The Digital Age began in the mid-twentieth century. Today’s college students are used to this era — they were born into it, never knowing anything else except a world of technology. Some of them started out with flip phones and were later given smartphones, tablets and personal computers. Others may have skipped the flip phone, with their parents waiting until smartphones came out to give their children technological devices. Soon, incoming college students will have been born with iPhones in their hands.
The fact that we were, at least mostly, born with technology in our hands calls into question how useful content that is not digital is. Traditional print media such as newspapers are heavily debated. Should society still have print newspapers? Are they worth funding? Should all news be digital?
National Newspaper Week is from Oct. 2 to 8. This is a week in which newspapers and the people behind them are recognized for their services to the country. One important topic discussed during this week is the idea that newspapers are still important and that they still matter. While the benefits of printed newspapers may not seem obvious, they still hold value in today’s world.
Perhaps the most significant benefit of them is that they are accessible to those that either do not have any internet at all or those who have inconsistent internet. If print papers were to be eradicated, the group of people without access to digital media would not be able to read news that is critical for them to know, isolated from the rest of society. Print papers, however, are circulated to various areas of the country, including those more rural areas that may not have steady internet. They also help those who live in an area with internet but who are unable to afford technological devices like smartphones. This same idea applies to the elderly population who might not know how digital devices work or have access to them.
Although that may be the most easily recognizable benefit, there are quite a few others. For example, it is easier to focus on a print paper rather than a digital version. When reading the news on the internet, people have a lot of distractions at their disposal. There are other articles, games, streaming service ads and more all available on the same device being used to read a news story. With a physical paper, there is nothing to distract readers with the exception of pictures that still relate to the articles being read. Additionally, one is most likely not trying to multitask while reading something physical as they would while having the television news broadcaster speaking out loud to them.
A very important aspect to consider is the credibility of the news being shared digitally versus in print. With digital articles, there is a rush to be the first source; news organizations and journalists want people to read their article first. Digital media allows journalists to publish their articles much faster, meaning that this mad rush is further increased. In the haste to publish first, journalists have less time to gather facts and conduct interviews with reliable sources. Print papers, on the other hand, provide at minimum a full day to work on a story — to gather facts, interview sources, write and edit. Therefore, while not always true, it is more likely that more accurate and complete information is being provided in printed sources of news rather than digital. Another aspect of digital media to consider is that the goal is to gain views rather than tell a true story as is the goal of print papers.
Another smaller benefit of printed papers is that they are easier on the eyes of readers than stories read on electronic devices. So many daily activities, both work and leisure, are conducted through screens. This can take a toll on one’s eyes. After looking at bright screens for so long, people may not want to be forced to look at them yet again to receive their news. Print papers would not further strain their eyes and, thus, may be preferable at the end of the day.
Printed newspapers provide a host of benefits, more than is possible to go over here. National Newspaper Week highlights all of these benefits and reminds us of the value of physical papers. Society should not convert to solely digital news media, and printed newspapers are not dead.