The Evolution of Newspaper Journalism
How a Role-Reversal Between Print and Online May Occur
Jun 28, 2009
Declining circulation does not equal the death of the print edition, though it may result in a journalistic role-reversal. The possibility that print editions will become the supplement to the online editions (the reversal to the current arrangement, in which online editions are still considered supplements to the print editions) is not unreasonable to consider.
Still, the death of the print news media crumbling is unlikely at any point in the immediate future, nor even in the distant future.
The very fact that the two forms of media have marked differences is the salvation of print journalism. There will always be those who prefer the message of professional detachment and rely upon the training of professional journalists, trusting in the news judgment and journalistic integrity of the print staff; likewise, there will always be those who prefer the interactivity in which the online edition allows them to engage.
Two Different Environments
The environments of the two media play a role in dropping circulation numbers. Media theorist Marshall McLuhan addressed different technologies providing different environments.
The environment of print newspapers is one of tradition and a near-nostalgia. It appeals largely to those who have time to sit down and devote a lengthy period to reading the newspaper. While newspapers are often associated with the lifestyle of the businessman who is on the run, tucking a folded paper under one arm and a to-go cup of coffee in the other, the print edition is really the format of the person who has a frame of time during the day to spread the paper wide, sit back, and read through the pages.
The online edition, on the other hand, belongs to the on-the-run environment. Whether it is the avid Cubs fan wanting to check the score on her cell phone in the five minutes between classes or the businessman on Wall Street wanting to briefly check his stocks before his 2 p.m. meeting, the online environment is one of immediacy. If the reader cannot find what he seeks, he types it in the search bar, skims the hyperlinks quickly, and goes straight to what he needs.
Indiana University Department of Telecommunications professor Mark Deuze mentioned in his article “Journalism and the web: An analysis of skills and standards in an online environment” that personalization is one of the main points of online journalism.
Tailoring Personal Interest Online
On some newspaper websites, the environment of online editions can be personalized to have items of the individual subscriber’s interest appear on the main page, allowing the reader to set his own agenda as to what news should appear most prominently within the environment of his personalized online edition.
The environment is one of individuality as opposed to community. In the print edition, the entire community receives a standard paper; online, the individual can tailor the material to his interests. Navigation is also easier online. There is no need to thumb through the pages in search of a particular news items. Instead, simply type in the search bar and skim the related hits for the article in question.
Presses Rolling Ever Onward
Technology continually evolves, and with that evolution our methods of conveying and consuming the news change as well. Fortunately, in a free society there will always be a need for news, and with that need for news there will be varying preferences for the message the news sends, the manner in which that message is constructed, and who constructs it.
Since the days of Gutenberg’s press and the rise of the print age, newspapers have powered onward and maintained a readership, despite how readerships wax and wan over time. Even if one day the online editions become the commonality and the print editions are nothing more than an esteemed rarity, journalists will still continue their newsgathering in order to keep the public informed.
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