I just finished seeing an awesome documentary by the name Page One:Inside the New York Times. I am not going to write a review or something but talk about one of the key points this documentary tries to make- Print media should not go out of business.
Consider it somewhat ironic that someone is saying this on a blog, the number one source of headache to major and established newspapers like the New York Times, Washington Post, the Guardian and even the Times of India. But yes I do believe that the newspapers should not go out of business. And here's why.
The main motive of anyone having a site or even some small online presence is driven by the motive of getting the highest number of hits as possible. And naturally we like human beings like what ever is controversial. Look at reality shows. They get the highest number of viewings because they fuel controversy. Similarly like the cases of big CEO's and business heads involved in harassment charges, we like to read about these things. It is these controversies that newspapers like the now closed News of the World got famous in the recent phone hacking scandal in the UK. The point here is that we all love controversies particularly when it is about the personal lives of others. And it is these controversies that make us attracted to links on personal lives of celebrities. So how do we know that the online media won't exploit this basic human nature?
But this isn't to say that all online media sources are useless when it comes to news that matters. Twitter has led a revolution by making news available faster than the television or print media. In my home at Bangalore I came to know about reports on bin Laden's death like around 6 in the morning when major news channels like BBC and CNN started reporting on this around 9 in the morning. Even journalists associated with newspapers make use of the internet to gather their sources and information. A magazine primarily based around international affairs called The Diplomat went completely online in 2009 to avoid losses. I frequently use its website to keep myself updated about the world particularly on whats happening behind the translucent wall in China. Almost all of the major newspapers have websites, twitter feeds and presence on facebook.
However this does not mean that newspapers should be allowed to go into the oblivion. It's one thing that needs to be saved. Established newspapers like the NY Times and Indian ones like The Hindu are not news sources driven by the motive of landing maximum number of visits. Journalists are allowed to print and work on stories not by looking at if it will generate a controversy. Because no matter what stories they write on newspaper copies will get published. We need to hear about what is happening around the world even if we find some celebrities more interesting. We all need stories about the goof ups the Bush administration committed in Iraq and Afghanistan. We need to hear about the corruption scandals even ones involving the governments in India. We need Newspapers.
Consider it somewhat ironic that someone is saying this on a blog, the number one source of headache to major and established newspapers like the New York Times, Washington Post, the Guardian and even the Times of India. But yes I do believe that the newspapers should not go out of business. And here's why.
The main motive of anyone having a site or even some small online presence is driven by the motive of getting the highest number of hits as possible. And naturally we like human beings like what ever is controversial. Look at reality shows. They get the highest number of viewings because they fuel controversy. Similarly like the cases of big CEO's and business heads involved in harassment charges, we like to read about these things. It is these controversies that newspapers like the now closed News of the World got famous in the recent phone hacking scandal in the UK. The point here is that we all love controversies particularly when it is about the personal lives of others. And it is these controversies that make us attracted to links on personal lives of celebrities. So how do we know that the online media won't exploit this basic human nature?
But this isn't to say that all online media sources are useless when it comes to news that matters. Twitter has led a revolution by making news available faster than the television or print media. In my home at Bangalore I came to know about reports on bin Laden's death like around 6 in the morning when major news channels like BBC and CNN started reporting on this around 9 in the morning. Even journalists associated with newspapers make use of the internet to gather their sources and information. A magazine primarily based around international affairs called The Diplomat went completely online in 2009 to avoid losses. I frequently use its website to keep myself updated about the world particularly on whats happening behind the translucent wall in China. Almost all of the major newspapers have websites, twitter feeds and presence on facebook.
However this does not mean that newspapers should be allowed to go into the oblivion. It's one thing that needs to be saved. Established newspapers like the NY Times and Indian ones like The Hindu are not news sources driven by the motive of landing maximum number of visits. Journalists are allowed to print and work on stories not by looking at if it will generate a controversy. Because no matter what stories they write on newspaper copies will get published. We need to hear about what is happening around the world even if we find some celebrities more interesting. We all need stories about the goof ups the Bush administration committed in Iraq and Afghanistan. We need to hear about the corruption scandals even ones involving the governments in India. We need Newspapers.
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