Newspapers are old news

By Tavia Rzasa and Jessica Williams

Making online news the primary source for readers who want up-to-date information is a step that needs to be taken. Currently, both online copies and newspaper prints are available to the public. Due to the online Web sites for newspapers, fewer people are reading the actual prints. In order to save money and even trees, the hard copy era needs to be ended.

Most newspapers now have versions available on the Internet, which has led to a decrease in paper sales. There is no need for both to be existence, especially because online versions of newspapers serve the same function of printed versions without killing trees. Some newspapers have avoided becoming online-only publications because they fear not making a profit. Companies may not want to advertise on Web sites because they are used to paying for a printed ad in a news publication. All of these problems have solutions that could benefit the newspapers and the readers.

At least 25 million trees are cut down each year and part of the problem is printing newspapers. According to bloggers from the news industry, it takes twelve fully grown trees to make one ton of newsprint, with more than 107 tons being used daily in the world. Most major towns and cities have daily papers that are printed out and distributed to the public. While these papers provide an important source of reliable news, more conservative means could be taken. The obvious and simple solution to this tree massacre is to eliminate the need for printed news. Internet versions are equally informative and accessible.

The battle for readers between printed newspapers and their Inter counterparts is costing both sides a fortune. Online sources do not seem to be making as much profit as printed papers, because as of now they are free to access. In order for these online news programs to make money, they could have people pay to read what they post. Certain newspapers could have their own Web sites, as most already do, and have people make their own accounts. These accounts could be created for a monthly fee, which allows the newspapers to have a reliable source of income.

The Internet also has the advantage of being globally accessible. Printed papers are normally only distributed locally. When a publication is on the web, people across the world can read it when they choose to subscribe. This could greatly increase the number of readers for any given paper, resulting in more income for the publication. The Internet is also a much faster way to get news to the public, rather than printing. Right as a story is developing, journalists can post the information onto the site rather than having to wait for the next morning paper. Getting news to readers quickly is a benefit because people often want to know the news as it’s happening.

When a paper has a large number of readers, businesses are more interested in advertising in that paper because their advertisement will reach more people. It will also be easier for news publications to keep count of how many readers they have because a visit count is easy to maintain on a Web site. This allows for more accurate statistics to be presented to companies interested in advertising.

Printed newspapers have lived a long and healthy life, but all good things must come to an end. People are becoming environmentally conscious, while also becoming accustomed to efficiency in their lives. The Internet is a resource the media must embrace and use to its full potential for the sake of the environment and the readers.