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Getting Tomorrow's News
The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is head for the front door to grab my daily edition of the Press-Republican. For as far back as I can recall, I have looked forward to reading the daily newspaper. In my younger years I would look at the pictures to see if any of my friends had made the news as I hurried to the sports section to check the baseball standings and other sports stories.
Nowadays I glance at each headline and read the stories, especially local stories, that I'm interested in. I go page-by-page, especially enjoying the editorial and/or letters to the editor page. I carefully check the obituaries, hoping not to find a familiar name.
And then I devour the sports news, and, admittedly, check out my horoscope for the day, a habit started by a certain someone who steadfastly believes that the brief statements will truly shape our day. We are both Geminis.
To me it's a great way to start the day. And if you're a "baby boomer" the odds are the newspaper is a part of your day as well. But there's a problem with this -- our kids are not reading the newspaper and they never have. We fifty and sixty year-olds may be the last generation of newspaper readers. And then what?
ESPN baseball analyst Tim Kurkjian, who spent much of his career as a newspaper sports reporter, said that he is worried about the future of the newspaper business. High school and college kids have too many other ways to get the latest news.
In fact, the current young generation doesn't even watch the television news. Bernard Goldberg, noted television commentator and author, has pointed out that over the past several years the viewership of television news has been cut in half.
We don't have to look far to find out where our kids are getting their information -- it's right here on the computer! Are we living in the midst of the rapid death of the daily newspaper? That's a scary thought to me. I'm a nervous wreck if my newspaper isn't at my door when I wake up in the morning. I find myself checking every five minutes (okay, every three, maybe two, minutes) to see if it's been delivered.
Look what's happened at the Press-Republican in the past few years. While maintaining excellence in newspaper publishing, they have established a website and the latest news is just a click away. I check this website several times a day (as you know, I'm retired!) to see if there's an update.
Many of us had never heard of the word "blog" a few years back. Now, the Press-Republican presents blogs from the newsroom, the sports department and, most recently, J.W. Wiley, in addition to this "On the Sly" blog.
You can bet that the editorial staff of the Press-Republican is well aware of changes in readership. I have no idea whether newspaper subscriptions are up or down. I just know that in the past two years the editorial staff has put a lot of time and effort into the success of this website.
Even though I get information throughout the day from my computer, I still need my dose of the printed page each morning. Before my shower, before my can of V-8 juice, before my breakfast, before my good morning phone call from a certain someone, I want my newspaper!
Comments
Foxy, I just want you to know, I am only 24 years old and I still sit down and read the newspaper every morning. I read the articles and do the crossword. The only paper I read online is the press republican to keep in touch with my home town. I tried to get a subscription but apparently they don't deliver to hawaii! Also, I love fox news, watch it every night. Bill O'Reilly is my favorite! You must like him too, he has some good vocabulary words!
Posted by: Toofaraway20 | May 14, 2007 1:23 AM
Foxy,
Like you, I will never forsake the paper for the computer. The computer is just too darned cumbersome to bring into the reading room in the morning. Give me Joe LoTemplio in print not on a computer screen.
Craig Mathews
Posted by: Craig Mathews | May 13, 2007 5:20 PM
Growing up, i had to fight to get the sports page first. When you become an elected official, however, you turn to the Editorial page first to see who is writing nasty letters about you! Then you hope the editorial is favorable! Ah, how things change...By the way, I read about 20 newspapers online each morning to become informed for the day....
Posted by: The Donald | May 13, 2007 4:19 PM
It's Sunday morning; I just finished reading our hometown newspaper. I read the local news, sports, weekly weather forecast, put the local grocery circulars aside with the others I received during the week. Later today I will determine my grocery list for the week.
In addition , I looked at the upcoming local sports events, theater listings, TV offerings and classified ads.
While I read the paper, I tuned in our local radio station and watched CNN for national and international news. Within an hour I was informed for the day.
The print media, radio and television give their consumers a limited view of the news due to space and time limitations; however can provide the consumer with an overview of the world's events.
We are living in the Information Age. Never before have we had at our fingertips so much information. If there is a particular event that piques our curiosity, the internet will give us infinite choices of exploring it in depth.
To the Adirondack Almanack, despite (his/her) lack of correct spelling, proper grammar, capitalization and punctuation, the message is vaquely clear.
This generation can be the best informed generation- but only if it chooses to be.
All the information is out there and accessible if they choose to seek it out. If they don't, they are no better informed than past generations.
Skip
Posted by: skip zatonski | May 13, 2007 9:12 AM
Okay, I'm a dinosaur too. Even though, like Woody, I read from about a dozen newspapers a day online, there's nothing like getting my hands on a nice fresh newspaper (dead tree version). I have every other Friday off and my reward to myself is to drive to my 7-11 and get a Washington Times > then straight across the parking lot to my local Starbucks and enjoy the printed word - along with my absolutely can't live without .. caffeine. I just don't have the time to read a hardcopy newspaper workdays - because I work for the Feds and work just comes @ you from the get-go. But hey, if newspapers go extinct (I don't think they will), it's natural selection working - and I like how the world works that way. But like I said, I don't think they're going away. I mean, they were around 300 years ago - young Ben Franklin worked in his brother's printing shop making them up - think about the change our world has gone thru in the last 300 years and newspapers are still here. But I do love the fact that I can stay in touch with the North Country, reading the Press online.
Posted by: Miney Rowlson | May 12, 2007 7:13 PM
Foxman.. I too look forward to the morning paper... in my neighborhood we don't have to wait very long. Although I haven't met our newspaper delivery person , our paper arrives about 4:00 AM, sometimes I swear the ink isn't dry yet ! We have always been fortunate with our delivery people, all have been excellent over the years but this guy is amazing .
I personally read the paper in stages
stage 1 Scan the Headlines
stage 2 prep coffee, grab paper, head directly to the "reading room" for more intense study ( this stage requires precise timing!)
stage 3 relaxed reading of the the classifieds and advertising. I really enjoy our local paper... it's been part of our lives for so long, I can't imagine life with out it!
I do kind of disagree with you about the kids reading the paper, I noticed as they hit their early teens, they seem to take interest and as they age, they seem to become more and more interested.... I think the biggest difference is probably sports, in our day the paper was our only source for "box scores" ect. Now with internet access and ESPN that information is old news by morning. I think I'd rather see more local sports information and less statistical info! and Again... how bout that Kait Parker story.. I really enjoyed it!... there was recently a similar act of kindness at our local water hole, Meron's, as "old Timer" walked in he noticed a beer chip on the floor, when he held it up to see who it belonged to as many as 12 people claimed it....rather than cause a stir, the crafty veteran bought the bar a drink! What a guy!!!!!
Posted by: the carver | May 12, 2007 7:18 AM
Hi Foxy .... I'm baaaaack!
It's been a while - I miss writing you - but I just got through another local political event and am working on reports for the National Federation. Plus doing ads for a local magazine ... enough of this ....
I get the Reno Gazette Journal and believe me, if it's not at my door by 6 am, I go into serious withdrawal! It's the "local" paper for Reno and reminds me so much of the P-R - (man, I do miss all you guys).
Larger circulation, of course, but they do feature a section on neighborhoods and many of my members are often featured paper writers or authors of note.
Back to the "younger generation". Yes, I agree that they get their information in so many ways other than a paper or radio (going WAY back) but I don't believe in the newspapers' demise. I always have believed in the tactile feel of a paper - something substantial in your hands - doing the crossword in pen ... returning to reread an article and, oh yes, critiquing the ads (old habits are so hard to break!). That's why my club will - as long as I'm in charge - continue to bulk mail our six newsletters a year. Lot of work - yes, but so much more personal than a screen on one's computer.
And, yes, Foxy, where I once had to sit for hours in the library doing research, I can click on a site and gather data in seconds.
Guess you and I are the 50s - 60s (age wise) who live in the best of both worlds. How in heck did we ever survive BCEM (before computer e-mail?)
Believe me, nothing will ever replace my morning paper!
Read you every day - keep up your great work!
Lynda
(Foxy's note: Wow, the return of the Bullet and Lynda in the same week. I love it!)
Posted by: Lynda (Bouyea) Bevins | May 11, 2007 11:41 PM
Oh the woe... those pesky kids being so unlearned.
In Oh the woe... those pesky kids being so unlearned.
In case yall didn't notice, many, many, many more people are attending college these days, but they don’t bemoan the ignorance of the largely uneducated and often even illiterate older generations. Literacy is up – way up. My grandparents made it to the eight grade, and they were the norm in rural America.
You might also notice that the internet has not only allowed younger people to largely abandoned the mainstream media, but also to survey stories from hundreds of sources, including news unfiltered by some mainstream journalist and coming instead directly from the horse's mouth in many cases. Not to mention that the older generations didn't have access to online papers from around the world.
You asked "We fifty and sixty year-olds may be the last generation of newspaper readers. And then what?"
I'll tell you what - the next generation will be better informed, better able to discern the propaganda from their local paper from the real story, better able to find the real story when they are interested.
Any young person “needs to instill this everlasting skill and rewarding experience” - in the old folks around them.
case yall didn't notice, many, many, many more people are attending college these days, but no one seems to bemoan the ignorance of the largely uneducated and often even illeterate generations past.
You might also notice that the internet has not only allowed younger people to largely abandoned the mainstream media, but also to survey stories from hundreds of sources, including news unfiltered by some mainstream journalist and coming instead directly from the horse's mouth in many cases. Not to mention that the older generations didn't have access to online papers from around the world.
You asked "We fifty and sixty year-olds may be the last generation of newspaper readers. And then what?"
I'll tell you what - the next generation will be better informed, better able to decern the propaganda from their local paper from the real story, better able to find the real story when they are interested.
Any young person "needs to instill this everlasting skill and rewarding experience" - in the old folks around them.
(Foxy's note: I guess you just didn't read my blog carefully enough. I never said that today's youth are "unlearned." Where did you see that word in my blog? I think you missed the entire point of the blog ... and that is that someday we will look back at the printed newspaper with fond memories. Reading the newspaper each morning is a habit that we "fifty and sixty year olds" have. Don't take it so personally if you don't read a newspaper! Having educated young people for 35 years, I obviously have a great deal of respect for this generation. Most of my employees at my little North Country Cable Network company are in the 16-24 age range. You feel you are better informed; I say you are just informed in a different way.)
Posted by: Adirondack Almanack | May 11, 2007 3:39 PM
Foxy,
I, like you, live for the paper. As a matter of fact I read 2 papers each day and I am not the same person if I miss either one. Like you I enjoy the editorials and columns and comments, only if they are signed. "Speak Out" years ago was a terrible concept. I am also worriied about how people get their information. Too often news needs to be presented with facts and history which takes time and thought not 30 second sound bites. Reading is a lost art. Our family grew up with hundreds of books and to this day everyone still reads with a passion. I am also proud that my daughter loves to read and whenever a Harry Potter book was released she got it on the first day and read it not just immediately but read it a second time right after. Any new parent needs to instill this everlasting skill and rewarding experience. Off the SoapBox .
Bullet
(Foxy's note: It's great to see the return of the Bullet! I'm glad to see that all is well -- as long as you get your newspapers!)
Posted by: Bullet | May 11, 2007 2:02 PM