Feb 25, 2009 3:05pm
World Newser’s Question Of The Day: Life Without Newspapers
EmailThe San Francisco Chronicle — desperate for a financial saviour. The Philadelphia Inquirer — filing for bankruptcy. The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post — all losing money. So here’s the question of the day: Could you do without newspapers? Would you pay more to keep them? What will be lost — if newspapers fail?
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Who needs the actual paper, read it online…the only reason I get a newspaper is on Sun for the coupons.
Posted by: samhiguchi | February 25, 2009, 3:25 pm 3:25 pm
Trees everywhere would rejoice!
Posted by: Deep Release | February 25, 2009, 3:31 pm 3:31 pm
“Could you do without newspapers?” – ABC News
Yes
“Would you pay more to keep them?” – ABC News
No
“What will be lost — if newspapers fail?” – ABC News
Nothing much, we will all adapt using the internet to get the info we want and need.
Posted by: Noz | February 25, 2009, 3:31 pm 3:31 pm
If news papers would actually print the news,instead of propaganda,they may do better.
Posted by: Dale Drebus | February 25, 2009, 3:32 pm 3:32 pm
I think newspapers will disappear for the most part. How about making that junk mail I get disappear too.
Posted by: Huh | February 25, 2009, 3:34 pm 3:34 pm
Gosh, what would we start our fires with? That is all we use a newspaper for.
Posted by: Don't Get It | February 25, 2009, 3:39 pm 3:39 pm
GOOD BYE YOU PIECE OF CRAP NYT’s I can’t wait… we have been sending emails to have people DUMP NYT’s stock and GE’s owner of NBC this is tooooo good
Posted by: DOH-bama Cabinet of Corruption | February 25, 2009, 3:46 pm 3:46 pm
How about the Chicago Tribune, DOH? Do you like them because they are widely viewed as a conservative Republican paper?
Posted by: William J. LePetomane | February 25, 2009, 3:55 pm 3:55 pm
How about Fox News? Bet they’re OK, huh?
Posted by: William J. LePetomane | February 25, 2009, 3:57 pm 3:57 pm
so many democrats, so many scandals, now the liberal loving newspapers are fading away LMAO BYE BYE
Posted by: DOH-bama Cabinet of Corruption | February 25, 2009, 4:13 pm 4:13 pm
Gee, when all the newspapers are gone we will be able to get all of our news from well educated, well informed bloggers…there’s a lot of difference between a journalist and a blogger. A really sad day.
Posted by: Krystal Kid | February 25, 2009, 4:14 pm 4:14 pm
As a journalism enthusiast and a citizen, I say that in these trying economic times, it is time for the newspaper industry to focus on localization, taking pride in their websites and putting away polarizing personal opinions on the editorial page.
Posted by: Jeremy Lucas | February 25, 2009, 4:20 pm 4:20 pm
How about Fox News? Bet they’re OK, huh?
Posted by: William J. LePetomane | Feb 25, 2009 3:57:48 PM
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William, just so you know, Fox.news is not a newspaper. Its more like CNN and MSNBC except without the bias.
Posted by: jim | February 25, 2009, 4:34 pm 4:34 pm
How about Fox News? Bet they’re OK, huh?
Posted by: William J. LePetomane | Feb 25, 2009 3:57:48 PM
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William, just so you know, Fox.news is not a newspaper. Its more like CNN and MSNBC except without the bias.
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Jim
Just so you know, FOX news is not a new site or newspaper. It is an arm of the Republican party.
Posted by: MJoseph | February 25, 2009, 4:59 pm 4:59 pm
There is nothing like the written word, delivered to your door everyday. The internet papers leave alot to be desired. If the newspaper goes the way of the dinasours, I will be very upset. Kind of the same thing with reading a book on one of those Kindle devices.
Posted by: liztube | February 25, 2009, 6:44 pm 6:44 pm
I think that the newspaper as it stands today, probably will end up dying. Print has been dead for many years now, and as “video killed the radio star” about 28 years ago, internet news has sent the newspaper to it’s probable grave. That’s not to say that the nation’s newspapers should just call it a day, though. I believe that they should try selling online versions of their papers as a subscription, where people can still get the “look” of the newspaper and pay for the access to read the online version. That would save lots of trees in the process, and advertisers might have a more targeted audience, just like looking at all those ads in the Sunday papers.
Posted by: Andrew Blythe | February 26, 2009, 9:50 am 9:50 am
Newspapers are the only media that follows the lives of the local citizens it writes about. No other media follows a person from the time they are born, during school activities, sporting events and yes even their deaths. Losing the newspaper industry would be like loosing apple pie in America.
Posted by: K | February 27, 2009, 5:39 pm 5:39 pm
Call me old fashioned, and I’m not exactly young, having been around since a guy named Truman was President.
I get more from a newspaper, and I get it faster, than I can get from any website. I subscribe to several (including the NYT and the WSJ). I can can take the paper anywhere. To the john, to the bus, scan headlines, read what I find interesting, go back and read an article I “marked” after my first scan, and it all takes much less time than it takes on a computer. IMO.
I think the problem with newspapers is that a lot of people don’t really know how to read anymore.
Posted by: ovidsen | March 1, 2009, 1:36 am 1:36 am
My newspapers didn’t arrive this morning. I have a routine every morning: read the papers, do some yoga, get ready for work. Suddenly I had some free time.
Posted by: Forecast Highs | March 1, 2009, 8:54 am 8:54 am
I’m 55, and I’m not sure the younger generation cares if we have news at all. People need to remember that newspapers are a unique combination of news and two kinds of ads — display and classified. It’s the ads that paid the freight, not circulation, but too often newspapers — especially in smaller communities — were afraid to do useful things, such as restaurant reviews, because a bad review meant no advertising. The future of news gathering seems to lie on the Internet — a local news website that doesn’t print on paper. The wire services and a few other organizations, like the Wall Street Journal or USA Today, may handle the national and international news. But there will still be a need for local and state news gathering. But how to pay for it is a different matter.
Posted by: Keninchina | March 2, 2009, 12:16 am 12:16 am
In the present economic climate newspapers will have to innovate. Let the newspaper executives and journos go for a salary cut. Reduce excessive spending on newsgathering, try to stay in budget hotels and use budget airlines. Newspaers reduce bulk. Shift all your classifieds and community (local) ads to your online portals. Increase prices and stop home delivery. Encourage readers to pick it up from the news-stands or metro stations. Use recycled newsprint to cut costs also shift from broadsheet to compact sizes. If you do this you can survive for another 10 years
Also newspapers can form consortiums. Let the small newspaper companies join hands with big companies like NYT. Share their printing facilities, distribution, slaes and marketing networks. Share newsgathering resources. NYT can share it with other local newspapers. If NYT wants to do story from South Florida, let it share the reports with the local newspapers’ correspondents, thus sharing newsgathering networks and cutting costs. Use more and more citizen journos and stringers. Let reporters do multi-tasking as photographers. Let photographers do both videos for online and stills for print. Let NYT be the national newspaper and let it focus only national news. And local newspapers focus only local news.
Posted by: santosh | March 3, 2009, 3:18 am 3:18 am
I would definitely miss the newspaper. I read it every day. You couldn’t possibly print on line everything that is in the newspaper. Even though I watch the news on tv, I get more in depth news from the newspaper.
Those thinking the newspaper isn’t needed aren’t thinking of the older generation who do not have computers. Imagine being in a nursing home or a hospital and not have a newspaper to look forward to? No news, no enjoyable columns and no crossword puzzles. My Mom looks forward to the paper daily.
Perhaps less people will buy the newspaper in the future, but it should be there for those that would like one.
I, for one would not like to see the newspaper disappear. I do not have a computer at work and enjoy the newspaper very much.
Posted by: Lynn Baker | March 20, 2009, 1:35 am 1:35 am
Being a cartoonist, I’ll admit upfront that my own concern for newspapers is biased. I don’t want to see them cease production … REALLY!
But it’s difficult to ignore all of the dire predictions — especially when they’re being reported in and by newspapers themselves.
And so, to answer the third part of your question of the day, I offer you The Last of the Funnies …
“After a worldwide energy and economic crisis, newspapers have ceased production and nearly every form of art and entertainment is a digital simulation …”
Posted by: Mike Cope | March 28, 2009, 10:42 pm 10:42 pm
I am inside of the newspaper.
I will get paid for the newspaper. even, it will more expansive than now. anyway. Becuz, the media is likely to be in one-side sight for some authorities or Co. in the contrast to this , newspapers give us various sight and let ourselves decide to the decision.
Posted by: Jasmin Ahn | April 12, 2009, 9:44 pm 9:44 pm
duh, what kind of people are you to just treat a newspaper as a junk.It will really be a sad day for me to woke up one day without newspaper. Internet is nothing compare to the credibility and freshness newspaper could offer.
Posted by: nazarene catapang | August 14, 2009, 8:32 am 8:32 am
I have a very ineresting story. I wrked in the firm Nobel corporation that sells filters for water perification. Many people are deceived because they do not have clean water and that they are promised by the Prize. In my area about 75 families cheated. About this with you I have evidence. Many people have paid the 200 euros because they feared a lawsuit did not buy a filter. Many times I ve seen all sorts of scams so I was fired without his earned money. Many people do not know that are victims of fraud.
I decided to tell this whole World
Posted by: marinko | March 19, 2011, 2:38 am 2:38 am