Comments on: Those who want newspapers to die are missing the point

By: Rory Short

Rory Short — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 19:35:46 +0000

I am retired and I stopped relying on the print media for information a good while ago. I was able to do this because I can get the infomation that interests me from the internet. I think the same is probably true for increasing numbers of people.

If newspapers as we know them are dying for this and other reasons what we need, in the public interest, is a new invention that will keep the newspaper’s news gathering and dissemination skills operational.

By: BobbyP

BobbyP — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 16:46:17 +0000

Newspapers just need to adapt their print editions to more effective online editions while creating a self-service advertising platform like Facebook or Acruxads.com offers.

By: amandzing

amandzing — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 01:37:50 +0000

I currently work on a community newspaper as a news editor. There are two of us. We gather stories, take our own photographs, and layout the paper ourselves after setting up the dummies. I am news editor, sub-editor, proofreader, photo editor, layout artist, trainer, and admin staff and manager. I am not complaining; I love my job. If I did not I would not be sitting here at 3.30am catching up on stories.

But.

The owners of a newspaper have to take responsibility. Newspapers die because journo’s leave for magazines and promotional jobs, which pay much higher. This means new staff have to be trained. Who leave. It a vicious circle, and until a stable core is formed and we start keeping people, and go back to a semblance of professionalism, where news and education is the core function of a paper instead of profit, then we are screwed. Altruistic? Perhaps, but it cannot hurt a newspaper for the owner to drive a Toyota instead of a Mercedes and employ more staff instead.

By: Trevor

Trevor — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 01:21:31 +0000

Have mercy if news-papers vanished I am stuffed.

Im personally not fussed about whether they are virtual or sheets of paper but Im sure a lot without access to the information super high-way would be. Just think for example the people of Zimbabwe, they have newspapers and TV to spread propaganda and disinformation and the internet to be able to know this is so.

I suspect but I could be wrong but that its television that is sucking the life force out of American news-papers and this is where I would be stuffed without them.

English TV in Asia is appalling. Between job lot programmes about New-Zealand’s boutique wine industry and luxury travel clichés by pseudo connoisseurs enamoured by the good life they so obviously know so little about there is nothing to enlighten. Mostly they cant even get the weather right and what news there is is issued via via the great dross making machine that is American TV.

Admittedly in an ideal world if we all had the non profit making BBC (television) then quite honestly news papers could go bye-bye, but this not the case unfortunately.

Your post gave me quite a start I can tell you.