Newspaper: The Grandfather of Media

Response to "Newspaper: The Aging, Dying Media Vehicle"

Can we ever say goodbye to the newspaper? Maybe, "until next time" might be a more fitting line of departure. Goodbye sparks the thought of eternity. I don't think the print newspaper will ever be completely laid to rest. We cannot forget the greatness that print media once relished in. The newspaper helped spur an American Revolution. Thomas Paine's pamphlet, "Common Sense," was the most influential media source during the late 1700s amidst a time when America sought independence. The newspaper is the grandfather of all media since its time, and all forms of media to come. We must honor our media elders and understand that their will always be a place in our society for the newspaper; even if it is a diminishing roll.

James Stovall says that the element that holds a society of diverse people together is the news. The News is no different from one person to the other; it doesn't segregate itself, or discriminate from others. The news is the beating heart of our society because it pumps knowledge and information to us all. The newspaper was once polished as the media's main machine for dispensing the news is merely just a cog in the whole operation now. The internet is indeed stepping into the spotlight as the main source of media dispersal, but the newspaper is still needed. You cannot look at it as a one or the other type of situation. To be informed citizens we must be well rounded in current affairs and political happenings in our country, and last time I checked the newspaper still aided in this process.

Rupert Murdoch, a global media mogul, has an interesting article about the relationship of the media, and the importance of journalism as a whole. "The answer is that great journalism will always attract readers. The words, pictures and graphics that are the stuff of journalism have to be brilliantly packaged; they must feed the mind and move the heart."

The bottom line is that understanding our language and bundling words with other words to create an object of beauty will always attract a readership. The newspaper still does this the best. The internet has timeliness in its back pocket, but print media is still a premier art. There is still something attractive about news in the print form; it still has life.

People still love vinyl records, classic cars and movies in black and white. There is something nostalgic about the trends of the past and the newspaper is shifting to this group. The newspaper is becoming and ancient commodity, but I think it will age for a long time. Many of its branches will wither in the media heat, but the trunk will stand for years and years to come. Superman sightings will always be reported in pages of the Daily Planet,and there will always be that young boy on the corner yelling, "Extra Extra read all about it!"

Response to "The Death of Print Journalism isn't cause for Mourning"

This Blog was something that was very informative. The main points in the beginning of the blog was very helpful. It gave so many examples of why online news was easier to access than a newspaper.


The main purpose of this blog was to explain how online news was better than a newspaper. The point that stood out to me the most was how quickly news can be online and how fast it can travel around the world.

With technology on the rise the demand to know something the minute it happens is very high. TMZ founder Harvey Levin stated that everyone wants their news and want it fast. When Michael Jackson died TMZ was the first to announce the news. He reportedly died at 2:26 pm LA time. TMZ had the story posted at 2:51 pm. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/jun/26/michael-jackson-tmz-scoop Under a half hour the news that Michael Jackson had passed was reported online and the world knew within that same day.


Another point that was also important was the fact that people are allowed to comment on online news and give feedback. This is very essential because news is for the people, If you are getting comments on how helpful the coverage of a news story was, or what could have been done better then its helping you work on the how to understand what your readers want, and how to cover it.

I agree that online news is better than a newspaper. This blog was able to confirm it by its points and examples that were given.

Comment To Maggie's Blog Post

There is an undeniable motive making people slowly but surely convert to the internet. I very much agree with this here blog post by Maggie. The internet can offer an interactive and more user friendly experience than a primitive newspaper ever could.

You bring up the point that internet has become very natural in our society. I definitely can relate to this statement. The internet has indeed become more "natural." But how? Well for starters, with the kids of today's day and age, it is almost unreal for them not to use or learn how to use a computer or the internet by the time they hit middle school. It's a common tool in today's education and research department.

This then raises the point of how long the newspaper will last. You claim to have read in a blog that the newspaper will last another decade or so. This is an accurate statement by my logic. The majority of people who read or actually BUY newspapers are those who didn't have the internet growing up or while in school. With that, you see that slowly but surely those loyal paper buyers will fade and the new age of the student will overcome and give the internet the definite edge.

Another aspect of the newspaper/internet feud is advertising. Advertising is how newspapers make the majority of their money. However, the internet and the technological research and advances will also sway advertisers to use the internet rather than print media. Advertising's 15 basic appeals by Hirschberg exemplify some of these tactics. Hirschberg claims that to appeal to ones emotions is one of the best ways to intrigue a consumer. This isn't possible without a target audience. The beauty of the internet includes the technology to be able to know who is using that particular computer and what they appeal to. The newspaper doesn't have these advantages.

As you can see, the internet is on the up and up and they are still in a phase of figuring out how effective it can be. With the internet having infinite possibilities and the newspaper slowly losing possibilities there is no reason to think the newspaper will survive.

Reeling in Real Estate with the Internet

Response to Cassi Rosso's Newspapers: The glue keeping it all together.

Regarding real easte, the Internet made my life so much easier this past summer. I signed the least to my first apartment in July. I've been dreaming about apartments since I was about ten. Needless to say, I was picky and clicked through endless websites and listings on Craigslist.org before finally discovering home.

I didn't completely ignore newspaper classifieds or the real estate magazines deposited randomly around UW Milwaukee in my search, but I found myself casually looking through them rather than seriously sitting down and highlighting possibilities. The printed materials were great for local apartments. I blindly wandered a few websites and found myself clicking Racine or Madison listings, and it was easier to stay on course with material physically in hand. But the print provided the room number, prices, location, a phone number, and that was typically it. Did they allow cats? Could I paint? Was a bus line nearby? I had to set up a viewing, and no way did I have time to visit 8,000 locations during the summer.

Searching online, I obtained all this information in a comfortable computer chair, and my thirst for detail was satiated at all times. James Glen Stovall mentions in his Writing for the Mass Media 7th Edition on page 191 that Internet browsers demand visual logic, simple organization and navigation, speed, depth, and news from websites they view. Printed ads are visually logical, and it's easy enough to navigate a newspaper, but they did not speed up my apartment searching process. Websites provided details about hardwood floors and domed ceilings. Their information was up to date, and I knew the apartments listed were actually available. I could even take a virtual tour before stepping foot in, for all I knew, some rat-infested dump.

Thankfully, credits cards or personal information were not needed in that it was a search and not a purchase. I skipped any website demanding profile creations and still received quality results. I look through classifieds when the newspaper is at hand but doubt I will ever make a move on the products. The Internet gives power to the purchaser. Sitting in my much loved apartment as I type this, I'm thaknful it's around.

Evolution of the Internet

Is the Internet taking over our lives?
Response to Cory Miller's post

The question isn't necessarily 'who' is killing the newspaper but 'what'. We can blame the demise of the newspaper industry on the Internet or increasing laziness of Americans but the true culprit is something we can't even put a name on. It is a combination of technological progress, the on-the-go lifestyle of most people and America's love of the new and the bold.

More and more of our daily services are becoming available on the Internet. You can now order a pizza or pay bills or read entire novels online. According to chapter eight of Writing for the Mass Media by James Glen Stovall, immediate news is now the expectation of Internet journalists. Television was once responsible for reporting breaking or ongoing news stories because newspapers function in a different time frame. Now, the Internet presents the news faster than television ever has.

As more companies and services join the online community, more of our lives are found on the Internet. There becomes less of a reason to close the laptop or leave the computer desk because so much of what we do can be done online. It only makes sense to read the news online because you can do it in between ordering a birthday cake and applying for college. An article from Reuters states that newspapers have lost 20 percent or more of their advertising revenue as a result of people getting news online and the subsequent shrinking circulation.

It is true America is a constantly changing and evolving entity. The newspaper industry has been a social and political powerhouse for decades. To see a once innovative industry falling further every day is disheartening. The Internet has taken over the news business and it is in no position to stop. You suggested in a short period of time we could see the Internet take over the television industry and I have to say I wouldn't be the least bit surprised. I would be saddened and frustrated that there is such a powerful force taking over the media, but I certainly wouldn't be surprised.

Demise of the Newspaper: Not a Big deal

Long gone are the days of the Walkman, disco music and vinyl records, and the print media industry is following in the demise of these ancient things. Every morning, I fire up my laptop and have millions of news articles just a few clicks away. From sports to politics, up to date information is being fired at me from all different directions, and I love it!

In a 2008 article in the New Yorker entitled Out of Print, Eric Alterman cites an article by the Carnegie corporation which states that "As early as 2004, newspapers had become the least preferred news source among young people." The younger generation, especially college kids, have seemingly become attached to their computers which has allowed for this change.

The ability to have massive amounts of information at my fingertips has allowed myself, and most likely thousands of college students around the country to effectively write papers and conduct research effectively and efficiently.

In his blog, Newspapers and Thinking the Unthinkable, Clay Shirky states that "Society doesn't need newspapers. What we need is Journalism." There will always be forms of media which provide us with information, so why should we suffer reading through a newspaper, when we can read the same information online for the most part, free? The potential move from print media to online digital media is an essential piece to progressing the profession of journalism. Bob Dylan once sang "Times they are changing", and for the media world, the extinction of print media will eventually prove to be a positive thing.

Is the Internet taking over the Newspaper a bad thing?

A response to "I Might as well Plug the Ethernet cord into my Brain".



I would like to first state that I do agree that the news online will worsen citizen's dependency on technology. Although I don't really agree that this is a bad thing.


I as well do not wish to see the newspaper vanish completely, because I do enjoy reading a printed newspaper compared to reading on a monitor. I also enjoy saving newspapers if there is something important written within that I would like to remember. Technology is most certainly becoming more and more advanced and I believe that we need to become advanced along with it. It is just the way the world works. If we didn't become more advanced with technology our country would just be behind in many ways.

I do agree with the fact that the homepage of newspapers online can be overwhelming at times. Although, I think that many people have become accustomed to the internet and have learned how to not become overwhelmed. Many of the newspapers online, are designed very similar to the way in which a printed newspaper is. Meaning, online you are able to jump from section to section. The sections include, Internationl, National, Obituaries, etc. So, I do believe is it easy to access the information.


According to Stovall, it is much easier and less time-consuming to "broadcast" or "publish on the Web. The Web is also able to handle a wide variety of formats for presenting information. It is also known that most news organizations produce more than they can show or print. Broadcasting is limited by time. Print media are limited by space. The Web doesn't face any of these problems, so soon only the Internet will exist.

Overall, I would like to see the newspaper make is through this struggle, with the online news, but I really don't think that it will. As I stated before technology is advancing and we need to not only acknowledge it but move along with it. It will make our lives easier to move with it. Instead of being left behind.