The newspaper
is a source of information as old as America itself. Transcending defining
events such as wars, economic booms and depressions, and presidential elections,
the newspaper has given society a wealth of information that, even today, is
still considered reliable. Throughout time, society has found a way to
repurpose the newspaper to their liking. Whether it be Samuel Adams, the
radical journalist from colonial Massachusetts, using the newspaper to rally
society against the unjust British government, cartoonists satirically drawing
current events in order to highlight a different perspective, or journalists
simply updating the general public on the success of the local carnival,
society has made the newspaper a source of information that favors the interest
of many different people.
Starting
with the "Penny Press" era, the newspaper became America's first form
of mass communication. As told by the historical perspective on
newspapers by cybercollege, by 1835 newspapers were becoming one of the
most easily available forms of information priced at only one-cent a copy. It
was around this time that some of the present-day newspapers also started up (The Chicago Tribune in 1847, The New York
Times in 1851). During the Civil War, the need for newspapers, and
information in general became apparent. Society was hungry for information
regarding the war, and the newspapers became the best form of nourishment. As
newspapers became more and more numerous, instances emerged questioning the
legality of specific publications such as the Pentagon Papers. Regardless, society
has continually fought for our freedom of the press and our justice system has upheld
the First Amendment properly. Cases such as New York Times Co. v. United States
(more info on http://www.infoplease.com/us/supreme-court/cases/ar25.html)
and New York Times v. Sullivan (more info on http://www.oyez.org/cases/1960-1969/1963/1963_39)
upheld the First Amendment and showed that society has the right to publish and
read information from others as long as it wasn't a grave danger. It truly highlights
society's want for newspapers as a form of communication and information. We
are willing to fight and defend our freedom to access the information source
that is newspapers.
That being
said, I believe it is important to recognize how important newspapers are in
society, especially in the midst of more advanced information mediums. Newspapers
represent a mass source of information updated daily and continues to live on
today, even with the technological advances of the Internet. Although
newspapers have, as of 2010, hit a new low as an information source, the article
on gigaom.com by Matthew Ingram still shows that a majority of users do not
find information found online as reliable as the good ol' black print. The
internet is filled with a plethora of information uploaded by anyone. Although
the news may be relevant, it may not be as legitimate and true as compared to
the journalists who are actually reporting about the incident. With that being
said, I believe society, even with technology continually growing, will keep
the newspaper around forever. It is a form of information that is still read by
74% of the general US population of adults (more information here at http://www.marketingcharts.com/print/74-of-americans-still-read-newspapers-11117/),
and has catered to information searchers of many levels. World news, local
news, sports news, and even school and college based newspapers, all represent
a form of information made by society for society, and it will never get old,
both figuratively and literally (new ones are printed everyday)!
Further
reading:
Legitimate
newspapers archived online! A database of newspapers that could be searchable
by date, event or content, a possible new database?
http://www.old-newspaper-articles.com/
Sources:
http://www.cybercollege.com/frtv/newsp2.htm
http://www.infoplease.com/us/supreme-court/cases/ar25.html
http://www.oyez.org/cases/1960-1969/1963/1963_39
http://gigaom.com/2010/07/27/newspapers-hit-new-low-as-an-information-source/
http://www.marketingcharts.com/print/74-of-americans-still-read-newspapers-11117/
http://www.historicpages.com/nprhist.htm
Sources:
http://www.cybercollege.com/frtv/newsp2.htm
http://www.infoplease.com/us/supreme-court/cases/ar25.html
http://www.oyez.org/cases/1960-1969/1963/1963_39
http://gigaom.com/2010/07/27/newspapers-hit-new-low-as-an-information-source/
http://www.marketingcharts.com/print/74-of-americans-still-read-newspapers-11117/
http://www.historicpages.com/nprhist.htm
When I read over the title and first started reading your blog, I assumed that I already knew how it was going to end. I assumed that you would predict the decline of the newspaper due to the rise of Internet news. I found in interesting then, that in the section with your personal opinions, you took the opposite stance and supported the idea that newspapers will continue to thrive. I typically don't hear about too many people believing in the survival of the newspaper, especially after I came across this blog a couple of years ago: http://newspaperdeathwatch.com/about-2/
ReplyDeleteThe site is rather interesting, as it chronicles the change and decline of newspapers over time since 2007. The author, as you can read in the intro article that I linked to, is a firm supporter of the press, but outlines specific details about the newspaper business that will not allow it to survive. I am not personally an avid supporter of newspapers, but I do think that it is said that an industry so integral in America's development as a country and society, is predicted to become extinct.
However, I do think that you are on to something with the online archive of newspapers. There may be a way to keep hope alive, at least in online spirit, after all.