Down for the Count
Newspapers are hurting, but journalism is still crucial
The Tucson Citizen — a newspaper that’s been around long enough to have reported on the 1881 shootout at the nearby OK Corral — was gunned down in April, after 140 years in the business as the evening newspaper. The editorial staffs of the Citizen and its rival, the morning Arizona Daily Star, competed for news — reporting on the elegance of humanity struggling under the stressors of sprawl, and writing about the drug war, bad politics, and the good, bad and ugly in the business community.
Another set of eyes gone. A piece of history lost. A community voice silenced.
The changes in Tucson are personal for me. I got into reporting in Tucson — at the community college newspaper and the daily University of Arizona rag — because of the nature of journalism in a two-daily town, where weeklies and alternative presses thrived.
Citizen editor Jennifer Boice considers the larger ramifications of her paper’s demise.
“It’s a loss because what we do makes the Star better, the Star makes us better, and because of that, the community gets better information,” says Boice, who started as a business writer at the Citizen in 1985. “It’s more than the sum of the parts.”
Now consider the one-two knockout of another Arizona newspaper, one that won a Pulitzer Prize in April for investigative stories on Maricopa County’s megalomaniacal Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
The East Valley (Mesa) Tribune is gut shot and dead, and dozens of employees are out of work as of last week. The death of that rag serves notice to all the two-bit, mealy mouthed, reprobate politicos, schemers, scammers and thugs that there will be less scrutiny on their dirty dealings. Citizens might think they can fight City Hall, but not well without a slew of seasoned journalists leading the charge.
The Tribune’s been around since 1891, and it garnered 2009 Newspaper of the Year in Arizona. Here’s the rub, and no nouvelle social networking-loving, new media-hyping, Internet citizen journalist-promoting hyper-local coverage “reporter” can say otherwise:
Many J-schools emphasize too many courses on “presentation.”
Reporting’s about content, and the tech training can take place on the job.
The digital crap you learn to master in 2009 will be outdated in 2012.
You can’t do journalism in your underwear in front of a computer; good journalists need to get out into the field and spend time with their sources.
Learning about zoning or how city councils work is boring but necessary.
Accuracy and fairness are paramount at a time when reporters with little editorial oversight are posting news updates on the Web.
Look at the work the East Valley Tribune did, some of which will be recognized posthumously: For first place in investigative reporting, “Blood and Money” followed the kidnappings in the Valley involving undocumented workers smuggled across the border. “Rigged Privilege,” about private school tax credit shenanigans, attracted a national spotlight with the Sidney Hillman Foundation for “socially conscious journalism.”
The East Valley Tribune got a blue ribbon for the online presentation that accompanied the paper’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “Reasonable Doubt,’” the in-depth look at Sheriff Arpaio’s “suppression sweeps” targeting illegal immigrants.
It’s a scary time in the U.S. newspaper industry, with more than 29,000 layoffs and buyouts since 2008. Last year, graduates of journalism and mass-communication programs landed fewer job interviews and offers than in 2007. Full-time employment is at its lowest point since 1986.
But there is that sense of hope, though, in those who want to write and become journalists as enrollment in undergrad programs is up 35 percent over the past decade — 201,477 total.
You can see the enthusiasm at Spokane Falls Community College as the student newspaper, The Communicator Online, two weeks ago landed the Associated Collegiate Press Online Pacemaker award. The hard-copy version left Austin, Texas, with a fourth place in Best of Show. A podcast entry took fourth against much larger schools.
This generation of students is seeing the writing on the wall in the business, with the failure of print newspapers. Multimedia storytelling, Web publishing and learning to master digital video, audio and photo equipment are methods that help schools get student journalists into those neighborhoods where the newspapers have been shut down and other media only show up when yellow police tape demarcates the stories.
Burning up shoe leather is the key to this urban “hyper-local” reporting. Thinking asymmetrically about the job market helps fledgling journalists tackle both a weak economy and greedy media groups ready to shutter newsrooms if the profit margin doesn’t start at 8 percent.
Newspapers like The Inlander fill some of the gap with 10 fulltime journalists and 20 freelancers writing in any three-month period.
Yeah, the revolution — fighting global warming, turning the tables on Wall Street billionaire riffraff and outing the princes of torture — will not be televised, and it probably won’t be flipped on an iPhone, but “we gotta work with what we got” to use the parlance of rap.
Blogging, Twittering and on-line publishing might not be where the money is, but the tools gained and critical thinking skills learned in a good J-school apply to many career fields, and that’s what this new crop of journalism students is looking for — ways to maximize organization skills, research experience and storytelling on all fronts of the technical smorgasbord.
Paul K. Haeder teaches English at Spokane Falls Community College.
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Newspaper Holocaust
Extra! Extra! History is being demolished. The new age of technology is overthrowing newspaper companies left and right. After nearly 150 years in business, the Tucson Citizen is being shut down. How can something so valuable to the history of Tucson simply be thrown aside? With no surprise, new technology is rapidly overpowering many of the things we have used for hundreds of years, newspaper being one of them. Newspapers are being shut down; people are losing their jobs; communities like Tucson no longer will have the opportunity to read a morning newspaper.
Papers like the Tribune that have been around for over a hundred years can no longer keep up with the easy access of internet and iPhones. One might ask, what did newspapers do to lose their ability to be published now days? Nothing, Newspaper companies have done nothing wrong. New technologies are the reason behind 29,000 job layoffs, not to mention that graduates of journalism programs landed fewer job interviews and offers than in 2007 alone. Even with the internet quickly grabbing the minds of people in search of news, there is still hope for the young age of journalists.
For those interested in journalism and writing, enrollment in programs is up 35 percent over the last decade and approximately 201,500 total. Not only is this good for those looking for journalism jobs, but this is very good for newspapers in hope of keeping their business running. In a time where TV, the internet, and video games are at their peak, there needs to be something of value in a community. Sure TV does have the “Breaking News at 11pm” and the internet is widely usable for multiple news sources, but newspapers give a sense of local importance. Anybody could use a computer mouse to scroll down a webpage, but what fun is that when you could easily be turning the pages of a freshly printed newspaper. Not only does reading the newspaper give you the latest news in your area, it also allows multiple sections to be read. Who really wants to watch TV and see the same thing every week? “Angelina Jolie adopts her tenth child…” Nobody does. People want to read about community events and local highlights.
If we as a nation continue to rely purely on TV and internet, it will only teach our young to do the same. We need to teach the importance of local and nationwide newspaper, not for the sake of news, but for the sake of old history.
Technology and Suffering Economy Takes Toll on Newspaper Compani
Technology and Suffering Economy Takes Toll on Newspaper Companies
The future ain’t what it used to be.
---Yogi Berra
For years, newspapers have been delivered to our door, but as technology increases it seems as if newspapers are decreasing. The Tucson Citizen has been around over 40 years according to writer Paul Haeder, but it just ended this last April. The East Valley Tribune is “gut shot and dead,” which has led to many workers unemployed. Some small newspaper companies are being shut down due to technology advancements and the downfall in the economy. More and more people are becoming interested in spending an abundance amount of time on their computers.
Haeder’s article, “Down for the Count,” made me realize that good newspapers and being bought out or shut down, so this means valuable information won’t be set out to people of the community. Most news that people want to hear is “interesting” news such as “shootouts” or drug busts.” The newspaper may not always have news that are eye opening, but it has news that is worth knowing. A lot of people like to get a quick look at the news form the television screen of computer screen to get updated on some news that is going on in their community, but is that enough?
It seems as time goes by more newspapers are found online because it is easier to access, but why are newspapers becoming less popular? People would rather not pay for the newspaper to get the daily news, but they would rather watch the news on TV or look it up online. The newspaper lets the people of the community know about crucial information, like what is going on in their area such as: weather, upcoming events, etc.
Newspapers in the future could maybe even end up not online. They will simply die! People are losing their jobs left and right because the economy is suffering. Not only the newspaper, but also other industries such as auto makers are going out of business as well. People are always thinking of easy and efficient ways for everything, so maybe newspapers are going to all be online or sadly nowhere. There will be fewer news organizations, which leads to fewer trained eyes on the world.
Dismal Future
After pouring over this article, I realized that the future of newspapers is looking grim. The EWU press is closing its doors in June 2010 as well. The Tucson Citizen and EWU Press are not just two single incidents of a press closing down; they represent the demise of traditional public communication. I completely agree with Paul in the statement, “You can’t do journalism in your underwear in front of a computer.” Not only is it difficult to do journalism in front of a computer, it is difficult to read journalism in front of a computer. Journalists are needed to research, interview, and report in all fields of social awareness. They can’t simply “Wikipedia” a topic and report on it, though; they are needed to depart into the world and report. There is a brilliant simplicity about holding a tangible object and reading. Computers scroll, link, click, exit, reboot, refresh, and minimize. The difference between a newspaper and a computer screen is the irrevocable plainness of simple sheets of paper.
I read books because I can bring them with me wherever I go. I do not have to “boot up” an electronic device to read a passage on a given page. My three possible fields of study – accounting, engineering, and physical therapy – require constant updates of knowledge. Numerous scholarly journals and magazines are published each month to provide news about current events or possible new technology. I want to be able to tote my magazine around with me. Doing a web search for “accounting” and “journals,” I got 89 total titles of magazines. What a great amount of knowledge that is being shared in those magazines that I can obtain. The death of newspapers might be a sign of the times. Is the time of the death of other print journalism creeping towards us? I hope not.
This story needs nuancing
The "point" of robust, competitive print journalism is to have people spend time with a story, get deep into it and have the reader connect to the larger frames of reference. Good medical reporting gives citizens ammo from which to act and from which to vote. It's not about sound bites and glitz and superficial treatment of topics. Alas, this is a 950-word frame, a rarified form of writing, indeed, the Opinion-Editorial, but it too has a purpose, but it's limited, to be sure.
But our knowledge and our civilization are gained and run on deeper thinking and regarding a topic that goes way out beyond a five-minute Jon Stewart recall. We should have people in our society who can actually go beyond 5 minutes discussion on a single topic. How about 30 minutes on the health care mess? An hour on green technology?
So without appearing to create a blog or such here, I'd advise you to look at all the stories in this week's Chronicle of Higher Education's "Chronicle Weekly." Some of the stories covering the death of print journalism (and journalism in general) are key coded for those with subscriber privileges, but you should be able to get them somehow on the almighty WWW. Some are open for all to read, however.
Paul Haeder
http://chronicle.com/section/The-Chronicle-Review/41/
"Academe and the Decline of News Media"
What impact will journalism's decline have on higher education? Eighteen experts offer their views.
"University-Based Reporting Could Keep Journalism Alive"
Journalism-program projects can offer crucial training for students and essential coverage for communities, write Michael Schudson and Leonard Downie Jr.
"Journalism Schools Can Push Coverage Beyond Breaking News"
Original reporting from journalism students can make up for reporting that news organizations can no longer afford, writes Nicholas Lemann.
"Embedding Journalists in Academe"
As newspapers wither, can universities sustain serious news coverage and analysis of current affairs? G. Pascal Zachary considers the question.
"We Need 'Philosophy of Journalism' "
Philosophy and journalism, two well-known approaches to truth seeking, make strange companions—and invaluable ones, writes Carlin Romano.
"I've Read the News Today, Oh Boy"
Wherever newspapers are going, certain types of articles will survive, writes Ben Yagoda.
Loss of the Voice
The economy, of course, plays a big role in the type and the quantity of businesses that we have. We tend to let the smaller ones fall and help the bigger, more important ones stay afloat. What happens when we let a business fall that is actually vital in our society? Many people may not consider newspapers as that vital, but they are the voice of our nation. We are losing so many of our historical and important newspapers and no one is taking action upon this. Paul Haeder’s article “Down for the Count” shows two major newspapers that have recently fallen and how that is a big problem. The problem with the failure of newspapers is that they tell the people what is going on in the world.
Without newspapers, people are blind to what is going on in this world. Sure we have other forms of the media, but what TV, radio and the web says is so fixed, that without newspapers, people would never get the real story, or the more in-depth investigations. If people become blind to what is actually going on around them, then everyone becomes ignorant, thus, inactive. If we think that nothing is getting done and fixed now, that would increase tenfold if newspapers died. Everything that we based our world affairs knowledge on would be from the media and other forms of internet, web and social networks. Who would not the problem with that? If we really knew what the media truly is and how they operate, we would see a problem with it. They manipulate everything so tremendously; it is nearly impossible to obtain the true story from them. This is exactly why we need newspapers. As stated in Paul’s article, we need multiple newspapers in the city so that they can benefit from each other working as a competitive force, and the people can get the best and most accurate story that they can.
It is a tragedy that so many newspapers are going down. Our nation cannot merely depend on one source. For everyone to have true knowledge on what is going on around them is a crucial thing. So why do people allow all of these newspapers go down and don’t give a second thought about it? We need to start taking action and do it soon because they are falling quickly, and who knows when this economic depression is going to last.
The Impatient Society
“Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate and moment to prefer the latter. But I should mean that every man should receive those papers and be capable.” –Thomas Jefferson
After reading “Down for the Count,” by Paul Haeder, I realize the gravity of the world we live in, and it seems like everything is getting worse all the time. The fast-paced, technology-run society we live in is the cause of newspapers being “gunned down;” it is the reason why newspapers are dying. Not many see the need or use of them anymore. Newspapers cost money; the internet is “free”. Newspapers take time to read; it takes but a few minutes to read the current events online. Who has time to spare to sit around and read the entire newspaper? Instead just get the breaking news in short, summarized stories via the internet and the televised news. How many times have we heard people complain about newspapers? They come out with “old news”, the next day. How very tragic. Why should we need them if we can catch the stories on the 10 o’clock news? The internet gives us everything at the touch of a button, and it fits in with our fast-paced lifestyle. Now the internet is even on our cell phones. Everywhere we have access to it all.
Do we see a problem with the society we live in? No one takes the time to get the big picture. Instead, at a glance it is expected that we know it all. Newspapers may not have up to the minute reports, but they give in-depth information about what is happening in the world around us. But, still newspapers get overlooked all the time. The reporters actually dig deep and uncover the truth. Their hard work is being put to shame. We have become a stupid, ill-informed society. If we took the time to look deeper into the national and world issues we are facing, then there would be people who cared about these worldwide issues, and maybe, just maybe, someone would do something. The ideas presented in newspapers give way to more ideas –ideas for moving forward, solving current problems, and creating a better world. Instead, we are an impatient society. Everyone is in a hurry, running here and there. This is the age of “the here and now.” And so the newspapers are sadly becoming a thing of the past, nothing but a ghost of the shinning icon they once were.
As technology continuously
As technology continuously grows, people have fewer and fewer reasons to resort to past, more incontinent ways of doing things. For instance, for generations before our own, newspapers were used as citizens’ source of enlightenment or a way to keep updated and current with modern day issues; however, as new advancements have arrived, people have slowly faded away from the traditional ways of doing things, for they see no reasoning for doing so. Why read the newspaper when there is a perfectly good television news show, Fox News? It’s perfect; it summarizes the story into a few many points, only show stories that are truly relevant, and has beautiful people to present the topic. Right? Wrong. It summarizes the story into the few points FOX News and Rupurt Murdock want people to see and conveniently dismisses the remaining as irrelevant; the stories chosen to cover are decided upon by people who can be persuaded one way or another with money as the primary focus, a rightwing nutcase focus. And all those beautiful faces? They were made so with hundreds of dollars worth of botox and thousands worth of plastic surgery. So, this is our choice when newspapers die: Enjoy our ever so efficient and trustworthy news? I don’t think so…
Paul Haeder brings up a very valid point in his article “Down for the Count.” He speaks of how slowly but surely newspapers are dying off. They are loosing their competition, the force that pushes them to be better, fast, and more accurate, thus overall helping them to create the best stories they can. Journalists are loosing their jobs with more than 29,000 layoffs and buyouts since 2008 and few journalists are getting jobs with full-time employment being at its lowest since 1986. What does all of this mean? It means newspapers are loosing their significances in cities and communities. Though this may not appear to be that horrendous of a thing, after reading Haeder’s piece, I think otherwise. By simply relying on T.V news or the internet, people even further lose the ability to think for themselves. The newspaper allows for people for form a stance rather than being told what to think, for they are given the whole picture, not a few minute, selective points. In losing each community newspaper, we will be losing journalism, a thing we should be willing to fight for. Though fighting isn’t even necessary. All that needs to be done is for people to once more value what the newspaper has to say. Rely on others sources than the oh so easy internet or T.V.
The likelihood of people rethinking their positions and potentially resorting to the daily newspaper rather than other, simpler forms of news is not every high. For if people have let it go this far, what is to push them to action now? As we as a nation become more technologically-driven, things such as printed newspaper will become a thing of the more distant and past. We are losing touch with our foundation, distancing ourselves from what works most efficiently, to what is most convenient. If we continue on like this as predicted, what is our world to look like in twenty to forty years? Where are all of the free, independent thinkers to go?
Running From Intelligence
Today’s society is wrapped up in texting, into computers, and obsessed with Blackberrys. Fewer are caring about the “old things” like books, talking in person, and just recently, the newspaper. I have been raised to enjoy the modern technology and, yes, I have a cell phone, a fast car, a laptop, and an iPod. I can’t tell you that I’ve never read a full newspaper, and I don’t believe that there are many other 19 year olds who have either. It’s sad that I have been brought up like this. It is hard for me to read a chapter for class let alone a few pages. There’s something special and different about words being on a screen rather than on a piece of paper. It disappoints me that I have not been more apart of the world and I am so wrapped up in my social life rather than reality. This is today’s teen, the future, the soon to be adults of the world.
Although teens today are living lives of luxury, it is our parents who have held our hand and led us to this fate. Paul Haeder’s article, Down for the Count, tells about his state’s newspaper the East Valley (Mesa) Tribune and its recent collapse. This is one of countless newspapers that have not succeeded in the recession and have only drowned with the help of today’s society. It’s scary to think that if the bleeding does not stop soon, we will live in a world without speech, the only communication being through email, text, and computers. It’s scary to think that this is what America and the rest of the world is driven for. Why do we want to live in a society where the modern pushes out the old, even if the old is more important? Newspapers are a way to reach people on the big topics and the small, the things that need to be told to the community. Without newspapers we are erasing history and we will continue to do so. The future looks dim and no one is even making a fuss, and why would they, they have the Internet, right?
“The Tucson Citizen — a
“The Tucson Citizen — a newspaper that’s been around long enough to have reported on the 1881 shootout at the nearby OK Corral — was gunned down in April, after 140 years in the business as the evening newspaper.”
The Tucson Citizen, being shot out of business, came as a shock for me personally but with no surprise when we look at what’s happening to other newspapers nationwide.
I lived in Tucson, Arizona for seven years of my life, mostly from when I was an adolescent growing into adulthood. The Tucson Citizen was a treasure of the city, keeping our citizens aware of the events of tragedy and utter excitement. Even being just a child when moving to Tucson, I knew of the paper and of what great contributions it had to our city. After 140 years of business what right does anyone have to shut down The Tucson Citizen? Not even time in service could save this versed newspaper let alone the content it contained could save it. I fret for the men, women and children of Tucson and for those who treasured the paper, a prize no longer to be discovered by young curious eyes but a paper to be framed for its excellence in being an informant, The Tucson Citizen.
I believe that what is ahead for young journalists is only a future of
disappointment. Our newspapers are slowly slipping into sudden death and this only discourages young writers. It’s a shame that dreams are crushed before they even begin. What an injustice to not allow young adults to follow their will to write. The Tucson Citizen, forever a fair memory of those who lived in Tucson and cherished the evening paper while it honored Tucson with its service.
Save the Paper, We Still Need It
Every time a newspaper dies, even a bad one, the country moves little
closer to authoritarianism; when a great one goes, like the New York
Herald Tribune, history itself is denied a devoted witness.
- Richard Kluger
In many old films, the morning activities portrayed normally include drinking coffee, breakfast, and… reading the newspaper. Reading the newspaper has long been an American tradition- from a time when young boys used to sell it on the street corners, to the modern age where it is often delivered straight into your newspaper box. The newspaper is what we used to depend on for the latest story; at least, it was before the invention of the radio, TV and Internet. The TV only gives 2 to 3 minutes per story max, and the Internet has “truthful” stories posted by anyone and everyone. Newspapers give a fuller version of what happened and often gets the information from multiple sources. They are definitely some of the more reliable media sources.
In Paul Haeder’s article, “Down for the Count,” he points out the fact that we need multiple newspapers in a city. If we have multiple newspapers covering the same story, we get more information, different viewpoints, more sources, and new ideas and solutions. One newspaper may approach a topic one way; another may take the opposite side. If there is only one newspaper, where is the debate, the competition, the drive to get the best scoop? Having multiple newspapers also allows for a larger range of stories to come out. Nowadays, on the Internet and TV, we mainly just see stories about which celebrity got arrested or divorced, what Obama said about the war in Iraq, and what the latest diet trend is. Don’t get me wrong, we can hear about this stuff, but we should also be able to read about different stories. The TV normally shows “breaking news” most of the time. The newspaper allows for sections on people in the community, reviews on the latest play at the theater, issues that people in the town want solved and so forth. The major sites that people visit on the Internet for information are often the ones that just cover stuff about the nation, not the local area. Also, people that get their information often only go to one site for it and usually only read the highlights. When people buy the newspaper, they tend to actually read most of it; why get it if you are just going to read the front page? If more people read the newspaper, we would have a nation that has more information about what is going on in a broader range of topics. The newspaper may not tell us what is going on at this very second in time, but it allows us to be more aware of more situations that are affecting us right now.
Reading newspapers also makes us better readers. Informing people of the news isn’t the only thing that newspapers do; they are also providing examples of punctuation, spelling, grammar, paragraph style, and so forth. Most of my friends can’t spell the simplest of words, can’t provide the correct punctuation for the simplest of sentences, and can’t write a decent paragraph. They “text,” watch TV, and surf the Internet in their spare time. I have noticed that my friends who read the paper have better literary skills than those who don’t. If we get rid of the newspapers, we will be removing a source of decently written literature.
We need to help prevent these newspapers from going out of business and we need to remind people that just because the Internet and TV is available, we don’t need to depend it them for all information. We need to see that new technology doesn’t necessarily have to replace the old.
Down for the Count: Newpapers in the 21st Century Pacing Off
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or of the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”
-1st Amendment,
~U.S. Constitution
The founding fathers knew what they were writing when they drafted the first version of the Constitution; a radical document limiting the power of their government, with a series of checks and balances to safeguard and fight against corruption in the governing power. One of those “safeguards” is the press.
In Paul Haeder’s article, “Down for the Count: Newspapers are still hurting, but journalism is still crucial,” he states that “the Tucson Citizen— a newspaper that’s been around long enough to have reported on the nearby shootout at the O.K. Corral—was gunned down in April, after 140 years in the business as the evening newspaper.” The Citizen and its rival, the morning Arizona Daily Star, were like the Earp brothers, fighting against corruption and injustice. The two daily newspapers competed for news, “reporting on the elegance of humanity struggling under the stressors of sprawl, and writing about the drug war, bad politics, and the good, bad and ugly in the business community.” Like two cowboys “courtin’” with the same woman, suddenly, “this town ain’t big enough for the two of us.” One will kiss the dust, or have to “get the h!@# out of Dodge.” The result of this is, “Another set of eyes gone. A piece of history lost. A community voice silenced.”
That is what the press is: a community voice. If you think about, and if you are the average “Joe Six-pack” like me, you will realize that you do not really “engage” yourself in your local community. Most of us are pretty proficient on the Internet, and one of the advantages of that is we see the eventual connection of a global community coming together. While a global community is not a bad thing, it tends to isolate you from the “local” community; that is one of the downsides of the Internet. We can live our lives on “Facebook” and never notice your elderly neighbor who served in Korea, as he is struggling to shovel the snow off of his sidewalk. We are now so “interconnected” to the world, touching people and places that we will never see face to face, that we neglect and isolate the people who live right next door. We are isolating ourselves from the local community.
That is what is where your local paper helps. Your local paper informs you about what’s going on where you are most effective, your hometown. Not only does your local newspaper create a sense of community, a bringing of people together, but it is one of the most effective tools in mobilizing effective action from the people. Most of us do not go digging around for information about the next candidate in the election. However, when we read about that certain candidate, we become interested, and then we say, “I would like to see that person in office.” Most of the time, we fail to see how we can make an impact on something so much bigger, or unconnected to ourselves. The press helps connect us, locally. And that is essential for grassroots change in our society. The power is in the people, not the government. That’s how our founding fathers designed our republic to work. Does the “public” in “republic” mean anything to you? This might mean skipping an episode of “The Office,” and doing a good deed like helping an elderly lady carry her groceries, or participating in a river-cleanup. It might mean taking the time to read your local paper and volunteering at the homeless shelter, than surfing the web on Facebook. It’s time to start being a member of your local community, before you start dreaming of creating the global community. If we lose our local papers, than we are losing one of the factors that makes us a “community.” And that is a great loss indeed.
Yours sincerely,
dc
dc is a student at Spokane Falls Community College.
Demise of Newspapers, caused by Lefty Reporters
Below is just one of four emails I received spewing hate precipitated by my opinion piece on the demise of newspapers. This is the only one I can reprint since the other three cussed me out. It would have been great to republish them here, with all the vile and hate and pinko-fag-communist insults, but alas, it would have taken two days to clean them up.
But this one isn't atypical of the thinking I get ALL the time in response to my various columns.
My response is below.
"The Demise of Newsprint
I am a reader of the printed word. It is my preferance, however newspapers have continued to drift to the left. You are a good example when you state "Yeah, the revolution-fighting global warming, turning tables on billionaire riftraff and outing princes of torture". Can I believe so called reporting from someone as far left as you? Probably not. Most of the reporting in print that I read and that I know personally what happened are not accurate and are full of opinion. Newspapers write to and in support of those who do not read the printed word and put down those that in the past did read. More and more opinion and less and less real facts equals a flight of readers such as I. I also hate to see the printed media go down but with teachers like you I see little hope of a turn around.
Your Friend
so and so"
Haeder's response:
A. I wrote an OPINION piece for the Inlander, a commentary. It's not a news piece.
B. I know the difference between smart, researched pieces I write as an opinion writer and anything else I might write as a journalist. I write all sorts of pieces on all types of issues.
C. You are not my friend. So drop that nicety.
D. You have no idea how important newspapers are in providing news to communities. I've worked in Bisbee, Wilcox, Tombstone, Sierra Vista, El Paso, Las Cruces, Austin, Tucson, and Guadelajara and for news services elsewhere. You are not a typical reader. Covering corruption and covering scandal and city hall and boy-raping Mayors and pedophile priests and lying presidents and businesses that play on an uneven playing field as they stuff dollars into politicians' back pockets is tough, and we try and do our best at finding facts and bringing forth a decent frame. The founding leaders of this country subsidized news because newspapers were (and still are) a vital force in any community. Today, retrogrades and rightwing idiots have polluted news and media. Maybe you are watching too much Lou Dobbs and the other pathetic fat faced guys on FOX.
E. You have your facts wrong about so-called "liberal media," but I have no time for ignorance. And I am not about to start conversing with you or taking you under my wing to bring you up to speed on what a democracy is about and what corporate power has lead to. Again, it's an opinion piece you read, and thus far, it's garnered kudos.
F. You have never been in my college classes, nor my photography classes, or scuba diving classes, or media empowerment classes, so I take your comment about my teaching abilities and background with the same huge rock of salt I take all the other wheezing, uninitiated pabulum-heavy comments in your email.
G. You quote what out of my piece? The word "revolution"? It's not a left or right word.
H. Oh, you know personally what happened in so many stories you've read in newspapers, and the reporters got the facts wrong? Are you positive? A few mistakes? Welcome to the human race.
I. Don't email me again.
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News’ Importance
News provides information upon significant events that have happened. People rely upon the information provided by newspapers and other forms of media in their daily lives. This is very influential in a society by allowing people to access information and updates. However, people continue to underestimate the value of these types of organizations. After reading the article, Down for the Count by Paul K. Haeder I am beginning to realize that people are unaware of newspapers’ value.
Down for the Count discussed how the newspaper the Tucson Citizen was “gunned down” after 140 years of important serves for the Tucson, Arizona community. Yet people are complacent to this outrage. Without newspapers like the Tucson Citizen people will have limited access to reliable and important information in their community. The common Joe will not know about the new cases of H1N1. In this example, the lack of information has increased his/her risk of contracting the flu, thus endangering him/her. Also, news unifies a community by asking people for help, allowing various people to offer their services in a community issue. For instance, just last month our city publicized an activity to pick up garbage alongside Spokane River. Community members then responded and volunteered their services. Newspapers also allow people to communicate their viewpoint and provide a broader interpretation of an event. Additionally, competition between the rivalry newspapers forces them to deliver the most recent news, in the quickest amount of time. Consequently, the Tucson community has lost a valuable news network.
The value of information is undisputed, yet people are complacent when their newspaper disappears? Obviously people must be naive if they cannot attribute value to newspapers like the Tucson Citizen, when news clearly has value. Nevertheless, newspaper businesses are invaluable for societies and therefore should be supported by their community to remain in service.
The Daily Habit Broken
I can recall for the longest time my grandpa reading the daily newspaper and the once-a- week local newspaper in the morning with his cup of coffee. I can see the serenity it brings him even to this day how he opens up the main page, sits with his breakfast and digs in to the daily news. He is in awe of how times have changed, being that he is 77 years of age, and how he skims through even the smallest details of each section. Not all people watch television and are addicted to the “I have to have it now” way of life. After all, if the newspapers in print would disappear how would those who don’t have a computer or care to use one for reading news be able to access local or global news . I know how it would change the way my grandpa starts his day.
Who would have thought twenty years ago, we would have this instant access to breaking news, top headlines and the world of news at our fingertips. The society we live in today is impatient and unforgiving when telling news; it is all about making headlines and making money. There are communities that need printed weekly newspapers to keep citizens in small rural towns apprised of what is happening in their areas. Small town news is something you don’t see on blogs, Twitter or in the major headline news. Like Paul Haeder says, “Another set of eyes gone. A piece of history lost. A community voice silenced.” I think of the small town where my grandpa lives, and how this would be such a tragedy for him and the community. The local newspaper is small but very informative; it keeps their focus on what their audience wants. And the newspaper maintains that “small town” approach, which keeps the community informed and well aware of the local happenings.
The printed newspaper gives you something to hold on to, a piece of history you can touch. I can vividly see my grandpa opening up the paper, reading it front to back, not missing any details: the court orders, the comics, major headlines, and especially not missing his weekly crossword puzzle that he waits anxiously for the answers the following week. I know I enjoy reading the morning paper, it is a tradition that has just been passed on through the years. The number of people who do read the paper (on print) may be diminishing due to all of the internet activity, but you can’t deny there are so many that don’t have access to this form of “immediate” gratification of news.
With numerous newspaper companies being shut down, it is sad to see they are sacrificing a way of life for so many readers and journalists. Technology is now the big wave in journalism; however, the television news, twitter or blogs only give basic points of what is happening. If you actually sit down and read the newspaper, you may get the entire story and be more moved, more inclined to become involved in community. Hopefully, the printed newspaper we wait so anxiously for each morning on our doorstep won’t turn in to a blip on the history timeline because of advances in technology.
Journalism Meets the
Journalism Meets the Digital Age
It's a fact that more people watch television and get their information that way than read books. I find new technology and new ways of communication very exciting and would like to do more in this field. - Stephen Covey
Lately, more and more newspapers have been popping up on the web while the actual amount of printed versions is decreasing. They are being taken off the cashier counters to be replaced by "Oprah" and "Red Book". With so much being published electronically, the need for a physical, chucked onto your porch, copy has slowly dwindled. People are relying on the FOX News at 10 instead of just sitting down with the paper and reading the whole story instead of just the main points the local station chose to bring up. Sure, the televised version does offer their "breaking news," which supposedly just happened, although the reason for having to know what is going on right as it happens makes no sense. The building burning in King County isn't necessarily going to affect someone living in the middle of Spokane County. The importance of the neighboring house being on fire is understandable, yet one look outside could tip a person off. Rarely are the news reporters the people who call the authorities due to the further the story can go, the more accomplished the reporter will be seen as. One of the main things that popped out of Paul K. Haeder's article, Down for the Count, is the emphasis on technology. A statement that he says, "The digital crap you learn to master in 2009 will be outdated in 2012", kind of applies to many fields available now. For some reason, society has decided that once something comes out, a bigger, better version is needed. Newspapers may be somewhat inconvenient, yet they tend to force the reader to become involved in what is being discussed. It would not be surprising to find that many people use TV as background noise to break the silence. The fact that schools are beginning to use virtual schools instead of having the students learn from books and classroom examples is yet another downfall of digital improvement. If people grow up having all of their information coming from the television and Internet, without needing to grab a book or paper, does that mean, eventually, all written resources will become obsolete as well, to be replaced by visual and vocal sources? The decline of newspapers seems like just a beginning domino in the destruction of the written word.
What's Happening to Our News
It’s Sunday morning, and you’re relaxing in your living room, and sitting down reading the newspaper. Yes, I said it, a newspaper. Our times are changing, and changing fast. The world is becoming faster paced. Everyone is more into the Internet, cable, and easier ways to get the news of today. It is hard to hear, that newspapers that have been in business for a century or longer are now being shut down. They are our history, the voices from the past. Paul Haeder made a very good statement in an article, “Down for the Count,” in the November 12, 2009 issue of the Inlander. He stated, “Another set of eyes gone. A piece of history lost. A community voice silenced.” Not only are we losing our history, our journalist are also losing their edge.
Our journalists are more into writing the news that gets the attention. This movie star divorced this one; the murders that happened down the street; a president kissed a girl. I feel this is one of the reasons our children are the way they are today. I try to bring things up to my children that are about the world, or something that I feel they should know. They look at you with that look of dread, as they are thinking, “Oh no, here we go again.” I have learned that it is easier to pull it off the internet to show them, then to actually show them a newspaper. An example of this is when the anniversary of September 11, 2001 came around this year. My younger children, who are nine and seven, did not understand why that day was important. I have a newspaper that was printed the day after the attacks; I pulled it out and showed it to them. They were interested, but were more blasé about it. So my next step was to pull some videos from You Tube, off the internet. There we go; there is the attention I was going for. Yes, I was disappointed. Here are my children, more for the fast paced world of today. We need to realize how important our newspapers are to us. We need to support them and keep them around. Our newspapers are where the real news is, where we can find the work of a true journalist.
The Need for Ink
As Arthur Christiansen says, "News, news, news - that is what we want. You cannot beat news in a newspaper ." So is the fundamental view of Paul Haeder in this article. After reading Paul Haeder’s article about the crisis arising with the loss of newspapers, it opened my eyes to the importance of not only the newspapers but the type of journalism in general. Paul wrote how journalists are now more dependent on multi-media means and a blogger sense for reporting instead of the real get out and go journalism. It all starts in our schools and then expands out into society.
It is a never ending cycle. You train students to use “modern” technology to succeed in the world, forgetting the basic skills that never become outdated, such as writing a paper or sentence structure. Kids today can “lol” and “ttyl” all day long, but not know what a semi colon is or where a comma goes. It is because of the emphasis placed on media methods instead of those foundational skills being placed in schools today.
When those students go out into the world they have to relearn new technology, building on the skills learned in school, transforming the world into a technologically advanced place. To become more technologically advanced newspapers are cutting out printed papers, and relying on online subscriptions instead. This promotes lazy reporting, and lazy writing skills. Why learn to spell when a little red line can do it for you?
Basic skills need to be reinforced and reporting needs to be in the moment, going out and learning how to things work and what is going on in the world today by talking to people experiencing it outside of the journalist sphere. Reporters should be hired for their writing skills, and like Paul hinted at the technology training can happen while getting the story in the system. I agree with Paul that we need newspapers and we need real journalists, before we lose our much needed news, in ink.
Hey have you seen the newspaper lately?
Hey have you seen the newspaper lately?
In America the President reigns for four years,
and Journalism governs for ever and ever.
--Oscar Wild
After reading the article “Down for the Count” by Paul Haeder, I came to realize what is really happening to journalism in our country. It’s pretty sad that the main route of information in our world is slowly diminishing. Of course Internet and Twitter are huge parts of our information flow these days, but all that has roots, that come from journalism. Everything at some point evolves. People, animals, and, of course, our media change every day. But we wouldn’t be what we are today, if we didn’t have strong roots. Journalism is the same. If we stop emphasizing on the basic skills such as, experience through on the-job-training and focus more on “presentation,” as Mr. Haeder points out, our future journalists are in trouble.
There is a large problem with teaching that imbedding images, video, making fancy Power Point presentations and Podcasts are the most important things about journalism.
Here is my analogy: Part of my profession is instructing service members in combat survival and land navigation. Each person that I teach will be equipped with a global positioning system (GPS), but we still take the time to teach them basic map (paper) and compass navigation (analog). We teach them to find their exact location on a map, just using a simple lensatic compass, and the terrain features around them. If their GPS were ever to fail, which they do, they still have great confidence in their traditional map reading skills.
I am not saying not to use GPS, podcasts or YouTube, but I am saying that future journalism students will suffer if we stop focusing on the basics of writing, researching, and learning the ins and outs of the entire system that makes a country work. Government, business, citizens, and the entire interplay of our capitalist system run on law and policy. Also if these newspapers keep closing, the drive to become journalists will decline again, and we will lose a huge part of our culture and history as Americans. We will lose eyes on the system, eyes looking at ways the system fails or succeeds.
Dying Newspapers
In reading Paul Haeder’s article about the disappearance of newspapers, I begin to realize that I’m probably one of many that are adding to this problem. I agree with Haeder’s opinion that this is devastating to our country. “Another set of eyes gone. A piece of history lost. A community voice silenced.” However, never in my life have I (20), or my husband (21), bought a newspaper. We, like many other people in America, rely on the internet, TV media, and word of mouth to learn about what’s going on in the world. Haeder says “It’s a scary time in the U.S. newspaper industry, with more than 29,000 layoffs and buyouts since 2008.” While I’m saddened to think of all the people that will most likely end up losing their jobs as more and more newspapers are “gunned down,” a part of me believes newspapers just aren’t what they used to be. I’m not saying they’re any less important than they’ve always been. Once upon a time, they were the only way citizens received word of what was going on in their community and the country. Nowadays, there is so much more competition that these papers like the Tucson Citizen, and the East Valley Tribune, are dying out. If I had to make a prediction about what the newspaper industry will be like years from now, I’d say there’s a good chance that technology will eventually take over fully, and newspapers will be a thing of the past. Email is replacing written letters in your mailbox, so why won’t TV and internet articles replace newspapers? I only hope they aren’t eventually erased completely. My husband and I may have grown up in a period where newspapers aren’t a big deal to us, but I still believe our world needs to hold onto our history, even if it does become obsolete.