In praise of newspapers

Thursday, November 26, 2009

posted by Sue Heuman Share

When I was in high school the Edmonton Journal was delivered every afternoon, except Sundays. (Morning editions and seven day coverage would come later, as I recall. In fact, for a time the Journal had two editions daily – morning and afternoon. Double the fun! But I digress...)

I would arrive home from school and eagerly await the afternoon edition, anxious to keep in touch with the news of the day. My brother and I would trade the sections back and forth until all was sufficiently read.

My need for print news has continued over the last 30 years, and even though I am active in electronic communication – Twitter, this blog, other blogs and online news – I still can’t break my addiction to the printed newspaper.

Every morning, I eagerly bounce to the front door to see the day’s edition. Chances are, I’ve already heard or read the news electronically the night before, but there’s something about lingering over the paper with my morning coffee that I look forward to each day. There’s a familiarity, and a sense that, upon reading the paper, I am now fully informed about current events (and, well, the daily comics to be honest!). I’ve tried reading the paper online, and I do check the Journal’s website throughout the day for news updates, but it’s not the same.

Sadly, the newspaper is becoming thinner and thinner. On most Mondays, in fact, it’s more like a newsletter than a newspaper. Advertisers are turning to other means, it seems, or not advertising at all as we continue to recover from the recession. And, although the Journal still devotes attention to local news, more wire stories appear now. I have thought about cancelling my subscription – surely it’s more convenient/better for the environment/timely if I just read the paper online? – but I just can’t. Reading the paper is a comforting routine that I can’t shake, despite all my online connectedness.

Much is being written about the decline of newspapers across North America. Know, however, that there is more to reading the newspaper than getting the news. It’s an experience. So, I would like to thank my local paper for its dependable continuity in news reporting, for being a regular and reliable friend, and part of my daily routine for 30 years.

I’ll be looking for tomorrow’s edition, with coffee in hand.
 

 

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