Content, quality editorial and a focus on circulation will be key in newspapers surviving the battle for readers with their Internet rivals, editors have been told.

Former York Press editor Liz Page, who is now regional managing director at Archant Life North, said it would then be down to the editor’s skill to retain the audience.

She was speaking at the Society of Editors annual conference in Glasgow, where discussion centred on how traditional media could survive and grow with new technology stealing the limelight.

Now in charge of Archant Life’s monthly glossies, she said her company was prepared to invest in the core skills of editorial and circulation.

She said: "We believe people will pay for quality.

"Research, accuracy and telling compelling stories is a skill to be acquired and retained.

"Journalists need the skills to produce the goods in different ways for different outlets.

"They can use the power of local brands to increase their media and we will still need skilled editors to select the decent copy – it will be the skill of the editors who will keep the audience for the future."

In the same session, 'What keeps me awake at night', media commentator Ray Snoddy put forward his own views on safeguarding the future of traditional media, with its trustworthy reputation and strong brand. Amateur blogs could lose out to the authenticity, accuracy and trust developed by such branding.

He called for more investment in journalism and more investment in training.

He said newspapers should increase subscription, and turn the publication into a "club", citing the Lindberg newspaper in Holland, which has achieved a 98 per cent subscription figure.

He called for more research and for editors to "scan the world for best practice".

And he said marketing was vital, especially marketing the concept of the newspaper itself.

Dietmar Schantin of Newsplex introduced his view of convergence by suggesting that a link can be forged between mobile, online and print technology.

He commented: "We believe that in order to manage this correctly we need to change people and change the product and services that we provide.

"There should be a holistic feel to the product. We need to also change our skills set and mind set."

The Observer’s Roger Alton added: "Convergence is broadly a very interesting area. Everybody doing a bit of everything all the time, and there is the old style model which isn't really working. My own preference is somewhere in the middle."

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