When’s the
last time you had a newspaper delivered to your door and read it from the front
page all the way through the classified ads?
When’s the last time you clicked on a Facebook link to read a quick 200
word article your friend ranted and raved about? You’ve probably read an online article more
recently than an entire newspaper.
That’s one
of the main reasons you’ve been seeing less newspapers around.
What about
those sweet classified ads, though? How
are you going to find that one thing you were looking for? Easy, look it up on Craigslist or Ebay.
With the
internet filling in some of the staples that were previously satisfied by
newspapers, newsprint isn’t such a big deal anymore. Magazines are able to stay afloat because they’re
able to adapt to the new needs and digitize.
Is this the
end for all newspapers?
The answer
to that is not completely. Newspapers will
continue to be on the highly endangered list, but they’re not completely out
for the count.
Giants in
the industry, like the New York Times, will continue to struggle until they’ve
exhausted all of their resources. However,
the underdog will survive in the newspaper industry. Even though small towns have internet too,
they heavily rely on their local newspapers for local events.
My family,
for instance, still subscribes to our local newspaper so they can stay on top
of the obituaries to see who all is dying.
A bit morbid, but it’s a legitimate sector that is keeping small
newspapers alive.
Although the
internet may have killed the giants, like in the day of the dinosaurs, the
little guys will stay alive long enough to hopefully evolve and adapt to a
changing world.
I agree that the little guys are here to stay. I'm from a small town and I know that one of the main sources of information for many people in town is the newspaper. It not only provides news, but I think the big thing it provides is a sense of community. The New York Times doesn't need to provide that sort of thing, nor is it trying to. But for small towns, perhaps the big events coming up really do bring the whole town together. It's a bigger deal when something small happens, and everyone is talking about it. I definitely see how the big newspapers are in trouble, with pretty much everything being online. But I hope you're right about the little guys, because I think they provide much more than big news.
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