Response to “In Favor Of Newsprint”

The newspaper was a beacon of thought and analysis. It stimulated cognition and positive skepticism about the country’s affairs, it called forth respect. Nowadays, together with other mass media, it evokes cynicism. The newspaper’s big business affiliation, sensationalistic approach, and distortion of facts alienate readers.

The rise of popularity of online news is natural. This medium places a reader in charge of gathering and, most importantly, verifying the information. A variety of online sources soundly beats a single paper subscription. Allesha questions accuracy of online news, and thinks the print has better chances of speaking the truth - I disagree.

First of all, most newspapers converge and integrate in the online sources (if they want to survive). Therefore, the same principles and journalistic conventions will carry on. Secondly, are we absolutely sure that the newspapers nowadays present readers with accurate and credible information? I really doubt it, and here are some examples.

How about the two articles by Brian Thevenot about the Hurricane Katrina, which we have read during this class (click for "10000 bodies,” click for “Myth Making”)? It is a paper print, but can it be called credible and accurate? Thevenot misrepresents and misinterprets facts in the first piece and then goes on and on in his never-ending story about myth making feeding us his excuses! Moreover, his explanation article has come out more than a year later!

Now imagine how much paper, ink, and electricity this reporter has used to engage readers in this piece of garbage. If such text appears online, I bet anyone will spend less than an hour to verify this information through alternative sources.

Here is another example - Reuters News publishing fake photos (warning – graphic images) of civilian victims in Gori, Georgia during the Georgian-Russian war in August 2008. The same man is depicted in different poses and non-related settings several times (read about and see more flaws). Such junk has been published in the accredited papers all around the world...

Considering the situation the newspapers are currently in, it is amazing how they steadily hasten self-destruction making such mistakes. It obviously doesn’t improve their image, and neither does it evoke compassion to their destiny. Diversified information attainable in the shortest period of time through multiple sources is the key to balance out credibility and accuracy in a modern world.

We Don’t Need No Water, Let the Printed Paper Burn!

What news form would you prefer: a bulky bundle of cellulose, slipping through your itchy inky fingertips and scattering around, or a slick and slim Smartphone with multiple applications?

If you choose the latter, you succumb to convenience, mobility, and common sense. If you choose the former, dear Luddite, you are on a way to a big disappointment. I’ve heard the demise of the newspaper is coming! Ha! The print is already dead, long live the internet!

Its spread has stimulated instantaneous delivery of free news: a matter of timeliness is no longer the matter. Online news is more efficient: absence of paper and ink saves electricity and labor. Welcome to economic equilibrium! Besides, according to The New Yorker, the dwindling number of Americans, who still buy and read a daily paper, spends less than fifteen hours per month with it. Read more by Eric Alterman.

But, will we jeopardize accuracy and credibility of information by succumbing to a quicker access? Not at all. There are numerous examples of newspapers’ articles being subjective and biased, or, how they like to say, shaped by a cultural context (e.g. the article by Brian Thevenot on the Hurricane Katrina).

I’d say the current status quo on the issue of accuracy and credibility will remain. Furthermore, there is a possibility for improvement: online readers have broader and quicker access to alternative sources to verify information. Credibility, along with readers, will follow the most accurate portal. This tendency may help rule out vegetative consumption of news, it will actively engage and educate people on being responsible citizens.

We need to pay tribute to the newspaper, though. Over two centuries, it has evolved from a mere advertising booklet for the elites to a microscopic tool of democratic scrutinizing and interrogating the power. It has served the society well, until it has developed into a quasi-capitalistic slot machine. As soon as it’s gone public to generate groundless dividends on the-house-of-cards shares, it’s been doomed.

Excessive borrowing has been digging the ditch, in which the newspaper’s been ready to fall, once the market calls all debts (Read more by Marc Eisen). After all, it’s not just internet that killed the newspaper... Stijn sings: “All the paper souls are ready to go… up in the flames.” So, let it burn.