Is it possible to live in a world where you can read your daily hometown newspaper while simultaneously receiving Twitter updates to your Blackberry?
All signs are pointing to no.
The one that hits closest to home for me is the announcement that The Flint Journal, in Flint, Michigan is going from a seven day a week daily newspaper, to a three day a week paper, with offsite printing. Not only has my dad been reading The Flint Journal everyday since he was a teenager, but my mom worked there for 30 years, working her way up to become the first female Classified Sales Manager the paper had seen, before retiring about two years ago. My mom spent all of her working years since the age of 18 at that paper, poured her heart and soul into it, and even played a large role in the papers re-design six years ago. She made the decision to accept a buy-out in 2008, unlike many of her colleagues who are being laid off or taking massive pay-cuts after today's news.
I truly believe the downfall of daily newspapers has been inevitable for a while now. I don't think the poor state of the economy did much to influence this, other than making it happen sooner, rather than a few more years down the road. It's only logic: Why would people pay for something they can get for free in a matter of seconds? And that's just what The Flint Journal and other daily papers are encouraging their readers to do. Go to Mlive.com and get the news. People are spending time on social networking sites and interacting with their news. You can not only read an article online, but leave a comment and participate in a discussion with hundreds and sometimes thousands of other readers with opinions. You can get news from around the world, as it's happening, not affected by deadlines, press times and available reporters. You can get everything you need and twenty blog posts to go along with it.
The failing of daily newspapers makes perfect sense...but seeing my dad belly-up to the computer after work just isn't the same as seeing him kicked-back in the La-Z-Boy with the good old Flint Journal and a cup of coffee.
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I completely agree, this transition has been a long time coming due to all the reasons you stated above. I am devastated by all the bankrupt newspapers showing up each week around The States. I love holding my newspaper and turning the page, tearing out things I want to share with others or remember myself. I don't feel that the internet provides this same experience. It is too fast for me, stories change every couple minutes. I like the idea of the slower pace newspaper experience.
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