Michael Lambert
Declining Newspaper Industry
What does this mean for democracy?
It is easy to see that the newspaper industry has gone the way of the dinosaurs. With the world-wide web, it is now simpler and easier than ever to get news for free. Who want to pay for a physical copy of a newspaper that will eventually clutter up your garbage, soon after it is delivered? Nobody. This way of receiving news will soon be completely extinct.
Not only is it harder for newspapers to keep up with free Internet-based articles, it has become nearly impossible. Just a few reasons why people choose web-based news over hard-copy newspapers:
What does this mean for Democracy? Is this the end of a legacy by way of "new-fangled technology?"
This technology, and loss of an old testament, can only be a good thing for any consumer in a democracy like ours. With the recession, and economic hardship, who can afford to pay for news when it is so easy to receive for free? We get up-to-date news, it's free, and convenient. The people have nothing to lose.
But the newspaper industry does. They are losing customers by the minute, and are scrambling to find a way to still charge us citizens for the news. Their newest plan is to attempt to charge visitors to credible news sites. This will end up like itunes and free music. There will always be free news out there, and the people will choose it over news that costs them money.
Some claim that this is a sign of a democracy failing, I believe that this is a sure sign of a healthy democracy. Free news is for the people's benefit, and we deserve to know what is going on in this country as well as around the world without having to rely on ancient methods like newspapers.
Here is a link to the full version of Missing the Link: Why Old Media Still Doesn't Get the Internet.
What does this mean for democracy?
It is easy to see that the newspaper industry has gone the way of the dinosaurs. With the world-wide web, it is now simpler and easier than ever to get news for free. Who want to pay for a physical copy of a newspaper that will eventually clutter up your garbage, soon after it is delivered? Nobody. This way of receiving news will soon be completely extinct.
Not only is it harder for newspapers to keep up with free Internet-based articles, it has become nearly impossible. Just a few reasons why people choose web-based news over hard-copy newspapers:
- Convenience- It is much easier to log on to your computer than wait for a newspaper
- Cost- Web-based articles are free. Important in today's economy
- Updates- Internet articles are updated minute-to-minute
What does this mean for Democracy? Is this the end of a legacy by way of "new-fangled technology?"
This technology, and loss of an old testament, can only be a good thing for any consumer in a democracy like ours. With the recession, and economic hardship, who can afford to pay for news when it is so easy to receive for free? We get up-to-date news, it's free, and convenient. The people have nothing to lose.
But the newspaper industry does. They are losing customers by the minute, and are scrambling to find a way to still charge us citizens for the news. Their newest plan is to attempt to charge visitors to credible news sites. This will end up like itunes and free music. There will always be free news out there, and the people will choose it over news that costs them money.
Some claim that this is a sign of a democracy failing, I believe that this is a sure sign of a healthy democracy. Free news is for the people's benefit, and we deserve to know what is going on in this country as well as around the world without having to rely on ancient methods like newspapers.
Here is a link to the full version of Missing the Link: Why Old Media Still Doesn't Get the Internet.
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