Author Topic: Will you miss newspapers when they're gone? (Read 51,913 times)

zridling · « **on:** March 05, 2010, 07:52 PM »

Not me. Even other icons such as high school yearbooks are disappearing in favor of permanent Facebook pages.
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app103 · « **Reply #1 on:** March 05, 2010, 08:00 PM »

The only part I will really miss is the coupon section in the Sunday paper.

And Facebook is not a substitute for a high school yearbook.

Yearbooks are frozen in time and that is their appeal. A Facebook account changes as you change the display pic, update info, post status updates. There is nothing permanent about it, at all.

And I have never seen a high school yearbook that advertised and allowed your friends to pester you with Mafia Wars, day after day.

majorspacecase · « **Reply #2 on:** March 05, 2010, 08:26 PM »

I gave up on newspapers back in 97.

The first job I had after getting out of the service was in the research dept. of a "for sale by owner" multiple listing service.

Each week we'd go through the classified sections of 150 newspapers, looking for certain high value items (homes, cars, horses, etc.), which the sales staff would call to get them to use the service.

At the end of each day I'd have newsprint from elbow to fingertips and I couldn't tell you how many shirts ruined. After that I'll rarely even glance at a newspaper let alone actually pick one up.

40hz · « **Reply #3 on:** March 05, 2010, 08:30 PM »

I will.

I'll miss being able to cite something "as reported" and not worry about changes being made after the fact.

The NYT itself (the so-called "Paper of Record") has been found to have made changes to articles in its online edition without notice being given to the reader.

(For those who don't see the problem in that, go read George Orwell's classic 1984. "Those who control the past, control the future.")

(Unless, of course, the only copy you ever "owned" was on your Kindle!

)

TucknDar · « **Reply #4 on:** March 05, 2010, 09:14 PM »

I'll miss it too, and I'm not sure it'll disappear for quite a while, tbh. I usually wake up early, even in the weekends, and the mornings just wouldn't be the same without a cup of freshly made coffee and real paper newspaper. I obviously love everything about computers, but I can't really see the screen ever replacing newspapers and at least not books! Paper rules!

Stoic Joker · « **Reply #5 on:** March 05, 2010, 09:31 PM »

What's a News Paper..?

The wife likes reading the Sunday paper (Damn-if-I-know-why) ...I just read the comics.

ljbirns · « **Reply #6 on:** March 06, 2010, 01:02 AM »

Online is no substitute for an actual newspaper while sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee ( well several cups )

I get 3 newspapers every day delivered plus I read two on online editions at various time during the day.

JavaJones · « **Reply #7 on:** March 06, 2010, 02:50 AM »

This is probably going to sound horribly ignorant, but honestly I'm not a big fan of "news" in general. I feel like I get the important stuff filtered to me through friends and other personal contact (e.g. "It's so sad about that earthquake in Chile"), and I don't mind seeming a bit out of touch when I haven't heard of whatever momentous event they're talking about. Meanwhile the vast majority of news is just sad, depressing, sensationalist, crappy. I read articles - whether magazine, (occasionally) newspaper, or otherwise - pretty much all online, and I get lots of political and other email in my inbox, so I'm not exactly woefully uninformed. I just don't like hearing the breathless, up-to-the-minute latest tragedy or murder or stock market crash info. Doesn't really seem to do me any good.

So will I miss newspapers? No. But yearbooks? I'll tell you, I was never really a huge fan of them when I was in school, but looking back I'm glad they exist, and I agree a Facebook page is no substitute, nor even a normal website. It's harder to "sign" a website (guestbook functionality or comments isn't really a substitute). Even stuff like someone writing a stupid joke and drawing an arrow to someone in your book is worthwhile IMO, not to mention their handwriting or other drawing, and you can't really duplicate that online. So I'd rather not see yearbooks go away. Perhaps there will be a reasonable technological solution (when we all have iPads and can just "write" onto a "live" PDF? Heh), but for now I see them as less dispensable than newspaper for sure.

- Oshyan

40hz · « **Reply #8 on:** March 06, 2010, 06:52 PM »

It just occurred to me that the cost of owning a gerbil or parakeet will go up sharply once there are no more newspapers.

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Tuxman · « **Reply #9 on:** March 06, 2010, 06:53 PM »

Daily newspapers are, basically, pointless when you have internet, but weekly magazines are still important.

40hz · « **Reply #10 on:** March 06, 2010, 06:55 PM »

Quote from: Tuxman on March 06, 2010, 06:53 PM

Daily newspapers are, basically, pointless when you have internet, but weekly magazines are still important.

Interesting. Especially when you consider about 90% of what's up on the Internet is basically pointless.

40hz · « **Reply #11 on:** March 06, 2010, 07:03 PM »

Quote from: Tuxman on March 06, 2010, 06:58 PM

Subscribe to good RSS feeds, not to bullshit.

I do. That accounts for most of the 10% I don't consider pointless.

(Nice language BTW. Really gets your point across.)

Josh · « **Reply #12 on:** March 06, 2010, 07:06 PM »

Tuxman, I agree with 40hz. This is again yet another example of what I describe as "trollish" or "Fanboyish" style posting. This post is being removed.

Tuxman · « **Reply #13 on:** March 06, 2010, 07:06 PM »

I find it appropriate.

(EDIT: Josh, ehm, WTF? What was "fanboyish" here? Fanboy of what?!)

My feed reader is currently watching dozens of weblogs, three German news magazines and some more. A good configuration for being informed, I think.

Deozaan · « **Reply #14 on:** March 06, 2010, 08:28 PM »

My wife currently gets the newspaper "second-hand" from our neighbor once she's finished with it. She pages through it to find coupons and hands me the comics page.

Every now and then an article will catch my eye and I'll read it, but I probably get my hair cut more often than I read the newspaper.

ljbirns · « **Reply #15 on:** March 07, 2010, 01:30 AM »

Quote

Daily newspapers are, basically, pointless when you have internet, but weekly magazines are still important. smiley

The trouble with the magazines is by the time you get them what's in them is ancient history. Even tomorrow's newspaper has basically ' old " news.

MilesAhead · « **Reply #16 on:** March 07, 2010, 01:48 AM »

@ljbirns I went through a "news junky" phase when the major newspapers all started putting out online editions. I was regularly reading a dozen or more U.S. newspapers online and maybe 12 or 18 more around the world. This dude bangs on my door and tries to interest me in a freebie promotion for the local paper which also has an online edition. He says "but we'll give it to you free for 6 weeks!" I said, "Man I woudn't take it if you paid me!!! I don't want to haul out all that recycle every week!" I tried to tell the guy I read his paper online everyday. He just didn't get it.

But there is something to be said for hard copy. Prolly the only reason I subscribe to TV Guide is I don't have a terminal in the john like the kid in Max Headroom.

@JavaJones I'm with you. I'm done with my "news junky" phase. I find my disposition much improved since I'm not constantly bombarded with the latest tally of slayings, rapes, celebrity scandals, natural and unnatural disasters, stock market disasters and yadda yadda. It's not like I could do anything about them. There may be too much carbon dioxide, but I really can't hold my breath for more than a minute anyway!!! Jeez!!!

ljbirns · « **Reply #17 on:** March 07, 2010, 02:01 AM »

As I said in my previous post I get three newspapers delivered every day - I like the hard copy with my coffee. But at least half of what I read on Tuesday in the newspaper I already read online on Monday.

mouser · « **Reply #18 on:** March 07, 2010, 02:32 AM »

I'm one of those people that would 100x rather read something in print, while im walking around, than have to sit in front of pc and read it off the screen. for me it's just a completely different experience. plus i like to write comments on whatever i'm reading in red ink, makes me feel superior.

however, in last few years, as i've grown disenchanted with the establishment newspapers, i get more and more of my news from bloggers and then from selective newspaper articles online.

so i guess for me, i miss the idealized fantasy of a good newspaper to read every day.. but i don't miss the actual loss of the actual newspapers of record.

MilesAhead · « **Reply #19 on:** March 07, 2010, 02:46 AM »

Quote from: mouser on March 07, 2010, 02:32 AM

so i guess for me, i miss the idealized fantasy of a good newspaper to read every day.. but i don't miss the actual loss of the actual newspapers of record.

Since Art Buchwald died, it just ain't the same.

app103 · « **Reply #20 on:** March 07, 2010, 08:12 AM »

Their is a problem with getting your news, second hand, from friends, co-workers, and neighbors (word of mouth)...

They always throw their own spin on it and I have come to the conclusion that my husband only knows crackpots, with the "news" he comes home with...and some recent email forwards to me from someone he is very good friends with, confirms it.

Be really careful where you get your news from, even when it's in print. Do a little research and either find and read all the different opposing views, or at the very least find a good source of objective news (nearly impossible, these days).

ZPuskas · « **Reply #21 on:** March 09, 2010, 12:06 AM »

The short answer, "Yes".

Darwin · « **Reply #22 on:** March 09, 2010, 12:18 AM »

Absolutely! I love the weekend editions particularly.

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #23 on:** March 09, 2010, 12:23 AM »

Quote from: app103 on March 07, 2010, 08:12 AM

They always throw their own spin on it and I have come to the conclusion that my husband only knows crackpots

Have you read ANY newspaper recently - they are all written by crackpots with an axe to grind over something.

In the case of UK papers the so called 'serious' papers just toady up to one party line or another and the other newspapers just print comics for adults with lots of breasts and talk about celebrities (who are often only celebrities because they bared all in one of the tabloids).

What strikes me as most strange is that the political allegiances of the 'serious' papers are far more extremely differentiated than the political parties' policies they appear to be supporting.

johnk · « **Reply #24 on:** March 09, 2010, 01:23 AM »

As someone who spent the best part of 20 years as a local newspaper journalist in the UK (and seven of those as an editor), I'm bound to have a skewed view. But it's worth making a few points.

On one level, the question isn't so much "will you miss newspapers" as "will you miss professional journalism". Paper is just one vehicle for the content journalists gather.

The problem is that very few newspapers around the world have found a way to make online newspapers pay. In the same way that so many young people think they should get music for nothing, many also feel online newspapers should be free.

Well, running newspapers is a very costly business, wherever the content ends up. Back when I started as a young reporter, the local paper I worked for had a team of about 30 journalists. Every meeting of the local councils, all their committees and sub-committees, were covered by journalists. The councillors were spending millions of pounds of our money, and they had to be held accountable.

But people have stopped buying local newspapers, and the online versions don't make enough profit to fund proper journalism. So now, the vast majority of these council meetings go uncovered, all across the UK. The councillors must be delighted. Countless wasteful decisions will go unreported. And taxpayers will be worse off for it. Blogs and "citizen journalism" are no substitute for well-financed newspapers providing funds for professional investigative journalism (and funds to fight the legal battles that often follow). Maybe spending 50p on a local paper was worth it after all.

Quote from: Carol Haynes on March 09, 2010, 12:23 AM

Have you read ANY newspaper recently - they are all written by crackpots with an axe to grind over something.

In the case of UK papers the so called 'serious' papers just toady up to one party line or another and the other newspapers just print comics for adults with lots of breasts and talk about celebrities (who are often only celebrities because they bared all in one of the tabloids).

What strikes me as most strange is that the political allegiances of the 'serious' papers are far more extremely differentiated than the political parties' policies they appear to be supporting.

Sorry, Carol, I have to pull you up on this. While you may have a point about the "comics" (although it's a lot more complicated than that), the serious UK national newspapers provide a quality of news journalism that has few serious rivals around the world. Yes, papers have publicly-stated political preferences -- it's an odd British tradition -- but that does not prevent journalists doing their job. I may not agree with the political leanings of the Daily Telegraph, but it does not stop me acknowledging the excellence of their news pages. Generally they are comprehensive, well balanced and authoritative. They save most of the politicized rants for the feature pages. And that's as it should be.