So as I was reading OUT OF PRINT on The New Yorker website, I found it interesting that the newspaper has been around over 300 years, except, “Few believe that newspapers in their current printed form will survive. “ So why has it been losing public interest, especially in the last 4 years? Many editors and publishers and newspaper companies are worried everyday about losing their jobs, and the companies themselves, such as the New York Times have lost as much at 40% of their revenue. I’ve discovered a few things are to blame:
- the internet age- Newspapers have created Web sites that benefit from the growth of online advertising
- budget cuts and layoffs
As I’m writing this I’m completely agreeing with The New Yorker. Those statements are sad, but true. And in a personal finance blog called The Death of the Newspaper on Mint, it does an even better job, saying “Newspapers are struggling for both relevancy and revenue in every major US market.” Because the recession has got people pinching their wallets, people are not going to subscribe to the daily paper when they can save their money and receive the same, if not more up-to-date information on the internet. It’s much faster. With the click of a button I can read about the biggest news as well as the events of which I want to read about without having to flip through boring articles. Another big issue, as already stated, is its relevance. The younger generations have already succumbed to the internet as their go-to source for information. They were raised with newer technology and will continue to use it. The newspaper has almost become old fashioned.
I’m not saying that people don’t still have the will to buy a newspaper off the stands, but in all honesty, I don’t. I prefer reading the news online, especially when my homepage has the latest news already there. So if I’m going to check my e-mail, or check out what time a movie starts, I already am seeing the most recent relevant news without having to read about it in the paper the next morning. Maybe the demise of the newspaper is sad for businesses, but for the public, well, we may be better off.
The revolution of print journalism have been slowly abandoning our culture as a source of information and the internet has taken over. I haven't picked up a newspaper since I was in high school and most people can't remember the last time they did too.
ReplyDeleteSimply, the internet has so much more advantages and benefits such as no cost, immediacy, and capacity. The newspaper on the other hand requires that you buy it everyday. In case theirs something in the news a reader wants to find out, they'll have to wait for the next day since its getting printed. The best newspapers can do is present a story and have a picture. In Writing for the Mass Media by James Stovall, he writes, "The Web races past these problems with its ability to keep and show huge amounts of text and image material." The web can offer not just pictures, but video, audio, or graphics.
While the technological advances of the internet have become an advantage for many people, it has had a profound negative impact on the newspaper industry. According to http://industry.bnet.com/media/?tag=content;col1, 15,544 people have lost their jobs in the newspaper industry. The fact that we are going through a recession as Kristin mentioned also makes a negative impact on newspapers.
I don't even remember the last time I opened a newspaper. Unless you include that one time it was left on the table at the Cafe I regularly visit during my lunch break. Even then, it was only because I didn't have my netbook on me.
ReplyDeleteI have to make a small point here in regards to your remarks on the demise of the newspaper and our recent recession.
The recession hit in 2008, and newspapers have been on the decline since well before then. I read somewhere that, "in rough times, people always spend money on entertainment...". The newspaper isn't a primary means of entertainment sure, but in some respects it is. So the recession may have made a small impact, but nothing significant in my opinion as it was already on the decline thanks to these newer technologies.
Even when it comes to entertainment the newspaper has problems. James Stovall (in his book, "Writing for the Mass Media") says, "Most news organizations produce more than they can show or print. Broadcasting is limited by time. Print media are limited by space." The internet gives these organizations virtually unlimited time and space to put all of their material.
I would be willing to bet money from my own pinched wallet that the majority of our generation has not picked up an actual newspaper in years. I just picked up an issue of the Journal Sentinel just recently, but only because it was the issue that had the picture of Andrew Bogut screwing up his arm...I didn't read one word of one article. I refer to the internet for my news, and it chapter eight of Stovall gives good reasons why.
ReplyDeleteOnline news sites, articles, and even blogs offer all of the benefits discussed in chapter 8. Interchangeable photos and graphics, documents, links to previous stories all in one folder, audio and video clips, links to other related sites, E-polls for audience participation, discussion forums, and, above all else, the speed to have it all within minutes. With all of the benefits we have by accessing our news online, it is impossible for traditional newspapers to compete. We have the ability to type in the topic we are searching, and find an endless amount of coverage on whatever we want. How do you compete with that?
There is a reason that more and more people are beginning stick by their computer screens rather than go outside and get that newspaper every morning. A lot of times news is breaking news, and needs to be reported immediately. Can you imagine how different September 11th would have been had we only had a newspaper. September 12th would have been the most devastating morning of all time. Why wait for your news in the morning when you can sign on and have it now? According to "More Americans Get News from Internet than Newspapers or Radio," an article on www.current.com, "when looking for news online, people said they're most often seeking information about a common topic: the weather. Eighty-one percent said they search for weather information online, followed by national news at 73 percent. Just over half -- 52 percent -- said they look for sports news, while 47 percent said they look for entertainment or celebrity news."
Like I said...there is a reason people are glued to their computer (and iphone) screens.