In a January 2007 New York Times article, columnist and radio personality Garrison Keillor wrote that nothing compares “to the fine art of holding a newspaper.” As laptops are becoming more affordable and socially chic, it’s almost a rarity to find what Keillor describes as the stylish, classy newspaper lover lounging in the local Starbucks, reveling in ink smudges as his fingers sift through the local and sports sections. Instead, we hear aggressive fingers pounding on keyboards, see wires and battery packs covering coffee tables (sometimes, with no sight of any espressos or frappuccinos) and wonder…where have all the Cary Grants and Spencer Tracy’s gone?
Adaptation is key to any growing, changing environment. As society continues its quest to embrace and promote the online revolution by creating web editions of national newspapers and magazines and offering free Wi-fi services at local hangouts (i.e. Starbucks), some fear that newspapers may become extinct. But that’s not the case at all.
According to a 2005 Editor & Publisher article entitled, “Dispelling the Myth of Readership Decline,” print media is reaching more people than ever, thanks to a symbiotic relationship with their partner online editions (ex. Tampa Tribune, WashingtonPost. Newsweek).
As online journalism evolves into an acceptable vehicle for news, perhaps it would be suitable to lay out a few ground rules to fully enjoy the experience:
1) Sharing is caring: Feel free to post your comments regarding articles and blogs. The beauty about online media is that it promotes an open forum-like environment, with everyone sharing their beliefs, thoughts and opinions
2) Everyone has an opinion: It’s becoming increasingly difficult to sort out facts and truth from seemingly endless mounds of data, so do your research, check your sources and stay on track…
3) Blogger Beware: With rising concerns of copyright law, liability and defamation, it’s important to be cautious of what you write, as your words can be accessed by anyone and everyone; I’ll touch on this topic more in a future blog
4) And lastly, the most important advice of all… please don’t bring your laptop to the beach. Sand and saltwater don’t mix well with computer screens and keyboards-unless you’d like to spend your evening cleaning out the cap lock and shift keys with a Q-tip. If you’d like to catch up on the news while enjoying Miami’s cooling waters and bright rays, maybe it’s best to take a newspaper.
Check out the following sites for more info:
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2007/01/10/keillor/index.html
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2007/01/10/keillor/index.html
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