Chances are, you are reading this on your laptop, or perhaps your phone or maybe you are one of the few people who still pick up a newspaper. With the constant rise of technology, the way we consume news has transformed greatly over the years. Instead of waiting for the paper to hit our front step every morning, we now rely on the click of a button, most commonly turning to our screens for the latest news. Pew Research has reported that approximately 86% of U.S. adults receive their news from a computer, smartphone or tablet, while only 32% of U.S. adults turn to print publications. This begs the question, is print journalism dead?
There is some debate to this question because although print media has become less popular, it does not mean it has died off. But will it? Newspapers are shutting down at a frightening rate. According to research by Northwestern University, an average of more than two newspapers a week are shutting down. “Since 2005, the country has lost more than a fourth of its newspapers (2,500) and is on track to lose a third by 2025.”
Journalism is an ever-changing industry, and with the growth of social media, its patterns have changed completely. In this digital era, we have had to suffer through a great amount of misinforming journalism. It has become easy for anyone to pick up their device and write or say what they want, labeling it as “breaking news.” These social media patterns have caused misinformation and disinformation to circulate quickly. Nonetheless, print journalism still remains more credible and trustworthy in the eyes of the public.
Although it is still easy for fake news to hit many tabloids and magazines, reliable publications such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal can still be trusted. If we have continued to rely on these publications, which have remained in circulation, both in print and online, why should we give up and say print media is dead? Printed news is still considered more credible and trustworthy by the majority. According to a study done by Kantar, 72% of the surveyed individuals believe print magazines are the most trusted news source, followed by other traditional media such as print newspapers, TV and radio news outlets. In the 2019 IPR Disinformation in Society Report, 62% of the survey respondents reported that local newspapers “fared well for perceptions of trustworthiness and the ability to provide accurate news and information.” If print journalism is deemed as the most trustworthy news source for so many, then why should we let it go?
Print media will never die, for it is timeless. We are still surrounded by its beauty and sentimentality; in our letters, our journals and our favorite books. So why should we give up on print journalism? Although it is not as popular as it once was, it will last the test of time if we want it to. Ask yourself this, do you want to see our world get lost completely in technology? We have lost so much to the digital world, we cannot let print slip away as well. There are many traditional things we can still salvage if we make the effort. So pick up a newspaper, pick up a magazine and keep print journalism alive. As the reader, the future is in your hands.
