Losing print media narrows perspective
The perpetual advancement of technology has transferred the world of print media onto screens, making it more convenient to unlock your phone with a tap of the finger and connect with the world, as opposed to making the treacherous journey to pick up the paper from your front step.
While accessibility to the internet has allowed people to inform themselves of both international and local affairs, it has also enabled misinformation. Unfortunately, the ignorant and uneducated are not able to distinguish the facts from the blatant claims. It is important then, to have a baseline of factual accounts.
According to research by Northwestern University, the country has lost more than a fourth of its newspapers and is on track to lose a third by next year. Losing publications is the equivalent of losing awareness. As it is, people are inclined to find shortcuts, choose the easiest path and in general, avoid thinking. The entire reason history is mandatory in schooling is because our beliefs are shaped by our education. Ignorance is not bliss when history repeats itself.
I cannot compel everyone to revert to print media, as for every person who prefers the feel of black and white pages, there are others who prefer the vibrant contrast of the phone screen. As a student journalist, I am taught to fact-check the internet’s contentious claims. Social media continuously spews misinformation people mistake as fact. For those who do not regularly seek out news stories or practice skepticism on the daily, misinformation on social media can easily be taken as truth.
Those who hold onto printed news argue for its reliability. The trust publications have built with their audiences has allowed print journalism to maintain the influence it has today. While false news is unavoidable, thousands of newspapers exist on Earth, each with a specific angle. These different angles contribute to a holistic world perception that is essential to our consciousness of the status quo.
Even if certain news publications do not completely represent you and your values, if the current trend continues, the number of publications will dwindle to the point that not a single one aligns with your perspective. It is not the job of journalists to appease their audience. Instead, newspapers are meant to be the unbiased standards prejudiced claims are compared to, whether the public chooses to pick up the paper off of their front steps or not.
