Internet news is growing at a rapid pace and newspapers are in decline. It’s the result of the economic collapse and advertising budgets being cut. Let’s face it, advertising is what paid the bills for the hundreds of newspapers that have been forced to shutdown. You can’t really say it any better than this: “Craigslist ate the classified ads. eHarmomy stole the personals. Google took those tiny ads for weird products. And Macy’s can email its own damn customers to announce a sale.” When you think about it, the Internet has stolen away the money that fueled the newspaper business. It has also impacted the way people receive and interact with the news.

A typical daily newspaper story may report on something that happened the day before. Online news can report on an event moments after it has occurred, even faster than television. However, this raises concerns about accuracy and credibility. Breaking news means nothing to me if the information is vague, lacking detail, and requires me to waste my time glued to a screen, following along with the reporters as they try to figure out the details. It’s like watching somebody assemble and install a ceiling fan. Who cares? Just come get me when it’s finished. It won’t waste my time, it’ll make sense, and I’ll appreciate it.

The advantage of Internet news is speed, convenience, and it’s free. I understand that the newspaper meant something in American culture. It was a staple. It was seemingly always there. You had breakfast, a cup of orange juice, and the morning paper. You taught your dog to fetch the paper. It meant something to the community, to the nation. I get that. It’s tragic to see such a longstanding industry in decline, but I don’t see Internet news as a terrible thing.

In many ways, Internet news serves the same functions as the newspaper. Go to a website like CNN.com and you will immediately see headlines and images, much like a traditional newspaper. You can find stories in different sections through the navigation bar. Throughout your online reading, you’ll see advertisements. And many news sites will allow you to comment on a story or share it with others by linking to most popular social networking sites. At their core, these are things that you could do with a newspaper, but they’re just done differently and faster on the Internet.

I don’t like the idea of inaccuracy and lack of credibility pinning the Internet as a poor news source. I think people are smarter than that. If you got your news from the National Enquirer, then you’re probably not going to get your news from credible online sources either. People that read credible newspapers, will find credible news sources on the Internet. That’s the way I see it.

November 3, 2009
Demise of the Newspaper

Internet news is easily accessible but not favored like print news. Although that Internet news is popular among certain readers, print news has a reputation of being older and dependable. A Cnet News article explains that we live in a society where we cannot live without the Internet. It then states that 40 percent of people view news on the Internet, while the remaining 60 percent of individuals view the news in papers and television. This proves that print news is still standing strong.

The main question at hand is if Internet news is as reliable as print news. Are we getting the same information on the Internet that is shown in print news? The Pew Research Center for People & the Press explains that in 2007, 59 percent of Internet news has been inaccurate, with no straight facts. This proves Internet news is not credible. I consider it a form of entertainment for people who want to know the scoop before others. Print news is more reliable and favorable to readers in national and international news.

This is why print news is more respected. If print news disappeared, then the world wouldn't need newspapers. The well known paper such as the Wall Street Journal wouldn't be the number one print newspaper today if print news was disappearing. Print news is hear to stay, and will continue to be around for years to come.

Immediacy vs. The Newspaper

Society today reaches for immediacy because it is always at their fingertips, and by this I mean online. Sports updates, the ever-changing weather, what is happening worldwide, upcoming events, tragedies, all of which are available online. The best part? Cost-free. Quality and complete accuracy are hardly issues when immediacy takes the front seat.

Internet news has reflected print news big time in ways including timeliness and cost. People can hop online anywhere, literally. Thanks to smart phones, lap tops, Wi-Fi, and other easy ways to get on the Internet. Thus, people are easily able to get the latest breaking news anytime, at any place for free! There are even options to have updates of news or weather sent straight to you phone and applications for iPhone and Blackberry products, among others. Not to mention, anything free is appealing to people today. Getting the news cost-free as opposed to paying for each individual paper you buy, or a whole sum for a subscription seems much more alluring. This being the case, it seems to be a surprise that not more newspapers are completely out of business. The truth is, papers still get revenue to run. From where? The classifieds. People pay for space in the paper, for days at a time, and sometimes are even charged by word or line. Yet, with this becoming more prominent in the newspaper world, the newspaper regime as we have all known it is truly falling.

When it comes to time, it seems nobody has any. This is why the immediacy of online news is what makes it so popular. It used to be that everyone received the paper every morning, and that was how they knew what was going on in the world around them. With the invention of the Internet made accessible to anyone anywhere, there is no need to wait for the paper and fumble through to find what you’re looking for.

There is the question, however, of is the Internet really as full of insider information as the newspaper? The answer is debatable. From the newspaper companies, no. Most want to reward actual paper-readers in such a way that they give more in-depth or more detailed information in the paper. Also, a daily paper only prints once every 24 hours, giving the company time to get accurate information. While the internet may have more sources easily accessible at one time, the paper gives you all that you need to know in one article on your specific topic, and if the story progresses over time, the paper company has more time to investigate and get insider information. Not to mention, newspaper companies normally have long-established reputations, thus making their attention appealing to companies and people who want to get their stories out there.

With the rise and domination of the Internet, what does the newspaper even mean to our culture? Well, tradition. The paper is history every single day. It’s classic. It puts the picture of dad reading the paper while mom makes the coffee in my head. How many times has the obnoxious paperboy character appeared in books and movies? To me, it means Sunday coupons. Many companies also give incentive to newspaper readers in their coupons and discounts found only in the newspaper, unavailable online, and for a college student today, those coupons are gold.

Another thing worth mentioning, which I recently learned from my dad who has made his career in the journalism (advertising) world (so he is a credible source), is the fact that some TV and online news companies come directly from the newspaper itself. A prime example: the local news station TMJ4. Ever wonder what that stands for? The Milwaukee Journal, of course! And another: the Chicago-popular WGN? Well, run by the Chicago Tribune, also self-proclaimed as World’s Greatest Newspaper. Since his company is looking to pitch an ad campaign to MJS, we also recently had a discussion about how to get daily papers to get revenue from their online news. According to reuters.com, “Experts say the future looks grim if publishers of the country's more than 1,400 daily papers do not find a way to make money from the news they provide online.” All that we need is one newspaper to figure out how to gain from online news, and every other newspaper company can start to succeed again.

So, what’s the harm in picking up an actual paper for once? I know, I know, being in college and having to pay for one more thing is not what anyone wants or needs. I, myself, have never been much of a newspaper advocate or discriminator for that matter, but in the past year or so, I have grown a deep appreciation for the paper. Maybe it’s the tangibility that signals my brain that what I am reading is true, or it wouldn’t be there in the black and white print in my hands. Or maybe it’s just the coupons. Either way, despite the all-free, dominating Internet, I suggest you try the newspaper for a while. I think you’ll find you enjoy it, and, in the process, you may be helping the downfall of the newspaper and avoiding a regrettable loss.

Some research from http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE52F03520090316

http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091018/SPORT/710179937/1374

No Need For Newspapers When We Have Technology

The end of the newspapers has been coming for years now. People get news, sports updates, weather, live TV, and just about anything you can imagine sent to their phones or e-mail. You can find just about anything you want on the Internet, and now your phone can provide real internet.
There is no need for people to go out and purchase a paper when you can read stories online anywhere. All the future generations will be born in a technology age so why didn’t newspapers see their end? Online papers are updated every few seconds.

There is a new gadget that will allow your newspaper or magazine to appear on an electronic plastic screen called an e-reader. Whether or not these gadgets will save newspaper companies we will have to wait and see. Newspaper companies need to use technology to their benefit. They could charge for their web sites and continue to look into new products like the gadget. Many papers have raised the prices to make up for the decline in sales.

The postal system could even come to an end with the success of e-mail and instant messaging. The death of the newspapers is just the beginning. People can now use web cams to communicate with people in other countries instead of waiting days for a letter. There seems to be no need for paper with all the electronic devices we can use instead. Technology has changed the way we conduct our daily lives.
Jessica Davis

No Need For Newspapers When We Have Technology

The end of the newspapers has been coming for years now. People get news, sports updates, weather, live TV, and just about anything you can imagine sent to their phones or e-mail. You can find just about anything you want on the Internet, and now your phone can provide real internet.
There is no need for people to go out and purchase a paper when you can read stories online anywhere. All the future generations will be born in a technology age so why didn’t newspapers see their end? Online papers are updated every few seconds.

There is a new gadget that will allow your newspaper or magazine to appear on an electronic plastic screen called an e-reader. Whether or not these gadgets will save newspaper companies we will have to wait and see. Newspaper companies need to use technology to their benefit. They could charge for their web sites and continue to look into new products like the gadget. Many papers have raised the prices to make up for the decline in sales.

The postal system could even come to an end with the success of e-mail and instant messaging. The death of the newspapers is just the beginning. People can now use web cams to communicate with people in other countries instead of waiting days for a letter. There seems to be no need for paper with all the electronic devices we can use instead. Technology has changed the way we conduct our daily lives.
Jessica Davis

Imaginary News

For the past few years, the Internet has been my only source of news, except for the occasional issue of The Onion that I pick up at the Union. I canceled my subscription to the Sunday edition of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel after they stopped including a TV guide. As media analysts across the country are noticing, this trend of putting down the paper is increasing rapidly. Shira Ovide of The Wall Street Journal notes that almost two-thirds of the nation’s top 25 papers’ circulation shrank at least 10% since September 30. It’s undeniable that Internet news is faster and more convenient for most readers, but at what price does our convenience come?

Websites like Twitter and CNN.com are high traffic websites that break and update many important news stories. The speed at which the news is broken on these sites, however, leaves a lot of room for error. CNN.com is assumed to be a responsible news website that fact checks stories before they are published on the Internet. Therefore, when CNN published a story on September 11, 2009 that the nation was under attack, the nation briefly panicked. Unfortunately for CNN, the alleged attack we were under was actually a US Coast Guard drill. CBS news was quick to critique CNN’s faux pas. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs even commented on this situation, stating that before reporting terrorism attacks checking facts would be useful.

If a major media contributor like CNN can mistakenly report a terrorist attack, the credibility of Internet news is questionable. Blogger Jeremy Pointer notes that today’s news providers are more concerned with being first than being right. Print stories run through strict editing and fact checking, while Internet news sources post news rapidly, doing fact checking and alterations after the original posting. Print stories and newspapers have the pressure to create a completely accurate story since edits cannot be made as easily. Pointer states that only 29% of Americans believe that news organizations get facts straight. In 1955, that rate was 26% higher.

Although detrimental things like fake terrorism don’t usually slip by editors, it leads the mind to wonder what other factual errors exist on highly reputable news websites. With small errors in reporting, citizens can easily form opinions from imaginary facts. Although print journalism isn’t perfect, the American people trusted journalism more when they could hold it in their hands. While the speed of today’s news is wonderful, there’s something very romantic about the credibility of old-fashioned newspapers. Perhaps I’m outdated, but I would rather read the news the morning after and know the truth rather than live in a state of panic while pressing my browser’s ‘refresh’ button repeatedly.

With huge mistakes such as CNN’s, I question the fate of the media as well. Between CNN stating the nation was under attack and Twitter telling me that Jeff Goldblum died, my heart’s endured more false trauma than necessary this year. Perhaps I’ll subscribe to the Journal Sentinel once more.

Newspapers decline equals democracy's death?

It seems almost humorous to me when I stumbled upon an article that started with the bold statement of “If print newspapers disappear, it will be a fundamental threat to our democracy.” My immediate response was a roll of the eyes followed by a huge grin on my face. Do people really believe that the newspaper is a precondition of our democracy?
I believe that the newspaper is not a precondition to our democracy, however free speech is. This is why it is free speech that is protected by the constitution. In fact free speech is so important that it provides for powerful new mediums such as the internet to coexist with the newspaper. The internet offers its own democratic ways of portraying, analyzing, and debating topics that are relevant and important in today’s society. Although the internet can often seem messy and far from perfect… lets me real, so is democracy.
How is having a few major media outlets deciding “what is news” democratic, or even positive for our democracy? The newspaper isn’t about spreading free speech, it’s about limiting it to the views and opinions of what editors deem as news worthy. Martin Moore, a fellow blogger agrees that there are many more voices in America that deserve to be heard other then Ivy League editors and journalistic writers.http://http//mediastandardstrust.blogspot.com/2009/03/does-loss-of-local-newspapers-favour.html
People are often viewed as less civically engaged if they digest their news online, specifically our youth culture. In fact young people, in particular, are more inclined to get their news from the internet. According to Pew, only 27% of those born after 1976 read newspapers, as opposed to 55% of those born prior to 1946.http://people-press.org/reports/pdf/300.pdf
This is far from the truth. There have been other developments that have given rise to a more “popularized” political optimism. The internet is surrounded by a diverse and booming amount of knowledgeable information. In fact the internet has only strengthened our civic engagement by opening us up to a variety of new topics and ideas.

-Allison Byrne