Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post, once said, “The future of journalism lies in embracing new technologies while upholding traditional values of accuracy, fairness, and integrity.”
How can we uphold the traditional values of print journalism if publications around the globe are ceasing the beloved hand-held papers for the mini-computers in our pockets?
The editors at “The Outlook” were asked about this very topic in the context of New Jersey publications stopping their print publications this month. Those include “The Star-Ledger,” “The Times of Trenton,” “The South Jersey Times,” and “The Jersey Journal,” all of which can now be found online on NJ.com.
When asked if print journalism was becoming a thing of the past, one editor replied, “Unfortunately, print journalism is vanishing at alarming rates. This is why it feels so special to be a part of ‘The Outlook,’ as we still value the importance of print newspaper.” Working tirelessly at “The Outlook” certainly presents challenges for us college writers, but our experience here is irreplaceable.
Another said, “This is disappointing as an editor at ‘The Outlook’ because I have a deep passion for journalism and to think that the skills I am learning now will slowly be phased out is somewhat discouraging.”
The editors believe that the newspaper companies are losing money and not profiting from the physical print copies anymore. With the demographic of readership changing as well as the rise in online news, print copies seem to be approaching their expiration date.
The editors were asked if they believed people would miss the feeling of reading a physical hardcopy newspaper. One said, “I do think people start to miss things when they are gone because they don’t appreciate them when they are there. Personally, I hate reading things online and much prefer physical copies. I think we are overall seeing a shift in the younger generations being attracted to older forms of media (records, CDs, vintage cameras, etc.).”
Another said, “Even as a 21 year old, I will miss it and think we are letting a tradition in this profession slip away too easily.”
Newspaper publications have been printing hard-hitting news for decades. While online news can be just as valuable there is a level of credibility lost. When you read an online article, you’re more likely to do further research on the topic instead of taking the article at face value.
“The argument can be made that online platforms allow for a real-time news response. With that being said, I also think it leads to more errors within the press because things aren’t reviewed as thoroughly as they would be in print. Also, this potentially false information will be spread at an unfathomable speed, making errors much more difficult to correct,” an editor said.
While online platforms are a known threat to print media, there is still hope for a comeback. One editor explained how it starts with small steps like supporting the student-run paper here at Monmouth.
“We try so hard to get the student body excited about the physical paper, especially if their story or photo is featured. Getting the community involved in print media is where we must start,” the editor said.
One editor said, “I hope that print media does make a comeback. I think there is something so timeless about being able to physically hold the material that you are reading.”
Print media can be revived with the sole help of those who want to preserve history and keep tradition. That’s what we hope to do here at “The Outlook” each week with our publication.
Tuesday, February 18, 2025
