WHERE HAVE ALL THE NEWSPAPERS GONE
I have always loved newspapers. I worked on two of them the Baltimore Sun and The Washington Star and also the Diamondback at the University of MD. I am married to a journalist. He's worked on many more paper than I have. But we are now involved with trhe internet and get much of our news from the onslaught via cellphone, blackberry,
and you name it.
I still receive my hard copy every morning. By that time I have pretty much been aware of most everything in the news except my horoscope. But if I really want an in-depth report, I like to sit and read a nice fresh paper every day.
Why are they dwindling in size and staff? Is it because no one really cares about the news to want to read it? Or are we just so jaded that we don't have the time to
finish a story that isn't more than 2 paragraphs?
Are we going to let this great tradition of newspapers and in-depth reporting die?
If we have to rely on Cable for news we are doomed.
I have a bet with my son that in five years the papers as we know them will just be delivered on Sundays if that. Maybe they will be available on EBAY.
posted by Sandy Trupp @ 10:23 AM
7 Comments:
Those of us who grew up having respect for the longevity of the written word will miss newspapers. There was a time when you read something in a newspaper, it meant something. It meant, number one, that you were getting news. In-depth news that someone had to research and interview any number of sources to verify. Sure, newspapers scrambled to meet deadlines to get out leading headlines, but behind that some serious work was being done. Number two, newspapers are tangibles. Like books, they are a tactile experience even more convenient than electronics. I can fold it, refer to it without having to use a search engine, keep it - so I understand the news in the context of the day -- not just as a single news story on its own.
But as a publicist I can see that most newspaper writing has become lazy. At least in my metropolitan area. The same sources are utilized SO often that it's like reading a parish newsletter. By not working harder to cast a wider net with more available and reliable sources, by not following up on the literally hundreds of story leads and pitches that I know they must all receive daily, I feel as though I'm reading the same newspaper, every day. Instead of worrying if they are serving their constituency, they are concerned about how they fare with their peer journalists. Who cares? Are you writing for them or me? Are you covering news or finding news that only you are interested in covering? With journalists so unresponsive, it's no wonder that newspaeprs seem as though they are written inside a bubble. That's because they are.
Every time I read something from a writer who gets it "right" - I applaud -- and congratulate them. It means that they took the extra time to get the information down on paper - CORRECTLY. Reporters have become elitists and now it is biting them in the backside. The Internet is not, necessarily, a trustworthy source of news; I will miss having newspapers.
It's sad, but newspapers probably are experiencing their last, best era. It is interesting that with all the news out there, we do keep recylcling the same names, news and incidents. I think the local community newspapers are going to experience a surge in readership because at least they have a following - people know they can get national news from other sources, but local news, when concentrated in the community newspapers, makes them more valuable to the reader. The Internet is a marvelous resource, but it is not the same experience one gets from reading a newspaper. Instead of trying to fight the trend, perhaps newspapers should have been trying to reinvent themselves in ways that don't complete, but set them apart, from Internet sources.
I think the new generations just don't understand anything that doesn't come quickly or succintly. Who wants to read an entire newspaper when they can google and see the headlines? Or receive them on their cell phones?
Personally, I love newspapers. I love smudges of newsprint in my hand and holding the day's news with a cup of coffee. I moved to a new area and one of the things I miss the most is the Washington Post. My mom brings it down with her when she comes to visit. But this love started early and as a family tradition. Families don't always seem to have time to talk to each other, let alone read the newspaper together.
As generations pass away, the desire for newspapers will pass with it. A very sad thing indeed and so characteristic of the scary direction our society is headed.
The fact is that no one reads the papers anymore. They are used more for trash than anything else. I hate the black smudges on my hands. I love going to my computer and knowing my news and feature stories are up to date. I dont have time to read and re-read and online is perfect for me.If papers want a scoop they will have to follow the cnn.coms of the world.
I can get most of my news from the headline news items coming to my laptop. But what will I wrap my fish in?
The world has room for both Internet sources as news and newspapers. The problem is our dot.com youth simply doesn't understand - yes, I said "understand," -- the usefulness of the printed word vs. something they read on a computer screen. Many Millenials and Gen X'ers, and parents are to blame for this as well as schools, have little appreciation for the tangible; vaporous, fleeting images, in small, tiny, bite sized bits are about all their little synapses can handle at once. They are so unaccustomed to using their hands for anything, that turning pages must be a burden. Not to mention those pesky long articles with big words.
What does pesky mean? If you depend on your papers for news you won't know anything for another 24 hours.
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