Will Richardson has written a nostalgic piece on print media, journalism and the relentless march of new media. I commented on his post and I felt, “What the heck?” and I have repeated my comments here.
I will miss the print editions of my favourite newspapers. I will not miss the local rag. Melancholy will be the order of the day in the likely event that the print editions of the Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian become extinct.
I enjoy sitting down to read the newspaper. It is tactile. Tangible. Turning a page determines what I will read and which photographs I will view. It is quite linear and ordered and requires little or no thinking and/or decision making on my part. I can get ‘lost’ in a broadsheet paper. The moment takes me “away”. Reading the stories, the readers’ letters, the political cartoons and the comics follows a progression that is seemingly innate.
In comparison reading the same newspaper online is nowhere near as pleasant. Which link to follow? Which section to scan? Where is the editorial? Where are the political cartoons? I cannot get lost in the moment. Too many distractions online and on the computer. I must concede that links to earlier letters to the editor and related information are indeed useful.
New media is here to stay of course. Perhaps limited print runs of newspapers will be continued for diehards such as myself.
I find reading the real newspaper to be relaxing and an effective way to de-stress. It is so good sharing the Saturday morning newspaper and its supplements with my wife as we lounge together in the living room with a cup of coffee and some breakfast.
November 2nd, 2008 at 11:08 pm
I agree with everything you say. I would find it very hard to part with The Globe and Mail, Canada’s national newspaper. It’s not the same reading it online.
With the American campaign and election on Tuesday I wonder how many get the overview with the short sound bites and concise overview. Where is the depth of analysis and the cogent evaluation?
I am surprised when I poll my students about how they prefer to get their news, and it’s not the newspaper. Educators are needed more than ever to resist the tide of a visual, jolt orientated world.