The newspaper although once a booming industry has over the years declined in popularity and sales. The newspaper used to be the only source for news and entertainment, which is not the case anymore. Basically everywhere you look there is media, online, on your phone, in your living room. There is less and less a need for the newspaper. As talked about in the book the sales of newspapers and steadily decreased over the past few years. There is no longer a real draw to the newspaper. There are easier and more convenient ways that we are able to obtain our information. I would have to say that I agree with the author when it comes to the fate of the newspaper. Our generation didn’t grow up reading it, the next generation most likely won’t grow up reading it, and I just don’t see how the newspaper could gain back its status.
In the 1800s was the start of yellow journalism, the idea that the newspaper didn’t just have to carry news, but could also talk about more scandalous things that people wanted to hear about. Today it is hard to find a newspaper that doesn’t have a story, or ever section, dedicated to the juicy gossip people what to hear about. And why, one might ask. Isn’t the point of the newspaper to get information about the world and what is going on in it? Yes, yet, the newspaper is a business just like any one business, therefore they want to produce what sells. And blood baths, celebrities, and scandals are what sell.
We talked about in class if it is possible to have journalism that is completely objective. Where someone can write about a topic and not insert their opinion into it. Personally I believe that it is very possible to do that. Granted, some topics may be harder than others, but it is something that is very doable. There is a time and a place for personal opinions, and sometimes it is in the newspaper, and sometimes it isn’t.
