| Newspapers are not Dead |
| Sunday, 14 June 2009 20:27 | |
 When someone is reported to have died only to have it found a mistake, the line the survivor comes forward with goes something like this: “The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.”
The same might be said of newspapers – the linear variety, the type you actually hold in your hands, in front of your face, and sometimes read. While it’s true that we’ve seen the recent demise of some of our biggest and best, it hasn’t yet been overwhelming, and with a little belt tightening and burnishing of their collective smarts, those who run these companies have a good shot of making it through our difficult times. I look upon as hearsay the gossip that newspapers are in trouble because the majority has abandoned them for what they find online, on Fox, MSNBC, or written on walls. Maybe those under 30 are running in that direction, but have they ever, regardless of generation, been newspaper readers? No. And they’re hardly a majority. Newspapers big and small still have their regular readers, and this is the group they should cater to – no need to whip up the graphics, color and weird layouts in an effort to grab the kids; they won’t bite, and publishers should forget trying to reel them in. That’s not to say online instruments should be avoided; most newspapers, big and not so big, have taken the steps to make themselves Internet viable, and the adaptations have helped. The stock price of the New York Times may now be about equal to the cost of its Sunday extended edition, but their web site is attractive, informative, easy to navigate and well-read – and they seem to be holding their own with it. Other publications not as large have had similar successes; it helps the bottom line – and is an example of using one’s smarts (see above) to get around a problem. Even so, they should not abandon what they do best. I believe that newspapers as we know and love them will be with us for some time to come. They may show up in more compact form, and in some cases available to us on fewer days, but they can and must survive. Meanwhile, those of us in the majority who like to get our news in linear detail, with various opinions, and with no bells or whistles to distract us from our learning goal – should do our collective best to show our loyalty, and provide the support our newspapers need to survive for the long term. If the Hartford Courant can slide, dodge, bend and command its way forward over 245 years, the rest of the Fourth Estate can too.
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