Recently, we studied how the media affects our political culture and why it is sometimes called the fourth branch of government. The media's influence on politics has always affected how we view our politicians; from the times of the penny press, FDR's fireside chats and the televised Kennedy/Nixon debates. However, it is now possible that some major cities will soon no longer have a newspaper.
In a recent cover story, Times author Walter Issacon notes that although readership is on the rise, fewer consumers are paying. According to a Pew Research study, more people got their news online for free last year, than paid for it by buying newspapers and magazines. The newspapers, which traditionally have counted on sales from subscriptions and newsstands are now only relying on advertising dollars, thus making the content beholden to the advertisers themselves.
Walter Issacon makes a case for charging for the news we access. Whether we pay an online subscription fee for the newspaper of our choice, or we are simply charged a "user fee" for each article we access, Issacon stresses that charging for content might just be the only way to save our newspapers.
You are all creative students, who produce artistic content that I am sure you would like to get paid for, yet at the same time, I am sure many of your access news for free off of the Internet. So my question to you this week is, "Do you think we should be charged for the news we access, and if so, with what kind of fee?". Answers are due Sunday, June 6th, 2010.
I personally would appreciate saving newspapers...HOWEVER one also must consider the factor that is space and moving...if you are the type that will be going through alot of moving and/or live in a small apartment instead of a house, I would highly advise against collecting newspapers because it will just be a hassly and a waste of precious space.
ReplyDeletebut if you have a large closet or an extra room, I would advise to go right ahead
Newspapers are an american icon. They are a symbol, for me of war, controversy, scandal, harm, crime, and everything I am tired of reading about. but it is part of our history. From the gutenbrg press all the way until now. But the news is horrible to be honest. I don't think we need paper, it is killing our environment. The truth is, these newspaper companies need to bend with the times and except defeat. I am all for online subscription. I still wouldn't read the garbage anyway.
ReplyDeleteIt is a known fact that the times are changing. The newspaper is dying out from the technology of society today. I personally don't think this is a horrible thing, it would save money and paper if news was no longer in print form. I understand this would mean that not everyone would have access to the news themselves. This means I don't think there should be a fee for accessing the news. It would be tough enough for some to get the information so there is no sense to make it more difficult by adding a charge. I don't read much of the news as it is. I think it would encourage more communication by talking to others about the latest news. This would leave no reason for charging a fee and most would be able to hear the latest. I'm not sure it's the best solution, but it would be an option.
ReplyDeleteKaloni
When I was younger, my parents had a daily subscription to the local newspaper. As the internet became more prevalent, we opted for the Sunday paper only, and now I choose not to purchase the paper at all. Why would I? I can stream it to my cell for free from thousands of networks or log online for instant coverage.
ReplyDeleteIf we did charge for the news we access, fewer will be informed due to unwillingness to pay for it. However, if the newspaper is depleted and affiliates only receive money from advertisers, the public runs the risk of having even more swayed content fed to them. Advertisers will be the controlling body in deciding the information that the news media can publish.
It's unfortunate that in a few years we may no longer be printing newspapers. We'll be saving trees but diminishing more jobs (as printing facilities close) yet again in the U.S.
Newspapers and bookpublishers may share the same fate. Perhaps online newspapers could charge membership for archived issues with a premium for latest edition and special edition. Or merging smaller, local papers either together or under a more prominent news. This is a sad result of the speed and ease of cummunication these days. It is ecofriendly, but poor for culture, education and economy.
ReplyDeleteI believe news papers have become outdated and wasteful. I think we can move to a more paperless nation and conserve more of our resources. My husband loves the paper he will get one and never read it. We just got the U.S.A. Today while in OH for the weekend and it is still sitting in the van where it first landed. I love the idea of the paper and I on occasion skim through one, but too often see pages littering the roadside and blowing across parking lots. I think people can download any news they want to hear or watch the local news at 6. The paper companies could charge an online subscription fee for their particular paper; many people would still pay for a certain brand of news.
ReplyDeleteLori
News is everywhere we turn now. News channels have commercials about news. It's all over the internet. It's a hard thing not to be exposed to. The idea of the news paper was great. In it's time it was one of the most important ways of getting information. But now things are changing. If these company's stay alive It wont be by print, or limited if any. That's just the truth and how our society is changing. There is now starting to be a higher demand on how we treat our environment making the news paper become obsolete.
ReplyDeleteI agree times are changing, and the newspaper is an icon that we have know since we were children along with the pay phones. It is sad to say and I am somewhat torn between the decision as to save the newspaper or totally do away with it. I remember my grandfather reading the newspaper all the time, when he was finished he then passed it to my grandmother. He was really big into the newspapers and the news on television. Even though we have the technology of the internet now days, many senior citizens do not own a computer or have excess to the internet.They look forward to starting their morning with a cup of coffee and the newspaper.
ReplyDeleteThen on the other side of the coin it would save a lot of trees form being harvested. You would not have the newspapers blowing in the streets or across the parking lots.It would definitely cut down on the litter problem. I also think if they are going to do away with the newspaper the should also go green in the stores such as Walmart, Kroger, and Target. Instead of having circulars at the entrance they should have monitors on the carts showing different tabs of the different aisles and what is on sale. This would also save trees and cut down on litter.
But there is also another side of this story, the unemployment of thousands of journalists, printer operators, delivery personnel, and so on. Many people who have done that job for years will be unemployed.
I have no objection for them to add a fee to access the news via the internet. The only time I listen to the news is when it comes over my car radio. Eventually I look for the car manufacturers and the radio stations to team up and put radios in the new cars where you have to feed them a dime or so for every song you want to listen to. It wouldn't surprise me a bit!
Newspapers have always been an excellent source of information. I so remember the time when my grandparents used to start their day with a newspaper in their hand and a cup of tea. They used to enjoy reading it. It’s like getting aware of almost everything that’s going on around before you go out and start your day. I think that time newspapers served a huge purpose because internet wasn’t in practice so much and obviously major source of news was in print form.
ReplyDeleteBut time never remains the same so I think today if we are trying our best to keep the nation green in many other ways then why not save newspapers too. As it is we get most of the news broadcast from online sources and yes those paper companies can then charge the fee online and I believe if people are looking for some source of information, they would just pay for it and in that case it won’t hurt anyone.
-Sajal Dhingra
i can understand why some people would want to keep newspapers around, but at the same time, i barely pay attention to the news.i don't get newspapers, i don't really read news online, and i don't watch the news.i either hear about what's going on from someone else or from chelsea lately.the times are changing and i believe that newspapers need to change as the rest of society has.this doesn't mean i think there needs to be a fee for accessing the news online.some people don't have computers as is, and to add a fee to that problem would just make it nearly impossible for some people to find out anything.i believe that the news should basically be done online & via television & that more people should talk to one another about it in order to spread the word.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that we should have to pay for our news. Today, we really don't see a lot of people reading the newspapers or magazines. Usually every one gets their news from the internet, T.V or from other sources. Thats sounds like me because sometimes i get my news from other people or watch it on T.V. if someone else is watching it. Besides that i really do not care to watch the news. If we did start charging for our news, i think that many people will not care as much either if they have to pay for it. also as a possibility, some of us would complain about it but who knows.It could be a waste just producing magazines when no one is buying. Since many of us do not read newspapers, they should be able to access this by internet or some sources that are useful to them.
ReplyDeleteDiana Soriano.
I really think we need to save our newspapers, the only thing is that recently why newspapers have gone down so much is because of TV and the internet but lets face it as Americans we don't know what to believe anymore. There are so many lies in media that it discourages the common American to even pick up the Indianapolis Star in the morning because some of the stories are so fake even a five year old could point them out. I think if there was more truth that was being put into our newspapers, I would charge people to read but since there isn't much truth I wouldn't pay a dime for it.
ReplyDeleteNo, I do not think we should be charged a fee for the news that we access. I believe that advertisers should always be allowed to do that for us, as long as they are responsible about it. I would however; pay for news if it were absolute truth. I think a great deal of what is in the news is really someone else's opinion or theory.
ReplyDeleteI do think we should do away with newspapers, stop buying paper
Although paper dose cost money, I don't believe where should have to pay for the news paper. Everyone has the right to know what is going on in community, state, and around the nation. Nothing is free in this world. You say that we can get online and get access to any new anyway but we have to pay to have internet service so is it really free.
ReplyDeleteThe newspaper is definitely dieing out, technology has increased dramatically over the past few years. That being said, I do not believe they should charge for news feed online. (Isn't it wrong anyway) I wouldn't pay for it. I'd rather watch the news on my television. That's a fee that I am currently paying for and nothing more. Carter is right, we pay for the Internet and TV now, so aren't we already paying for the news???
ReplyDeleteSide Note: Newspapers should be stopped as it is not good for the environment. I thought we were trying to make it better?
I do believe that newspapers are growing obsolite. More and more people are getting their news from the internet. The only way to keep these companies in business is to start charging for internet access to news articles. The only problem with this would be the advancement of computer and website hacking. I'm not sure how well they could monitor the access. I think the best idea would be to have a monthly or yearly fee for the whole newspaper access. I don't think charging per article would be a good idea.
ReplyDeleteAustin Smith
I do not think that we should be charged for news access. That's kind of like saying we should be charged for just getting information on what is goin on in the world. So what about people who wouldn't evne be able to pay for that, would they just have to go clueless about all that is happening all over. ??
ReplyDeleteNews papers are very iconic, without them some of the largest events in United States history would not have been delivered to the American Public. I am of the oppinion that they should be saved on the value that without them all the journalism would be going to another form such an the Internet, and a subscription based news service would drastically limit the American Peoples abillity to gather news quickly. We need news pappers if only for the reason that their existance makes news on the internet free.
ReplyDeleteThrough the years I have collected various newspapers as a way to capture a moment of history. It would be a lose to loss them. But as a society are demanding information faster, and the internet gives us that. That is progress.
ReplyDeleteEverything changes over time, we went from pony express to Federal Express. In twenty to thirty years who knows how technology will have progressed in order to provide us with the up to the minute breaking news.
JB
Newspapers should be saved, it is the bases of our economy, it was one of the first ways that news was communicated. Today, we should still have access to newspapers and not be charged a fee for them. Advertisers should still continue to pay for it. Newspapers should be extremely pushed to be recycled since the cost of production is costly for certain companies. Recycling would benefit well and really be beneficial. As well as internet newspapers should be readily available, it is more of a timely manner to read top news as it happens.
ReplyDeleteReally they shouldn't let anything like this happen again because this oil spill could have been prevent, but some people are hard headed. There shouldn't be anymore oil spills in the future because of all this new knowledge and technology.
ReplyDelete