Tuesday, September 29, 2009

The future of print

Sorry for being late posting this but i became ill on sunday and have been in bed for the past three days. I'm just able to get to a computer now. Anyways, here goes.

There's a lot of debate right now concerning the future of print newspapers. The concern of how these papers will survive in the digital age has been present since the internet boom of the mid 90's. But now the concern has been revitalized with a proposed government bailout to help print newspapers.

I want you to read this article and also the comments below it. What's your opinion on the matter? Are we ready yet to let traditional newspapers die? Or will their death contribute to a degradation of journalistic standards?

22 comments:

Wesley said...

I don't think ink papers need to go. They have been a trusted source of information for hundreds of years. In fact these papers were some of the first pieces of literature that we have from our American heritage. The industry is changing and many papers need to change with it in order to keep competitive. However, since many historicle treasures are in paper pen form we need to keep them. Literature has always been ink and pen to last. Just because we can buy and read books online doesn't mean we don't write in paper and pen and print. I dont think papers need to be sluggish about advancing their technology but neither do they need to wipe out a standard that has worked for so many years.

KamrynsMom said...

Agreeing with Wesley and Astrachan (from the article comments), I do not think that ink newspapers should be done away with. I know that ink newspapers have been around for a while, but that makes them all the more reliable of a source. I like reading my local newspaper because it gives me an idea of what is going on in my hometown area. To disect the article from the link, I feel that the writer is extremely biased, and though his argument seems to be strong in some areas, it is weak in just as many others. While the author addresses his own benefits from doing away with the ink newspaper, he leaves out the drawbacks it may have for others. Such as how many people may not understand how to access news online, or many people would much like their newspapers to use as references. Another reason I would say not to do away with ink papers is because there are also many local newspapers in smaller towns, such as mine. I think it would be ridiculous for everyone to have to go online to read the news.

Lastly, I do not think we are ready to let traditional newspapers die because whether we believe it or not some people still cannot afford computers. But, agreeing with as astrachan we can get our daily news for less than a buck! There are more cost that come into mind when utilizing the Internet.Yes, newspaper companies need to enhance their papers, and catch up with technology; but they do not need to be done away with.

Unknown said...

Agreeing with previous comments, I believe it is jumping the gun to shut down newspapers. There are some drawbacks to newspapers however. They are wasteful because, let's be honest, most people don't recycle them. They get thrown away. They are also big and bulky and they are nasty (residual ink). On the other hand, they are usually a reliable source of our news, for the most part. As stated, most internet websites refer back to the print mediums for their sources. Also, as hard as it may be for city slickers to believe, there are many people that cannot afford the internet or have the know how to operate it even if they could. I do believe that the newspapers should find some way to gravitate more towards internet platforms possibly by subscription, but I'm not sure how that would work. Then, they could still offer print papers on a smaller scale to those that still want to subscribe.

Maybe there will be a move to wiping out print newspapers totally in the future, but I would say as a country that still has a generation living that prefer newspapers, we are not ready for that transition. I do not agree with a bailout. I didn't agree on any of the other bailouts either, why should the newspapers be any different.

~Victoria L. Carr

Alexis K. Ellis said...

I think that there should be a bailout for newspapers to satisfy the interests of those who like reading newspapers because if there need to be a bailout for Blogger or Google, people would hop on it because it is a favored medium. I think not all people like reading the news over the internet, and there should be enough room for everybody to see the news the way they like on television, newspaper, or internet. I agree with the last comment made that there should be an amount of continuity because there are still people who read the newspapers, and I agree. I think that newspapers do have more journalistic, and professional standards because they were taught this from the beginning of print, and I think without newspapers we lose the balance of those ethics being enforced, and chastisement to those who abuse their journalism power because newspapers often cover indiscretions of other media.

gina said...

I agree with Kamryn's Mom in that a lot of people today still can not afford computers. It is much easier to stop and pay $.50 for a newspaper on the street. I realize that we are getting in to more modern times, but some things have made a lasting impression and been around for as long as they have been for a reason. The newspaper is a prime example of this.

I am not saying that there is not a positive side to news on the internet. You can look up whatever you need to know and you can look up information from a newspaper that happened 2 weeks ago without having to worry about having thrown it way or finding it. Also, like Victoria said, newspapers can be wasteful. Rarely do they get recycled.

In the end after you do all of the pros and cons the outcome is about the same. Their is good and bad to both. However, everyone is comfortable with still having a newspaper and there is no reason to get rid of that just yet.

Mark said...

He goes a little extreme in the all papers should die stance. I do think many papers are dated relics of an old era, and should not be bailed out. Our local paper the Seattle Times shut down this year na dis now on-line only. I read it now more than ever. Plenty of print papers will remain, but the idea of every city having a couple of papers is dead.

Mark Stephenson

jdg158 said...

I am a little bit guilty of being an advocate of having an actual hard copy of a newspaper and reading the newspaper online. I do think that the time is coming that many newspaper companies will begin failing. I enjoy reading the newspaper in the morning, but with society today being so rushed I find myself skimming over articles on the internet rather than looking over whole articles in the actual newspaper. I do though find that I can get better local information about my community from a hard copy of the newspaper rather than the internet. The classifieds are also unmatched on the internet compared to the actual hard copy in my opinion. A government bailout though is a little ludicrous to me. Business must learn to adapt when hard times come along. The government cannot continue to bail out everyone including newspapers who are having rough times.

Sherry Osborn said...

I think this is kind of sad! Not for me, but for all of the elderly people who will probably never learn how to turn on a computer let alone how to surf the Internet to find the news.
I think that small town papers should still stay in effect, and I guess all of them....not for myself, but for the elderly.
Like it or not reality is there are still a lot of people who do not exercise the Internet.
We need to keep the newspapers around!

Dianna and Joe Davis said...

I completely agree with this article and enjoyed reading it. Our media has been on a forward fast track for some time now, so why now during this one hurdle over the past into the future, does the government feel it needs to get involved? There are limitless possibilities when it comes to ways to report the news, and like with much of our other technology it is best to progress. If people are not using the resources and there are better resources already in place that are more efficient and enviroment and cost friendly, why on earth aren't we just using those?
Also, I don't think newpapers themselves would die out by any means. They may not necessarily be news "papers" anymore, but the internet certainly provides a way to report news in the same layout and style as a newspaper, and many actual papers are already taking advantage of this. This summer, as an intern at a PR firm, I whitnessed the making of the first completely online newspaper in Mississippi. The content was original and there were catagories such as you would find in any other newspaper like the Clarion Ledger with hired staff to report and write for each. Why couldn't we just go completely to online newspapers such as these? I think this article made a great point too in stating that if newspaper owners hadn't been so stubborn and set in their ways, they may have discovered this capability long ago and could have pioneered it rather than letting new business people bring a fresh face to newspapers. Their simple unwillingness does not give newpaper owns ground to request governement intervention in a free news market. Let what will happen happen; out with the old and in with the new.

Dianna and Joe Davis said...
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Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

I am against a bailout for newspapers. If a newspaper can deliver a quality product, it will sell. The large communications conglomerates may have to slim down a bit and get creative, but overall, this will not hurt our society.
I say this as a person who has worked for the newspaper and who LOVED working for the newspaper. I'd love to be employed by my local newspaper right now, but I know that is not reality.
As someone I read on this topic said, it is survival of the fittest. That's how we get a quality product worth paying money for. The quality newspapers will survive if left on their own to fight through this tough time. There is something to be said about the feel of paper and printed word held in your hand as you eat your lunchtime sandwich on a bench in the park. It's just time to weed out the fluff.

David Camp said...

I don’t think we should bail out newspapers. I agree that newspapers have been around for a long time and are a great source for local news; however, I think if its time to move on then that is exactly what should happen. There is no need in sinking taxpayer’s money into a media that is loosing reader’s everyday to the Internet or other forms of media.

I think that if newspaper owners wanted to continue to deliver the news local, national or whatever, they need to get rid of the paper media and move on to Internet. I have no idea what the cost deference’s are between putting out a newspaper or putting news on a webpage, but to me, it is an option many papers should consider.

Unknown said...

I have mixed feeling about bailing out newspapers. I understand the arugement that times are changing, and free internet surfing is replacing ink print, but I also love reading papers and understand that if newspapers go completely outs of business a lot of people will be wihtout jobs.
I dont think a bailout is necessary at this time because there are still people buying newpapers, I think the time will come soon when the lack of paper sells will be an issue, but right now I think there are bigger issues for our leaders to handle than a Newspaper Bailout.

Mary said...
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Mary said...

I do think we should bail out the newspaper companies. I like to read the paper every now and then. There are a lot of people that still read a newspaper. There are a lot of people that do not have internet so the only way to read the paper would be in paper form. I agree some with luvthepup. If we can bail out the car companies then we should bail out the papers. Kids still have to use the newspaper at schools. I just had to send newspapers to my son’s school for projects they are working on. I think that we should do the bail out.
Mary Thomas

Crystal said...

I do not think that printed newspapers should go away. Yes, it does seem to be an outdated way to obtain news but no, not everyone in this day and age is internet savvy. I do agree that government bailouts are not neccesary however. If a paper is not meeting its budget, it should advertise more, cut back on printing costs (black and white vs. color) and change its style of news coverage.

There are too many elderly people who depend on the printed news for their updates. Local elections thrive on the publications of newpapers and a lot of rural citizens rely on the printed news to know who is running in elections, etc. Sections like the obituaries and human interest (weddings, etc) can not be found in online news. I believe that newspapers should stick around for a long time.
--Crystal Sloan

a said...

It seems that the newspaper is a staple and tradition for the American working man and his family. The fact that one has a hard copy is a key point. One doesn't have to worry about watching unnecessary stories on TV or miss important stories by only using the internet. I know many friends that cherish the local newspaper. I feel that there are many more like them. For this reason and many more, I feel the printed form of newspapers should continue to be a presence in the American culture.

Responding to some earlier posts, I also believe that newspaper companies should attempt to be more innovative to be more appealing to the technologically savvy generation.

Michael Jared Koon

Travis_Page said...
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Travis_Page said...

I do not think that traditional/print papers should be done away with. It is true that a big portion of the population is technology savvy, but there is a large number of people that are not. My grandparents, for instance, do not even know how to turn on a computer much less rely on it to get their news. To the older generation, the printed paper is still their only gateway to the news. I think that printed papers have and still are an effective way to convey information, and do not think they should be done away with..

I believe in the old saying, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it.." Newspapers have been around for many years and have seemed to work just fine. Instead of doing away with them, I think they should be integrated with technology (many of them already have) so that people can access the physical printed papers as well as online versions of it.

Travis Page

Unknown said...

I believe traditional newspapers are on the way out. With all the technology available today readers have access to more sources. These stories will also be up to date stories. Newspapers are yesterday's news. A local radio station's slogan is "if you are reading it it's history, if you are listening to it it's news". How true is that? Plus online is free. Why would you pay for what you someone will give. Almost everybody has internet access on their phone now and can get their news that way. So, yes, I feel the traditional print is a thing of the past.
TJ Burnham