Newspapers have been the choice of news for years. But since the onset of the internet, they have been under threat. The internet brought about several advantages over the print newspapers, and the trend suggests that more people are leaning towards the online news channels. The problem facing the newspapers is trying to keep the loyal generation of readers, and keeping them from getting on the online bandwagon. Technology is not helping the newspapers’ case with handheld devices being able to access the internet as well as read different file types. The technology revolution is putting the newspapers out of business with preference being towards internet-based news sources.
The agility of news is a factor that is negatively affecting the newspapers. The print medium is comprised of several pages, which to the modern reader are an added package, especially where one has to buy several copies. The digital media, on the other hand, occupy virtual space online or digitalized space on the mobile devices if downloaded (Cho, Smith, & Zentner, 2016). Accessing the news does not call for an extra package, as long as one is able to access news online, in different forms such as videos, audios, and text (Jeon & Nasr, 2016). The online news sources have an advantage over print newspaper when it comes to compatibility.
Newspapers have an appeal to various groups, from years of being the dominant source of news. Some people prefer having a print which they can interact with using writing tools, can make cutouts, art, and other users, as opposed to an online resource. The interest group uses terms such as “more professional” in the reading experience (Cho, Smith, & Zentner, 2016). The years of being printed have resulted in the newspapers taking a popular framework which allows the readers the opportunity to read selectively. In some news sources over the internet, the audience may not have control over the method and means of delivery.
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Online news sources trump newspapers on availability. One may access news online as soon as it has been posted, unlike newspapers where one has to wait for the press to deliver the product to the newsvendor (Bastos, 2015). The constant availability of online news introduces comfort and reliability to news access since factors such as weather do not prohibit one’s access to the news. In addition, the news can be sourced from any region in the world, at the click of a button, unlike newspapers which one may need to request delivery via mail from a different region.
Newspapers are a good source of local news, as opposed to the internet. In small regions, it is still hard to get traffic to online news sources, and print media is still the go-to source. For small regions, print media such as newspapers seem to have better coverage as opposed to online resources (Bastos, 2015). The challenge for online sources of news is getting traffic and sustaining enough revenue for the service, which leads to a need for expansion and therefore coverage of a large area and international news is preferred (Jeon & Nasr, 2016). The strategy results in increased traffic and site sustenance, and marketability.
In conclusion, the online sources of news have numerous advantages of which is the compatibility and ready availability. The online sources of news do no impact the environment as newspapers do, and with newspapers being digitalized, the print version is soon to end. Newspaper presses providing online versions of the print media introduces the advantages of the news channel to an audience that has taken to the internet for news, locally and internationally. The online sources of news will prevail since even the elderly, who were accustomed to the newspapers, are turning towards the internet due to its flexibility.
- Bastos, M. T. (2015). Shares, pins, and tweets: News readership from daily papers to social media. Journalism studies, 16(3), 305-325.
- Cho, D., Smith, M. D., & Zentner, A. (2016). Internet adoption and the survival of print newspapers: A country-level examination. Information Economics and Policy, 37, 13-19.
- Jeon, D. S., & Nasr, N. (2016). News Aggregators and Competition among Newspapers on the Internet. American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, 8(4), 91-114.
