About Paper
Do we still need newspapers? When you turned your computer on this morning at work to check your Yahoo, did you look at the thirty to fifty articles posted on the homepage before you logged in? In this day and age, one can ask the question, “Do we still need newspapers?” And after reading, “Yes, Newspapers Are Doomed”, by Gary S. Becker, the end of the newspaper era is coming to an end.
“A telling fact is that young people today do not read general newspapers, whereas they did in the past.” (Becker, 536) Growing up newspapers, were everywhere I went. Every Sunday my parents would wake up early to hit the stores to get the Sunday paper before they were captured by the masses; but times have changed. Over the past ten years, I have seen two of my own local newspapers due and according to Becker; even the major newspapers are stumbling across financial problems, such as the Wall Street Journal and Chicago Tribune. Becker also states that the general-purpose newspapers have been declining in cities because of the growth of multimedia. (Becker, 536)
The Internet has been a major contributor to the death of newspapers over the years. With the internet, the latest news is readily available whether it is sports, international news, or the weather. Have you ever heard of Craigslist? Craigslist.com is practically the replacement of classified ads section of the newspaper. And with weather.com and espn.com, there is no need to read the sports section or to get your weekly weather forecast from the paper.
In an attempt to save the newspaper industry, many have begun to offer an online version with the option to print. But according to Becker, the traditional newspaper does not readily fit into this format, and that they are essentially losing money in their efforts.(Becker, 537) If newspapers were able to convert and adapt with this wave of multimedia, hypothetically speaking, would that help newspapers at all? Wouldn’t it just be cheaper to fire the staff at
“A telling fact is that young people today do not read general newspapers, whereas they did in the past.” (Becker, 536) Growing up newspapers, were everywhere I went. Every Sunday my parents would wake up early to hit the stores to get the Sunday paper before they were captured by the masses; but times have changed. Over the past ten years, I have seen two of my own local newspapers due and according to Becker; even the major newspapers are stumbling across financial problems, such as the Wall Street Journal and Chicago Tribune. Becker also states that the general-purpose newspapers have been declining in cities because of the growth of multimedia. (Becker, 536)
The Internet has been a major contributor to the death of newspapers over the years. With the internet, the latest news is readily available whether it is sports, international news, or the weather. Have you ever heard of Craigslist? Craigslist.com is practically the replacement of classified ads section of the newspaper. And with weather.com and espn.com, there is no need to read the sports section or to get your weekly weather forecast from the paper.
In an attempt to save the newspaper industry, many have begun to offer an online version with the option to print. But according to Becker, the traditional newspaper does not readily fit into this format, and that they are essentially losing money in their efforts.(Becker, 537) If newspapers were able to convert and adapt with this wave of multimedia, hypothetically speaking, would that help newspapers at all? Wouldn’t it just be cheaper to fire the staff at