By: Arthur Cooper
Submitted: 2011-03-17 21:40:45 | Word Count: 664
Surprise, surprise (sense my sarcasm here, if you will)! It has been recently discovered that more people have opted to getting their news online than through printed newspapers. Studies have shown that as 2010 closed out more advertising dollars went to online outlets than to newspapers as online outlet readership has substantially increased. The numbers grew 13.9% between 2009 and 2010. Forgive my simplistic response here but, duh!
I can’t tell you the last time I’ve seen a printed newspaper lying around. Oh wait, I can tell you. It was the last time I was at the doctor’s office for goodness sake. Sort of like the 8 track, they’ve gone out of style (and necessity for that matter). Nowadays it seems that it is far more inconvenient (and a lot more wasteful) to seek out a newspaper than it would to simply scroll through a tablet device or log on to the internet.
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As stated in a mashable.com article and according to surveys conducted by the Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism 34% of respondents said they read news online within the past 24 hours (as opposed to 31% who favored newspapers); and a full 41% said they get most of their news online, 10% more than those who said they got most of their news from a newspaper. The proof is right there in the pudding.
Not only is news online more accessible and earth-friendly than traditional newspapers, it is also much more up to date. In the time is takes to write a breaking news story and have it mass produced on paper I could’ve read the same breaking news story on line and been on the next…or the third. Traditional newspapers simply don’t have what it takes to keep up with the efficient speeds of technology. Up-to-date news online is simply a refresh button away. Gone are the days of waiting for tomorrow for yesterday’s news. Thank goodness. Now we have access to news that is relevant to the moment. This is great for more than just convenience. Immediate news can aid in immediate viewer response. This can be extremely helpful in situations that are cause for a call to action.
Though online news media is still second to television news as a primary news source for most news seekers the numbers are slowly closing in. It is reported that online news media was the only medium that saw growth year-over-year; from radio to television to newspapers and magazines, every other medium saw a decline in audience.
Television news outlets along with major print news outlets are spreading their wings to encompass online news under their umbrellas. With this online news venture, after deadlines for print stories have passed and it isn’t the time of day for television news, seekers can still be kept up-to-date via the same news source on the web. Good thing these other news outlets smartened up because they are well on their way to extinction. Television news may have a substantial lifeline but I wouldn’t get too comfortable. Print news, you know the drill, see you in a time capsule.
