BY: RaMonte Dotson
Most
national and local newspapers have recently taken steps to cut costs
and try to increase revenues. The steps include cutting editions and
charging for online news. They are just the latest in a series of
changes as newspapers all over North America are feeling the pinch.
Is it the tough economic times, or is it the fact that there are now
so many other ways to get news, including online news sites, social
media, RSS feeds, bloggers? With all these new options, people are
getting used to not paying for news, and that hits newspapers more
than most other sources.
For
many decades newspapers have been at the center of all news gathering.
It was the newspapers who paid for putting reporters' boots on the
ground, all of whom fanned out and poked into everything happening in
each community. The first serious competition came with the advent of
that upstart TV, then of course came live 24 hour cable news, and
more recently the Internet. But many online sources still rely on the
strength of newspapers. They link to newspaper sites, to stories
broken and written by newspaper reporters. And what's the first thing
most broadcast news organizations do every morning? They check the
newspapers.
So, if newspapers are in trouble, what happens to the rest of what has become a multi-faceted news gathering world? Who has the deep pockets to pay for long term stories, investigative work and quality political coverage involving deep knowledge of the history and structure of government? What about the consumers of news? Now that online surfers have become accustomed to getting their news for free, is it possible to erect paywalls and try to get some money out of those same people. Or will they simply move elsewhere?
So, if newspapers are in trouble, what happens to the rest of what has become a multi-faceted news gathering world? Who has the deep pockets to pay for long term stories, investigative work and quality political coverage involving deep knowledge of the history and structure of government? What about the consumers of news? Now that online surfers have become accustomed to getting their news for free, is it possible to erect paywalls and try to get some money out of those same people. Or will they simply move elsewhere?
Great post! Soon or later the newspapers business would go out of business because social media. In our society today current happening or news get publish before the newspaper, this matter handicap the newspaper companies and businesses.
ReplyDeleteI agree that newspapers are slowly moving away from society because of the change in technology and the fact that our generation rarely reads newspaper. Almost everything we do now is via the internet or electronic devices. Social media is definitely playing a major role in driving newspapers out of business because it gets more attention, it is more appealing, and you do not have to carry around this big stack of paper containing the news. Great post!
ReplyDeleteGreat Post! Although tradition tells us that newspapers are essential and should remain in today's market, once they go the resources used to create these newspapers could then be directed towards other goals. As social media expands, one of the few issues that could arise is the controlling of publishing through formulated procedures that would hinder the purity of information from being dissolved before reaching the audience.
ReplyDeleteYes, the internet is killing newspapers. And this is a sad fact, because newspapers were so paramount in American society. Although I grew up in a digital age, I felt important when I was old enough to read the paper and understand its contents. Despite newspapers losing their relevance, I appreciate how newspaper companies are carving their niche into an everchanging market, such as charging to read online articles, providing exclusive articles online, and teaming up with social media and other online entities. Newspapers wont die without a fight!
ReplyDeleteI agree the advanced technology allows people to get access to the news easily which is why they feel they do not need to read the newspaper as often. This is causing the revenue of newspaper to continue to fall in America and it is not only a problem in the USA, but all around the world. I just wonder how the problem will be solved? Will all newspapers eventually die or What should be done to save the traditional Newspaper industry?
ReplyDeleteI personally agree that the internet is starting to kill newspapers. With everything being so technological now and how everyone can read most things on the iPad, or on some type of tablet, it is convenient. Technology allows you to get access to things easier and if you can read those same newspapers you go out to buy on a tablet or laptop, people may start using that way instead. Good post!
ReplyDeleteI will have to agree with what most of the other commenters have said. The internet is the future of news. But I think the job that those people who contribute to newspapers will never fade. As stated in the article, everyone checks the news headlines in the morning. There will also always be a need for local news, possibly in the form of newspapers.
ReplyDeleteCurrently, I get the majority of my news from a site that compiles articles from other sites. I think this will be the future of news.
I agree that anything hardcopy is dying if not dead already. Newspapers... what good are they in 2013? social media is dominating. This isnt a hard problem to fix I think that some companies are stubborn and stuck in their own ways when they should be adapting to the new technologies.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this post because it just goes to show how much technology is improving, At the same time, this means many jobs will be soon be lost, meaning the unemployment rate for our country will continue to increase. With all of that said it's best for many young people to stay in school if they're expecting to have decent paying jobs in the near future.
ReplyDeleteTechnology has been the main contributor in the death of newspapers. People are able to look up the news on their phones, laptops, or iPads instead of buying a paper which takes up space. There are ways to bring back reading newspapers but the newspaper companies must act fast. The longer it takes them to adjust the less relevant newspapers will be in society.
ReplyDelete