It is often argued that despite the increase in the number of people reading news on the internet, newspapers will continue to be the chief outlet of news for the preponderance of the people. I disagree with this idea on several grounds.

On the one hand, newspapers are a pinnacle in the spread of information. This is due to the fact that prior to major inventions like the radio and television, newspapers were the only method of a government or monarch to inform the people of the latest happenings in the country. For instance, the Bengal Gazette was started in the 1800s to report the colonial takeover of India by the British. Had it not been for newspapers, it would have been extremely difficult to create the sense of patriotism that led to the revolt in 1857. On the other hand, newspapers are rapidly becoming an object of the past. Hardly anyone but those belonging to our grandparents’ generation, mainly pensioners and retirees, read the newspaper on a regular basis. It is fairly simple to know why - technology. We all have our gadgets with us at all times, therefore anything we might need to know is right on our fingertips. It is more convenient to read the news on the pocket sized gadgets than on a sixteen page, A3 size publication which only adds waste to the environment. It is also faster due to the fact that news on the internet can be updated at any time, unlike on a newspaper, where the presses print once every twenty four hours. In conclusion, although newspapers have been an important source of information until of late, I believe the internet has trumped this bout as it is faster, easily accessible and eco-friendly.