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“It’s sometimes easy to forget that most people don’t live like we do. They don’t use RSS. They don’t Twitter. They don’t read twenty blogs a day. They (some 100 million or so) still actually pick up the newspaper and read it.” (Chittum, 2009). Knowing this, even with new technological advancements being made every day, it is difficult to keep up to date with the latest and greatest of sources. It seems every time you turn around a new smart phone, portable music player, computer, or form of electronics is being created. Even with all of these constant improvements there is one aspect that has yet to change. This is the printing and distribution of newspapers. While more than 1,000 newspapers are now available online “... most people still read the local newspaper in the ink-and-paper format.”(Chyi & Lasorsa, 1999). Printed versions of newspapers still provide several benefits to masses of people although online print is on the rise.
Printed newspapers possess several positive factors versus online sources. Unlike online sources, printed newspapers do not require you to be computer literate. As Chittum stated,” Print is where the eyeballs are; it's where their best customers are". (Chittum, 2009). By this quote Chittum means print sources are the sole source, where all the details are entailed. Although we are in the 21st century, not everyone is computer savvy. Devices such as computers or alternatives that are capable of accessing the internet are generally costly. In addition, with the recent downfall of the economy, many families are receiving a lower income, and the internet is most likely not a necessity. Printed newspapers appeal to people of all incomes and require less stress or knowledge than online sources. “Once a printed publication is in the hands of the reader, the only requirements that remain are for readers to be able to see and to read. This is not necessarily so easy with on-line publications. Since they are limited by the technological limitations of the user’s screen and memory.” (Barnes & Palmquist, 2009).
Another benefit of printed newspapers is the fact that they are more accessible. By categorizing them as more accessible it means printed news does not involve the stress, or internet connection that online print requires. Although “Distribution online may be cheaper than the physical delivery of printed pages, there are no clear-cut ways to target and market on the Web.” (Barnes & Palmquist, 2009). This is a main component as to why online print will never expand enough to replace printed newspapers. Printed sources have been proven over the decades to be more convenient and easier to read. “The advantage of print publishing is actually placing text in the hands of your audience. In cases of on-line publications, one can only direct someone to a site. The chances of them sitting down in front of the computer, looking up the publication, and reading from it can only be motivated by the individual to find the publication or stumble across it while searching the web.” (Barnes & Palmquist, 2009). Most people would rather sit at a table with a cup of coffee while reading the daily paper than staring at a computer screen. Even though online sources are free at the moment, is it really worth the trouble of searching for a specific publication or story over the internet and then trying to read it from a minute screen? As recent years have passed, most people hear the words “printed newspapers” and automatically complain that hard copies of the news are not eco-friendly. What many of those people do not understand is that every paper is capable of being recycled. In fact, most newspapers…“can survive recycling six to eight times before its short enough to slip away during the screening process.”(Soniak, 2009). Therefore, online print isn’t necessarily the solution to saving the environment.
A final benefit of print newspapers is the fact that it is focused on the local news. Unlike online sources, printed newspapers inform masses of neighboring information rather than the national content. “If ones publication is local, it would be better off in print. This is because Local advertisers can have copies of their publication dropped off at their shops and places of business for sale and distribution. This relationship is impossible on the Web.” (Barnes & Palmquist, 2009). As more newspapers go digital, their information becomes more broad and widespread. Readers expect to know current information in their area, not news from half way across the world. Therefore, “Newspapers remain the primary source of news-gathering in America. And unlike so many Internet “sites,” they are firmly grounded in a geographical place. To read a newspaper is to know what town you’re in.” (Sokolove, 2009, MM36).