Newspapers have been considered the most reliable news source for more than a century but in recent decades newer forms of media have supplanted their influence. Some feel that these new sources of news are better but in my opinion, newspapers are by far better because of the amount of time and research that writers put into their articles.
The main reason that many people prefer newer media outlets is that they deliver news more quickly across a variety of convenient platforms. The most notable example of this is online news. The vast majority of people get their news from Facebook and other social media websites which aggregate articles from various online publishers, including the online version of print newspapers in some cases. The problem here is that websites are solely concerned with increasing traffic and getting news up as fast as possible. It is a common occurrence for a website to publish news quickly in order to beat others to the scoop before it has been properly verified or even thoughtfully analysed. The result is hordes of people clicking on links to amuse themselves for a minute without casting a critical eye over the veracity of the news. These articles are then shared online or by word of mouth and false information spreads rapidly.
Despite the conveniences of online media, the news that is printed in newspapers has been better researched and verified in most cases. Newspapers frequently devote entire departments to long-term investigative journalism. A standout example of this would be Boston Globe’s years long investigation into sexual abuse by the Catholic church. They carefully interviewed victims and put together a convincing case which led to long-lasting reforms and convictions of some individuals. They also published stories on the topic for over a year which allowed for detailed and thoughtful analysis of the problem, suggestions for solutions, and articles on wider societal implications. This type of reporting is an anathema to the fervent pace of online media.
In conclusion, even though newspapers are a dying industry I think they are more informative and trustworthy than the largely online institutions that are replacing them. This trend is irreversible and will have consequences for the future of democracies around the world as people become less informed.
Newspapers
have
been considered
the most reliable
news
source for more than a century
but
in recent decades newer forms of
media
have supplanted their influence.
Some
feel that these
new
sources of
news
are better
but
in my opinion,
newspapers
are by far better
because
of the amount of time and research that writers put into their articles.
The main reason that
many
people
prefer newer
media
outlets is that they deliver
news
more
quickly
across a variety of convenient platforms. The most notable example of this is
online
news
.
The
vast majority of
people
get
their
news
from Facebook and other social
media
websites which aggregate articles from various
online
publishers, including the
online
version of print
newspapers
in
some
cases.
The
problem
here is that websites
are
solely
concerned with increasing traffic and getting
news
up as
fast
as possible. It is a common occurrence for a website to publish
news
quickly
in order to beat others to the scoop
before
it has been
properly
verified or even
thoughtfully
analysed
. The result is hordes of
people
clicking on links to amuse themselves for a minute without casting a critical eye over the veracity of the
news
. These articles are then shared
online
or by word of mouth and false information spreads
rapidly
.
Despite the conveniences of
online
media
, the
news
that
is printed
in
newspapers
has been better researched and verified
in most cases
.
Newspapers
frequently
devote entire departments to long-term investigative journalism. A standout example of this would be Boston Globe’s years long investigation into sexual abuse by the
Catholic church
. They
carefully
interviewed victims and put together a convincing case which led to long-lasting reforms and convictions of
some
individuals. They
also
published stories on the topic for over a year which
allowed
for detailed and thoughtful analysis of the problem, suggestions for solutions, and articles on wider societal implications. This type of reporting is an anathema to the fervent pace of
online
media.
In conclusion
,
even though
newspapers
are a dying industry I
think
they are more informative and trustworthy than the
largely
online
institutions that are replacing them. This trend is irreversible and will have consequences for the future of democracies around the world as
people
become less informed.