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It is National Newspaper Week.
This week is set aside each year to celebrate the oldest establishment in the “Fourth Estate.”
It provides an opportunity to dredge up quotes like this one from Thomas Jefferson, who said, “If left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.”
Of course, that has to be set against this quote from the same man — “The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers.”
Newspapers, in general, are taking a beating these days. There are charges newspapers are too cynical, too sarcastic, too biased and the list goes on and on.
That is OK. In fact, it is more than OK. It is wonderful.
The venom being heaped upon newspapers is wonderful because it comes from people who are engaged, reading and contemplating what is being written. That is how our democracy stays strong.
But newspapers are battling not only hostile detractors. They are also battling technological developments that are coming at a pace hard to keep up with, let alone get in front of.
However, newspapers have always found a way to remain relevant. There is no doubt they will remain relevant despite the changes currently taking place.
Where else can citizens regularly turn to find out what their local municipalities, states and federal government are doing? Where else can they go to find out what is going on across the nation and the world?
Today, it is not enough to put out a print product. Today, a newspaper needs a website, blogs, social media outlets and videos, just to name a few.
Would your great-grandfather recognize today’s newspaper? Not likely.
But, hopefully, he would be able to recognize that while the medium has changed, the intent is the same — to provide information that is timely and relevant to his needs.
That is something worth celebrating during National Newspaper Week.
It is National Newspaper Week.
This week is set aside each year to celebrate the oldest establishment in the “Fourth Estate.”
It provides an opportunity to dredge up quotes like this one from Thomas Jefferson, who said, “If left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.”
Of course, that has to be set against this quote from the same man — “The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers.”
Newspapers, in general, are taking a beating these days. There are charges newspapers are too cynical, too sarcastic, too biased and the list goes on and on.
That is OK. In fact, it is more than OK. It is wonderful.
The venom being heaped upon newspapers is wonderful because it comes from people who are engaged, reading and contemplating what is being written. That is how our democracy stays strong.
But newspapers are battling not only hostile detractors. They are also battling technological developments that are coming at a pace hard to keep up with, let alone get in front of.
However, newspapers have always found a way to remain relevant. There is no doubt they will remain relevant despite the changes currently taking place.
Where else can citizens regularly turn to find out what their local municipalities, states and federal government are doing? Where else can they go to find out what is going on across the nation and the world?
Today, it is not enough to put out a print product. Today, a newspaper needs a website, blogs, social media outlets and videos, just to name a few.
Would your great-grandfather recognize today’s newspaper? Not likely.
But, hopefully, he would be able to recognize that while the medium has changed, the intent is the same — to provide information that is timely and relevant to his needs.
That is something worth celebrating during National Newspaper Week.
