Newspaper closings!

One of the traditional ways of disseminating information has been print newspapers. These have been around for a long time. The morning newspaper has seemed like an impregnable fortress of everyday reality, stable and homey like apple pie and ice cream. But they might not be with us much longer. Over the past couple of years I have heard of many layoffs and closings. The King County Journal in Kent, WA., the Dayton Daily News in Ohio, the Mercury News in San Jose, CA., and the Toledo Blade in Ohio are just a few of the latest casualties - either closing, laying off employees, or losing lots of money in trying to stay afloat. Newspaper circulation has decreased yearly over the past 15 years (National Press, 2006).

In an effort to stop the bleeding, newspapers have been forced to go online to capture readers. Younger generations are getting more and more of their news information from the Internet. In Scotland, scientists are even developing a device like an iPod that can be used to download newspapers, so one can read a morning paper from a computer the size of a paperback book (National Press, 2006). Personally, I mourn the impending loss of print newspapers. I guess I have an emotional attachment to reading news, or anything for that matter, in the print form. Oh sure, the Internet is more current and up-to-date. What you read in the paper is old news by Internet standards. And you can reach many more people via online newpapers. But I wonder how many people really enjoy relaxing on Sunday morning in their easy chair or at their kitchen table, trying to read indepth editorials from a computer screen? Reading from a computer tends to be quick and superficial. Just my opinion, of course. Changes happen and you can't live in the past. This is an issue information professionals have to deal with - how to spread information in ways that are both informative and user-friendly.

Our local newspaper, The Daytona Beach News-Journal, now has blogs, podcasts, and videos in their online version. Our local population must feel like I do, because the News-Journal has been advertising their arrival in full-page ads for the last several months in their print newpaper. They must be having a hard time getting people's attention. Come to think of it, there are a lot of retired folks around here.....


References:

National Press Photographers Association. (2006). Newspaper closings, layoffs, buyouts, and the future. Retrieved from http://www.nppa.org/news_and_events/news/2006/12/newspapers.html.