The Death of Print Journalism isn't cause for Mourning

Online news is the reincarnation of newspapers and in this form it provides:

• More information
• Quicker coverage
• Varying viewpoints
• Reader involvement


These elements combine to make Internet news a tool that educates and involves citizens. This type of media is the future. Every day, more and more people are turning towards the web for their news. Younger generations are not picking up newspapers because they see them as outdated.

“In the first quarter of 2009, newspaper Web sites attracted more than 73 million unique visitors each month, on average,” as explained by the New York Times.

This wider audience has access to more information than any print newspaper could offer. Chuck Marunde explains, events such as salmonella scares can be reported on in print media, but access the FDA’s site allows readers to type in their bar code and find if their product is tainted.

Readers of online news have access to stories from around the globe, as soon as these events take place. Pictures and first-hand accounts from the Hudson River plane landing were online minutes after the incident. People across the world were able to see exactly what happened by viewing video of the event. In this way, news shared in videos gives the reader an image of exactly what happened better than any adjectives a journalist could come up with.

Newspaper journalists strive to be balanced and fair. In reality, media ownership and individual journalist’s biases affect how a story is written. These same biases might show up online, but readers have quick access to other news sources on the same topic. Newspapers only have one article on an issue. These viewpoints allow the reader to understand the issue from different sides and form their own opinion.

Online news sources also allow the reader to add in their own view and be involved in discussions with other readers. Citizens that get involved with news will feel more connected to their community, and more involved within it. Therefore, the popularity of internet news will have a positive impact on the system of democracy.