Besides, a deeper look into the failed magazines shows that while some of them "died", others actually chose to be "reborn" in other forms. For instance, fashion and lifestyle magazine The Bund has announced the closure of its print version from 2016 but has reserved its new media operations, such as daily publication of WeChat official accounts.

Indeed, there have been drastic changes in the media environment, and many people have been asking whether we media professionals feel a sense of crisis now. The answer is both yes and no. We do feel the pressure from ever-increasing market competition, and the changes in media operations because of technological progress and social transition, but there seems enough reason to be optimistic about the media.

The publications that "died" last year were actually outdated forms of media, not the media as a whole, because the core of media competition is content rather than form, and contents are created by professionals who know the nature of the media and communications. Many good journalists have shifted from the traditional media to professionally run new media and even "we media". And a good media professional is one that understands what media and communications are. For instance, those bloggers whose articles gain tens of millions hits online are a new type of media professionals, because they create meaningful contents that draw readers.

But that does not mean the traditional media will be eliminated from the market for not being able to evolve and become stronger to win the competition.

As long as traditional media outlets can keep pace with the times and make better use of technologies, they will remain powerful competitors in the media market. But they should know that changing according to the times is critical to their existence.

The author is a writer with China Daily. wangyiqing@chinadaily.com.cn