This article by Andrew Sullivan, despite being a bit on the lengthy side is definately worth the read.
I figure this one is a very relevant topic that everyone should understand, although, we tend not to really think about it. How many of you actually buy the newspaper? Not just glance at it your parents copy, but actually subscribe and read it? I know I don't. Why would I subscribe to something that I could get for free in a million different places on the web? Well thats exactly the kind of mentality that Andrew Sullivan is describing, and I don't even think the worse is yet to come for the newspaper industry. As more and more kids come into a world where the internet is the only thing they've ever known, where does the incentive come from then to start using newspapers? Not only do they cost money, but they're not easily shared long distances, and they take time. Literally, our news is now an instant away, from the moment when something happens to the millisecond later when the reporter yanks out his iPhone to get the latest under development, two clicks and anything you ever wanted to know about everything is there in front of you. You can't honestly expect the newspaper industry to compete with THAT can you?
Well they try anyway!
Personally, I think the newspaper industry has too many veterans with too many interests to go down without a fight, and as we turn away from paper printed news I think these companies will start making serious investments in advancing the world of blogging and online journalism. Although blogging is already a very significant part of the news industry already, it is entirely possible that blogging may become the new medium through which all of news-following America gets its information.
This in turn brings up a few questions however. There is still the issue of money, and not to mention, there is no guarantee that these newspaper companies will be able to survive in the wide world of blogging. It makes me wonder if within the next few years we will see more and more restrictions on the web as newspaper companies take a more digital approach. For example, if the New York Times became exclusively online, would we see bloggers start signing on under the name and charging fee's for their blogs? Its entirely possible, but that also brings me to my second point. Theres still no guarantee that this will give the newspaper industry the boost it needs to survive, people will still be reluctant to pay for the New York Times when they can get the same information for free somewhere else on the internet.
4 comments:
It's not a bad thing if newspapers perish. Newspapers have been pretty much replaced by the internet, and the people seem to prefer the internet (they're not buying newspapers). Newspapers will only go out of business if no one wants to read them, and if that's the case why should they be in business?
Wow, I completely disagree with the comment above me. And might I say, cute username.
For me, the newspaper has become a part of my routine in the morning. I wake up, shower, and read the newspaper while eating my breakfast. My morning would never be the same if I didn't have the hard copy of a newspaper sitting by my plate. I don't know what it is, maybe the feel of the paper or its smell, but nostagia overcomes me when I read the newspaper and it comforts me. Also, being an editor of the Outlook, I can say that it takes a crap load of work to lay out, edit, and write a newspaper. Those journalists and editors work really hard to make a great newspaper for you to read and take with you in the morning to work (which you can't do with a website), and we should respect their work.
Ultimately, it would be a damn shame if newspapers perished to the web.
All I'm saying is that if newspapers go out of business, it's because not enough people wanted them. If there are enough people like you who like newspapers, they will stay in business.
It's possible that a vast majority of the public will no longer wish to depend on newspapers as a primary news source. With all of the technologies created, there are many ways to find the news in quicker and more efficient ways. Yet it's also doubtful that many Americans will want to let go of something that has been a part of their culture for so long. It's likely that people will be reluctant to the change and therefore I don't see the newspaper disappearing anytime soon.
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