reality is that we printed news on paper because there wasn’t anything else. But, of course, now there is.

News, or journalism, is clearly alive and well. Those in the business of discovering and distributing news to the public need to rethink how they deliver news and still get paid for it.

So, while I’m stating the obvious, I believe that newspaper organizations need to pay more attention to their value proposition. Their value is in the content. Their value is in the journalists. If they don’t have valuable content or journalists who the public can trust and rely upon, then they are dead. But if they have those two things, there has to be opportunity to monetize that mix.

We have invented new ways of delivering content that don’t require paper–the Web, the iPhone, G1, and other mobile devices, and Kindle. Up to this point, publications like the Star Tribune continue to try to figure out paper and they’ve invested heavily in their websites over the past decade+. And, sure, they’re on Twitter and other social media sites now, but they still haven’t found a way to move users to other mediums and make money in the process.

And there’s agreement that something new has to emerge. Steve Rubel, via AdAge, writes:

Like the iPod before it, the Kindle is a critical emerging device that actually encourages consumers to pay for content. When Apple launched the iTunes Music Store, some were skeptical that people would shell out cash for music they could snag for free from file-sharing networks. They did. Read the article

How about that subscription through Kindle? Or how about an iPhone app? It may mean that the economics of the business need to change. But what’s worse: To disappear completely or at least attempt to find ways to engage your audience through new mediums?