Media / Media Bias

Are newspapers on the way out?

Last week, the Toronto Star published an article about how many users of the Internet still buy and read hardcopies of newspapers.

The piece was based upon a survey of 3,014 Canadians that was conducted by the Canadian Internet Project. The study found that those who go on the Internet to read news were more likely to buy newspapers than were non-users of the World Wide Web. The survey revealed that 59 per cent of Internet users were likely to read a newspaper, compared to 50 per cent of non-users. The conclusion — the Internet is being used as supplement to the print media, not as a replacement.

No doubt the death of newspapers that have been predicted by some has been greatly exaggerated. This is nothing new. When radio first burst on the scene, the demise of newspapers was predicted as an almost certainty. Why read the news when you can simply sit back and listen to the news? Similarly when television appeared, there were pronouncements that both newspapers and radio news would quickly disappear. You can actually see those that are making the news, sometimes live; why would you want to read about it or be content to simply listen?

But newspapers have survived. And they have survived despite the increase in 24 hour stations and channels and news and talk shows that have greatly increased on am radio and cable TV in recent years. While many newspapers have gone under and circulation has dropped for many, the print media has yet to become extinct.

But the survey that was the basis of the Star’s article appears to be seriously flawed. There is no breakdown given regarding the breakdown of ages of the over 3,000 respondents that were interviewed. People who have grown up reading newspapers will undoubtedly continue to do so in spite of the fact that they access news from anywhere in the world with a click of a mouse. Many will continue to read newspapers because they enjoy the format; and it is as much of a daily habit for many as that first cup of coffee is.

What the survey did not take into account is the age and the fact that children are now growing up online. Kids today are more likely to be on the Internet to play games and chat with friends before they begin seeking out news. It is not so certain that the young people who have never read a newspaper will leave the Internet to go one when they reach the stage where they want to be informed about the greater world around them. They are on the net already.

When children that are raised on the Internet grow up and reach middle age, newspapers could be in serious trouble.

Ontario’s Minister of Health, George Smitherman, angered the province’s optometrists when he called a group of them who are seeking greater funds "terrorists" and announced that he doesn’t negotiate with terrorists. Smitherman later apologized for his remarks.

In reporting Smitherman’s apology on November 7, the story on the CBC’s website had the following headline: "Minister says optometrists aren’t terrorists". The CBC seems to be of the opinion that Ontario’s eye doctors might well be terrorists until George Smitherman let it be known that they aren’t. For those that have regular eye examinations, it’s a good thing that the Minister cleared that up.

And kudos to the CBC for actually using the word "terrorist" in a headline; they use that word so rarely.

Arthur Weinreb is an author, columnist and Associate Editor of Canada Free Press. His work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Men's News Daily, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck and The Rant. Arthur can be reached at: aweinreb@rogers.com

Other articles by Arthur Weinreb