The American Newspaper: Imminent demise or time for a rebirth? (news, movies)

[Nomadic9460678748]

Several of the magazines I subscribe to have contained articles detailing the end of U.S. journalism as we know it. Specifically, all of the articles have been about the end of the newspaper. I'm curious how some of you CD'ers feel (if you do!) about this question as I feel it has very important, pertinent implications for the health of our democracy. So . . .

Do you ever buy newspapers? If so, which ones? Do you read them exclusively online? Again, which ones? Do you mainly get your news from the blogosphere? If so, how do you verify the validity of your source's stories? Do you even feel you need to? Do you think major metropolitan communities need good newspapers? If so, why? If newspapers are indeed going the way of the dinosaur, how can the proposed non-profit models which are popping up throughout the country offer us a viable alternative.

Thank you for reading and I hope you're enjoying your Halloween!

Post script . . . I wasn't certain as to the appropriate forum for this question. If you can recommend a better one, please do let me know!

[Nomadic9460678748]

I can only assume no one has anything to contribute because you are very busy reading your local newspaper. Good for you!

[FarNorthDallas]

We have a subscription to our local paper, but the quality has gotten so bad we wonder why we are paying for it and many days I never even touch it. It's now $30 month. So many of the stories are from the wire or New York Times and are widely circulated on the web anyway. The newspaper has a free website. Our favorite paper was a local suburban one that has long since been gobbled up by the big city paper and now the really local coverage (our immediate area and schools) appears once a week.

I think news printed on paper will go away - dwindle down to a few.

[GloryB]

I've worked in the newspaper business for a few years. Everything FarNorthDallas posted is what you will hear across the country. They try to cut cost by getting rid of the local editorial staff, the paper is smaller because ink is so expensive, much of the paper is only ads, customer service is in Manilla and MOST local papers are owned by big conglomerates who could care less that they are ruining the local paper as long as they are making money.

Still, lots of people really love getting newspaper delivery. We have the highest circulation in Florida....but we have to work hard at it. The future plan was to put it in a format to download daily on a Kindle so it read like a newspaper (turning pages/being interactive/zooming in) without feeling or looking like a website. It is pretty impressive to see it....but the product isn't available on the market at this time.

Other than the kindle or any other similar device....I think newspapers will be dead after this decade.

[BigSwede]

I hope newspapers are making a comeback.
I don't read much news on the Internet.
Generally all news media has gotten a lot worse the last decade, at least here in Sweden.

[Nomadic9460678748]

Originally Posted by FarNorthDallas

We have a subscription to our local paper, but the quality has gotten so bad we wonder why we are paying for it and many days I never even touch it.

By quality do you mean the types of stories written, the writing itself, or perhaps a little bit of both? Perhaps something else entirely?

It's now $30 month. So many of the stories are from the wire or New York Times and are widely circulated on the web anyway. The newspaper has a free website.

As much as I don't hasten to admit it, this is precisely how I feel about the newspaper where I live. And the stories and editorials concerning local events tend to be cheesy human interest pieces or self-congratulatory filler. Not really my cup of tea. I glance at the newspapers web site, but I find myself really turned off by the idiotic, anonymous comments left by people who often frequent the site.

Our favorite paper was a local suburban one that has long since been gobbled up by the big city paper and now the really local coverage (our immediate area and schools) appears once a week.

Was it free, your local suburban paper?

I think news printed on paper will go away - dwindle down to a few.

It appears that way . . .

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[Nomadic9460678748]

Originally Posted by GloryB

I've worked in the newspaper business for a few years. Everything FarNorthDallas posted is what you will hear across the country. They try to cut cost by getting rid of the local editorial staff, the paper is smaller because ink is so expensive, much of the paper is only ads, customer service is in Manilla and MOST local papers are owned by big conglomerates who could care less that they are ruining the local paper as long as they are making money.

Do you think blogs are filling this void? Arguably, it's no substitute for well-researched, source-filled journalism, but there are many people who swear by local web sites and claim they get good news coverage from some places (SFist, Gothamist, for example?). It's funny, a few of the articles I've read have talked about how at the other end of the spectrum is the elimination of foreign bureaus at big papers by The New York Times and Washington Post and how such elisions are having drastic impacts on these papers' ability to provide far-reaching, critical news stories, as had usually been their claim to fame.


Still, lots of people really love getting newspaper delivery. We have the highest circulation in Florida....but we have to work hard at it.

Please pardon my ignorance (if I make myself appear as much), but do you think that your success has anything to do with the demographics of your subscribers? In other words, are they older, and thus more likely to seek out traditional newspapers? I know nothing of Florida except that space shuttles are launched from there, Mickey Mouse calls it home, and it's supposedly a place where people go to retire, so please pardon me if I am generalizing.

The future plan was to put it in a format to download daily on a Kindle so it read like a newspaper (turning pages/being interactive/zooming in) without feeling or looking like a website. It is pretty impressive to see it....but the product isn't available on the market at this time.

Other than the kindle or any other similar device....I think newspapers will be dead after this decade.

Sadly, I think you're right. I'm just wondering what impact it will have on us as citizens, learners, and democratic participants. I'm curious about how it could potentially impact the level of informed engagement citizens exhibit.

It's strange, but in addition to my concerns about how such a demise would impact us from a civic standpoint, I am somewhat saddened by the potential end of the newspaper from a purely nostalgiac point of view. My job (which pretty much sucks with the exception of a few cool moments that last like a nano-second) just received some of Walter Cronkite's archives and there were boxes and boxes of old newspaper clippings he'd collected throughout the course of his career. I enjoyed going through some of the boxes for a tiny glimpse into his way of approaching news. I'll miss the idea of that happening in the future as fewer and fewer seemed inclined to such things.

Plus I see movies like The Philadelphia Story and All the President's Men and think to myself, wow, that must have been an exciting time to be a journalist.

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[Nomadic9460678748]

Originally Posted by BigSwede

I hope newspapers are making a comeback.
I don't read much news on the Internet.
Generally all news media has gotten a lot worse the last decade, at least here in Sweden.

I wish this were the case . . . but I think the majority of evidence is pointing in the opposite direction.

I'm finding that in order to really feel informed I have to work harder to obtain critical, intelligent news. I think it's still possible, but unfortunately it's not nearly as accessible as it probably once was.