Should Desperate Measures Be Taken To Save The Newspaper Industry?
I do believe that the newspaper industry has been in serious need of assistance for
a long time. Many people nowadays do not even get a newspaper at their doorstep. Or if
they do get one, they choose not to read it. I don’t know whether it is a lack of time a
person has or just the unwillingness to read. Most people today including myself find it
much easier just to open up a web browser to see what is current and other things
including the weather and sports highlights.
Before the turn of the century, journalists were frowned upon just as they are now.
As described by Ben Hecht, a reporter in 1910, “ it was a time when reporters were
“exotic adults.” And that journalism is “a catch basin for hooligans, bar flies and minor
swindlers.” This is similar to today because journalist are thieves, vandals, and simply
annoying to many people. As a result this is a reason why the newspaper industry is
crumbling. The more popular type of news presently surrounds celebrities, who are
followed by a different type of reporter…the paparazzi. This type of journalist for the
most part brings an array of annoyance and hatred for the news.
Celebrity news is highly popular among people today because it is interesting and
exciting. People enjoy seeing famous people at their worst. Also, people enjoy reading
pieces that include sexual content and drug and alcohol abuse. The general public is now
more open minded and social than before. The more of this included in a paper the more
attention is drawn to it. Examples of papers taking advantage of this are “The New York
Times, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal, who have wine clubs. And Conde Nast
has started an online dating Web site for a fee of $30 a month called
TrulyMadlyDating.com to “unite glamorous girls with fashion-conscious GQ-reading
boys to create matches made in style...