Tag: Tribune Star

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OUR NEWSPAPER HAD A GREAT FALL

“Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall/ Humpty  Dumpty had a great fall/All the kings horses and all the kings men/Couldn’t put Humpty back together again.” Once upon a time, newspapers had great power.  They could sway elections and make or break someone’s career overnight. That was when small town newspapers published all sorts of personal information.  If Sears Roebuck took you to court over a $400 unpaid bill, they printed it in the paper. Divorces were announced on the inside page.  You were at their mercy.  Any misstep was fair game. But suddenly, that’s over. Like Humpty Dumpty, our local newspaper has had a great fall.

Back in 1912, they  built a four story  building on Main Street.  If you walked in the back door to meet with a reporter  or editor, you could hear the printing presses thrumming.  Everything was there—immediacy, excitement, urgency, and most importantly, power.  Being the publisher or editor on the top floor epitomized prestige and social standing.  It was still that way a scant 14 years ago,  when our local paper built a  new, two and a half million dollar building near their old offices.

Newspapers have lost circulation and have had a great fall
Like Humpty Dumpty, our newspaper had a great fall

But then everything went downhill.  The best reporters were let go, or left.  Quantity, not quality, became the norm.  Hard news, defined as news or investigative journalism that deals with serious topics and events, requires more  journalists.  Soft news is defined as information that is primarily entertaining or personally useful.  It’s easier to produce and can be done at a leisurely pace.  It also  fills more space and is far less interesting.  If you want soft news, you can read a magazine. And yet, the newspaper’s front pages began featuring  more and more“soft news.”

Consequently, circulation dropped, and   the newspaper’s  advertising revenues began to dwindle. At the same time,   Television  and  the  internet have replaced many of the newspaper’s functions.  Younger generations no longer subscribe to newspapers.   And so, the big expensive building was no longer sustainable.  This year,  the entire newspaper staff moved their offices to the basement of  a  neighborhood  mall that’s struggling for occupancy. Today, they  announced the paper will only be published five days a week, rather than seven.

Newspapers have lost the ability  to influence public opinion.  No one  cares who they endorse for office or what they think about plans for a new jail.  Yes, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.  And no one can put Humpty back together again.

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9 REASONS TO TAKE THE NEWSPAPER

I know what it’s like to go without a newspaper.  For over 20 years, we  went South in the winter to islands where we couldn’t buy a metropolitan newspaper.  Yes, we had the internet, and could access the stories in our local paper at home.  But it wasn’t the same at all.  Each morning, when we had our coffee, we tried to pretend it didn’t matter.  We turned on the Today Show, and surfed the net.  But there was a great big void at the beginning of our day.  Here are 9 reasons to take the newspaper.

Reading a newspaper in print is more leisurely that online
THE BEST WAY TO START THE DAY IS WITH A PRINT EDITION OF YOUR FAVORITE NEWSPAPER.

1. They’re easier on the eyes.  Black and white newsprint on paper has no damaging  UV light from a computer or cellphone

2.  It’s more relaxing to lean back in your recliner and flip through the pages vs. sitting at a computer or holding an i phone.

3.. You’re better informed.  Reading a news story of three or four columns gives you an in depth view of what’s really going on with this particular situation.  Yes, you could read it all on your computer, but you probably will read only two  or three  paragraphs before shifting to the next headline.

     4.  The funnies.   There are three or four comic strips I  really like.  But if I have plenty of time and nothing much to do, I’m  apt to find a few others.

5.  The advice columns.  I find these columnists immensely amusing.  Why do people ask advice when the answer is so obvious?f.  It’s fun to mentally put in your own two cents.  And sometimes, you can clip a column that hits home and send it on to a relative or friend.

       6.   Sharing. My husband and I discuss the different news stories, and  pass them back and forth to point out what one of us may have missed.

7. The Bridge column and the puzzles.  These   games are a fun way to challenge your brain.

         8.  Advertisements.  Unlike television, you can pick and choose the ones that interest you.  Yes, you can go online to find the supermarket ads.  But it’s much pleasanter to go through them in the newspaper.  And then, on Sundays, there are the coupons!  And, if you’re interested, you can peruse  the real estate ads and check out home values in your area.

9. More bang for your buck. You can read a $5 issue of People Magazine in 5 minutes.  But you can easily find an hour’s worth of reading material in a dollar newspaper.

Believe it or not, we take two newspapers at our house, which  gives us a different perspective.  Besides, it’s nice to see what’s going on in Indianapolis  where my daughter lives with her family. Many local newspapers are going out of business.  But we hope ours doesn’t.

Viva La Newspapers!