The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times have downsized. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer goes on-line only, eliminating its paper edition entirely. The Tuscan Citizen (the oldest continuously published newspaper in Arizona) and the Rocky Mountain Times shut down. The Detroit News/Free Press cuts back on deliveries and many others (Seattle Times, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, etc.) are close to bankruptcy. Where does all this leave the population of readers who prefer to hold a newspaper in their hands, sipping a cup of coffee or using it to hide behind the crush of morning rush hour madness on a subway? More importantly, where does this leave the journalists, reporters and editors of today and in the future? Hardcopy newspapers are too important to follow the typewriter into extinction.
Although the online versions may be filled with the most recent news, and allow for quick and easy access from anywhere in the world, we must question how accurate the news may be. As mentioned in “The Call to Write”, “Web sites do not necessarily go through a process of editing and peer review that filters out unreliable and unsubstantiated information. Instead, what appears on the Web is largely unregulated and sometimes of questionable credibility.” With that being said, online journalism is not reliable.
However, you do have those papers like the New York Times that transfers the news from paper to online, but readers would miss out on the same experiences that the print version gives you. Some experiences missed would be the ability to skim around to see what may interest them, the crinkling sound when turning a page, and of course, the opportunity as a conversation starter. I, like many people, wake up each morning, put on my slippers and walk down my driveway to pick up the morning paper. With much anticipation I excitedly await what news I have missed since the day before and what headlines will attract my interest. Frequently, my interest turns to the Business section of the paper (e.g., will Chrysler be bought out by Fiat?). Before I can get into my house I have the paper in my hands and scan the headlines as I walk back up, completely immersed in my own world of news. If you’re reading the online version, the only way to scan for interesting news is if you know exactly what you are looking for. Plus, it is easier to walk around with a newspaper than a laptop in your hands!
This trend of moving print version newspapers to online that we are currently seeing could ultimately lead to a large number of lost jobs. More than half of the journalists, editors, photographers, and the entire printing press would end up on the unemployment line. With unemployment being at its highest in history, the downfall of the printed newspaper is a necessity we shouldn’t be so willing to dismiss. Research clearly establishes that the trend for on line revenues has increased when compared to print, but not dramatically enough to eliminate printing newspapers completely.
One can also argue that the on-line version is more appealing to the newer generation; there has not been enough proof to that statement. In my own research, I have discovered that many young and old alike, think the paper needs to be in print form. The Public Press recently interviewed two people from completely different generations pertaining to just that; the possible downfall of the printed newspapers vs. the online version. An elderly woman was quoted as saying: “Newspapers have a ‘more profound effect when written.” “…print gives you ‘more time to read and think.’" Further in the same article, a young man was quoted saying, “I like the idea of a newspaper in my hand,” The young man also claimed that he reads three different newspapers daily, “mostly in print.”
On a final note, there are more reasons for the salvation of the printed newspaper than to allow its extinction like the typewriter. For a brief moment think about the typewriter, while you read this statement I came across. Journalist Indigo Clarke wrote “Fading into near obscurity, the typewriter today serves as a relic to most, though there are still the dedicated few that believe it can offer something the computer can’t. Finding character and inspiration in this outdated invention, a number of writers, including Paul Auster, David Sedaris and Don DeLillo, reject the convenience of a computer laptop in favour of its antiquated counterpart. Paul Auster’s infatuation with his manual Olympia typewriter inspired his laconic.” I was surprised and happy to read the reference to Mr. Auster, one of my favorite authors, and how he continues his journalistic journey on the forgotten dinosaur of the typewriter. If it does not get the proper financial and readership support, will the newspaper end up in a similar situation as the typewriter? I, like Mr. Auster sticking with his Olympia, will not be giving up reading my daily printed newspapers.
