Bleeding ink all over a dying industry
If you are reading a copy of this newspaper in print, you may not know it but you are slowly turning the pages into history. This newspaper, along with most others these days, is available online, which many people prefer and see as the “wave” of the future for journalism, I don't.
There has been many newspapers in the United States go belly-up recently by either going to an all online edition, or many that have simply folded, no pun intended. A recent case has been this past week with the Seattle Post-Intelligencer cutting it's print edition in favour of an online one, and in that process cutting the jobs of many long-time employees.
So what does this all mean to you? Well first off many of you, including me already get most news and information online. I am a bit biased with having a diploma in journalism, but I can say I get it from reading many newspapers daily, along with radio, television and online, since I like to stay informed from different sources of information.
The problem I have with newspapers going more and more online is the fact that I don't really like reading a newspaper off a screen. I already look at enough computer screens throughout the day and there is nothing like the leisure of reading through a newspaper with analysis and depth, something that you just don't get with many other forms of media.
Our generation is all about NOW, ON DEMAND, INSTANT, and media is complying with that by offering news online, and even now adding in all this “stuff” of Facebook and Twitter for you to comment on their stories. It's all well and good, but sometimes when you want just the basic information it seems you have to go through a labyrinth of “stuff” just to read it, watch it, or listen to it. Wasn't technology supposed to make our lives easier?
I know many of you are reading this and thinking that I am fighting a battle that cannot be won. I have seen numerous reports over the last few months about how the economy has affected many in the media, especially newspapers either by layoffs and papers closing or going online and it's a really sad reality. It just means fewer voices to hold people to account.
Sure there's many online sources, you might say, but many are slanted or are “citizen” journalists who don't have a background whatsoever in journalism. For example, if I haven't run a business before in my life, does that make me a business-person? I didn't think so.
Many of you may also be thinking, well mainstream media is biased and so on, which to a certain extent may also be true, but so are online sources too. So in all of this change the newspaper still exists even with all these advancements in technology which have been pushing it ever further to more online, and less in print.
Sadly I think newspapers will fade away into history, and it will all be online. It's a scary thought when you are relying on computer servers to hold all the news one such publication has, but hopefully it will get us to realize that sometimes newer isn't always better.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
There has been many newspapers in the United States go belly-up recently by either going to an all online edition, or many that have simply folded, no pun intended. A recent case has been this past week with the Seattle Post-Intelligencer cutting it's print edition in favour of an online one, and in that process cutting the jobs of many long-time employees.
So what does this all mean to you? Well first off many of you, including me already get most news and information online. I am a bit biased with having a diploma in journalism, but I can say I get it from reading many newspapers daily, along with radio, television and online, since I like to stay informed from different sources of information.
The problem I have with newspapers going more and more online is the fact that I don't really like reading a newspaper off a screen. I already look at enough computer screens throughout the day and there is nothing like the leisure of reading through a newspaper with analysis and depth, something that you just don't get with many other forms of media.
Our generation is all about NOW, ON DEMAND, INSTANT, and media is complying with that by offering news online, and even now adding in all this “stuff” of Facebook and Twitter for you to comment on their stories. It's all well and good, but sometimes when you want just the basic information it seems you have to go through a labyrinth of “stuff” just to read it, watch it, or listen to it. Wasn't technology supposed to make our lives easier?
I know many of you are reading this and thinking that I am fighting a battle that cannot be won. I have seen numerous reports over the last few months about how the economy has affected many in the media, especially newspapers either by layoffs and papers closing or going online and it's a really sad reality. It just means fewer voices to hold people to account.
Sure there's many online sources, you might say, but many are slanted or are “citizen” journalists who don't have a background whatsoever in journalism. For example, if I haven't run a business before in my life, does that make me a business-person? I didn't think so.
Many of you may also be thinking, well mainstream media is biased and so on, which to a certain extent may also be true, but so are online sources too. So in all of this change the newspaper still exists even with all these advancements in technology which have been pushing it ever further to more online, and less in print.
Sadly I think newspapers will fade away into history, and it will all be online. It's a scary thought when you are relying on computer servers to hold all the news one such publication has, but hopefully it will get us to realize that sometimes newer isn't always better.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
