Washington Post: Online is the future, print … well, isn’t

The Washington Post has distributed a memo detailing 10 principles for its online news product. I can’t really say there’s anything on this list I don’t agree with. The document says that they are still committed to print:

We must continue to evolve the content and forms of journalism that we publish in the printed newspaper, partly in response to and inspired by journalistic evolution on the Web. We remain committed to strengthening the readership of The Washington Post in print while growing the audience of washingtonpost.com on the Web.

I think it speaks volumes about the future of print that one of the top newspapers in the nation feels it necessary to restate its committment to print, and reassure the troops.
Check out the 10th principle:

Publishing our journalism on the Web should make us more open to change what we publish in the printed newspaper. There is no meaningful division at The Post between “old media” and “new media.”

If I were a Washington Post worker, and all my skills were geared only toward composing a printed newspaper that’s delivered to pay-boxes and door-to-door, I would read these principles and be very worried about my job beign there a decade from now. It’s all about how there’s a great future online, and how they intend to keep the print version around.