The death of the newspaper

IvyLee Rosario – Editor In Chief

    The newspaper: for decades it has been used to deliver and spread information to readers across the world. With the fast paced development of technology, the lifespan of the newspaper has been in question for the last few years. How long will the paper be around before the Internet completely takes over?

    According to Huff Post Media, a Pew study “reported that more people now consume their news online than through newspapers or radio. 39 percent of respondents reported having read news online the previous day; as opposed to 23 percent who said they read a print newspaper. That’s down from 47 percent who read newspapers in 2000.”

    I’ve always been the more hands on type of reader, meaning I prefer an actual paper book in my hands than holding onto an electronic device with words across it.

    I’m not saying that the Internet doesn’t have its perks. I too have read the news across a computer screen but it isn’t the only way of gaining information about what’s happening in the world.

    What happened to the good old days where people would run outside to get the newspaper and read? Now we don’t even have to put the effort in to find our news and instead it sits right on our laps.

    Over the past few years I’ve heard the remarks of ‘the newspaper is becoming a thing of the past,’ or ‘try to get a job online because newsrooms and actual paper will be coming to an end.’

    I know that the newspaper itself has become less popular over the last few years, but is it really necessary to say it is dying? I highly doubt the whole process of newsrooms and putting a paper together will be obliterated within a week.

     As a journalism major, I envision myself working in a newsroom reporting stories and going back to the building of whatever newspaper or magazine I may find myself at in the future. I never thought I might end up waking up in pajamas and staying in bed all day while writing. Not that I would disagree with doing this once in a while, but the thought of not having any place to report to makes the occupation of being a reporter somewhat empty.

    I agree with the clear fact that the Internet has taken over and is the popular choice when it comes to sources of where to get news and information, but I think that an actual newspaper is more reliable and gives us that authentic feel of getting our news.

    Anyone can open up a computer and just happen to come across an article they find interesting, but it takes a true effort to go and get a newspaper and read the stories that are happening in and around your town.

    Throughout my college years, I have seen the changes happening about the importance of an actual newspaper. Some say that it is just a waste of paper and its relevance will end, but I say no.

    A newspaper isn’t going to just disappear and become irrelevant. There will always be people in the world, just like me, that prefer to hold an actual book or newspaper in their hand instead of subjecting their eyes to pain because they are staring at a computer screen.

    I’m not delusional in the sense that I know the Internet will continue to grow in popularity as the year’s progress, but I’m sure that newspapers aren’t going anywhere just yet. With the experience they have in the media industry, newspapers will not be going down without a fight.