By Amanda C. Thompson
With many newspapers waving goodbye to paper and hailing an era of virtual reporting, the world of journalism stands at a crossroads. Some readers are disconcerted, but many welcome the possibilities offered by online journalism.
One cannot deny the convenience of Internet-based newspapers. “I get my news online because it’s easy and quick,” said Jessica DeVivo, a student at Gordon College.
Additionally, virtual publications mean writers can adhere to the journalistic ideal of timeliness in a way that was never possible before, and they can cater to an audience that thrives on immediacy.
But traditionalists aren’t convinced. Maggie Lafferty, another Gordon student, said, “print is better!” She added, though, that she appreciates the accessibility of paperless journalism. While attending school in Massachusetts, she can keep up with events at home in Pennsylvania because her local paper, the Lancaster Mariner, is available online.
The Gordon College newspaper, The Tartan, is going exclusively online for the first time this fall. Many students are not aware of the change and expect to find a stack of printed Tartans in their usual place at the bottom of the stairs in the dining hall.
One of these students is Chelsea Lucas, a junior at the college. When she heard the Tartan was going online, her immediate response was, “I don’t like it.” She explained that she only read the paper if she found it lying around. Now she probably won’t read it at all.
Lucas speculates that updates sent by e-mail will end up in virtual recycling bins amid daily Student News posts from the Center for Educational Technologies (CET). The Tartan’s best hope, she said, is to include lots of features on the homepage alongside sports updates so non- athletes will have a reason to keep reading.
But she’d still prefer a hard copy.
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What do you think about it? I think online journalism is the way of the future and should be embraced. Technology can only get better. Plus it saves paper, the environment, and a lot of costs for the company. In a few generations hardcopy newspapers probably wont exist.
ReplyDeleteI think it's got its pros and cons. I personally am a purist - I buy all my CDs in hard copy and love the feel of a book/magazine/newspaper in my hands - but I'm also an environmentalist. So I could argue for both sides.
ReplyDeleteI think you're right that online journalism is the way of the future and that most national and international news will be distributed that way rather than in print (television could be a different story). But my journalism prof said local news is the future of print journalism, and I hope she's right. It would be a tragedy to lose the tangibility of a news PAPER. It's nice to cut out clippings of things that are important to you. Fifty years down the road it will be like holding a little piece of history in your hands, and with online journalism that simply won't be possible.
I myself love a good old fashioned newspaper. However, I find that I am more often than not reading online news at nyt.com and cnn.com.
ReplyDeleteI have a funny feeling that newspapers are going to evolve to niche markets, and mainstream news will become exclusively online.
Our school principal came out of the store with a newspaper and said something to him like "You still buy those old things?" He responded that he likes that it just feels right to have a newspaper in his hands.
ReplyDeleteI say THANK GOD for the internet! We have so many more options now. We don't just have to read the local newspaper. We can get different views from anyone, anywhere.
I figure that not buying the newspaper actually pays for my Internet LOL. .50 a day X 6 days plus the $2 for the Sunday paper and that is $5 a week X 4 weeks is $20.