Impact

At one point in time the daily newspaper was the main resource to how most people got there information. The newspaper was the one resource where people were able to obtain what was going on, locally, nationally, and world-wide. The thought that newspapers are the only resource to obtain information about what is going on in the world is changing because of the increase of technology.

Technology has not only made it easier for people to receive the same news that they would otherwise read in a newspaper, but it has also made it quicker. What takes at least a day to publish news in a print newspaper, the Internet can have news published within a matter or mere minutes, if not seconds!

It’s almost clear to see that the Internet, in fact, has had some impact on print media, specifically on newspapers. It does not matter if this impact was big or small, what really matters in the case is that some sort of impact has been made

According to a 2003 article, written in the Free Republic (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1018264/posts) , it examines this to further illustrate how newspapers have been impacted by the Internet and news based Internet websites. The article summarizes that, since the Internet now plays such a heavy role in news, newspaper are losing money, losing readers, and the chance that smaller newspaper will not make it in the print world due to the Internet.

As far as losing money is concerned, people may not want to buy a $1.00 newspaper anymore because they can simply click onto the Internet with little to no effort, and still get that same news for free. But according to Jonathan Dube, who is quoted within this article saying "Newspapers are no longer willing to just write the Web site off as a money-losing proposition, we already see much less free information." What he means by that is that more and more, as time progresses and technology is advanced, free news Internet based web sites are not free, and require its visitors to at least register or subscribe to the site, either by paying a small subscription fee, or by giving personal information.

According to an article written about Harvard Business School Study and the issue of how the Internet has had an impact on print news (http://www.digitaledge.org/monthly/2001_02/HBSmain.html) suggests that it's not only the Internets fault as to why there may be a decrease in newspaper readership. The article, from understanding, suggests that newspapers can also be to blame because it does not take aggressive measures to ensure readership, whereas the Internet does. One quote that stood out was this: "The newspaper industry has been very slow to develop significant alternative forms of revenue, such as auctions, local retail, and consumer direct marketing and advertising."

This quote may suggest that newspapers need to start thinking like a website, they need to sell their news. Whether that means seeking out more advertisements that target a newspapers demographic or by coming up with new, innovative ways to draw readers to the newspaper, like holding raffles or auctions.

Another aspect of how the Internet has impacted newspaper is that Internet, often times, attract a younger generation of people. Most teen aged and college age people do not have a lot of time on their hands to sit and read the paper. To those who want to keep informed turn towards the Internet to get their quick news fix. On the other hand, the older generation of people, people whose age may range from 50 and up may not have knowledge of how the Internet works, and they may find it too complicated to use, so they simply stick to what is easier for them: the newspaper.

An article by David Zweifel titled "Unplugged Media Remain Relevant" (http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0119-30.htm) summarizes that newspapers may be losing readers to various Internet news sites, but newspapers need to remain competitive and focus more on their own web sites instead of only focusing on the printer newspaper. Why? Because reading news on the Internet is now the new newspaper, it's what is taking over, and having the biggest impact on print news. This article also "passes along" some quotes from a different author and from a different newspaper that keeps the newspaper in highest regards.

"Stop reading for a moment [talking about the Miami Herold]. Flip this over. Notice that the backside of your newspaper is utterly unencumbered by cords, plugs, telephone jacks or USB connections. To hell with Bluetooth technology. We were wireless long before wireless was cool. This quote, by Frank Grimm columnist in the Miami Herold, makes a valid point in saying how people want to turn to someplace quick to gather their news. And it is thought that wireless Internet is the quickest way to get news. But Grimm may prove that statement false, because unlike computers and the Internet, newspapers are quick. Nothing has to be hooked up or downloaded, or installed. All a person needs to do is simply...read!

So yes, the Internet has had some sort of impact on the newspapers of today. People are not only relying on them for information, instead they are finding quicker ways around them for news and information. They are turning to web sites dedicated to local, national, and world wide news, they are turning to blogs for information, and they are even possibly turning to message boards and slow moving conversations on the Internet for news information. However all of this does not mean that newspapers are going to become obsolete. There is still a place in the world for newspapers, and that place holds important. Why? Because there are many people who cannot afford to use the Internet, and still many who do not understand the way the Internet works.