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Code of Ethics

Nicole Knight
Editor in Chief

Warm, aromatic coffee penetrates the air combining with the stale, ink smell of a fresh newspaper as the loyal reader opens this Sunday’s latest edition. Damp black ink stains the reader’s hands has he flips through the paper with each page rustling furiously. His computer is turned off and the TV blinks in muted silence, as the reader engulfs himself through every section, line and printed word. Like reading a novel, it’s his time to get away, only he understands what’s going on in the world around him once he steps out the door. It’s the way the day starts.

Sadly, scenarios like this come in small handfuls these days as the future of print newspapers appears grim and waning. Technology has taken over. Newspapers, magazines, newsletters and brochures have all made their way onto the World Wide Web. Like everything on the Internet, information is readily available and constantly updated – a perfect fit for the nature of the news.

Instead of paying the 50 cents for a paper thrown away by the afternoon, readers can go online for free and have news updates 24/7. The Web also combines video, animation and all the fine conventions of technology to enhance the readers’ news experience.

So why would anyone buy a print newspaper? Some people still consider newspapers the most credible source for news. And for others the experience of opening the paper, flipping through the pages and viewing the entire package defines keeping themselves updated from day to day.

These people, if sorted demographically, would most likely result in a middle-upper class, working, middle age male. But these traditional print newspaper readers can come in all forms. I have talked with college students that still read print newspapers and, middle-upper class, working, middle age males who refer to online news sources. How you keep yourself informed these days comes down to preference.

It seems every time I look in the news, there is at least one story describing the downfall of print newspapers and their forever-growing financial problems.

The Associated Press ran a story Monday detailing the numbers of the industry's struggles citing a Newspaper Association of America report saying daily circulation fell 2.8 percent at U.S. newspapers in the six-month period ending in September. The Los Angeles Times suffered the worst drop with a decline of 8 percent in period. And these drops go across the board including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Washington Post and the list continues.

Several people, particularly concerned parents, have asked me if I will still have a job in the next 10 years. I will admit, the condition of print journalism worries me, but I still have faith in the traditional newspaper reader. I don’t believe print will ever completely vanish, at least not during my time. The paper may reduce to its bare minimum of compensating with monstrous, pricey ads and brief-like news stories, but there will always be an audience. Until a generation comes along that did not live when print newspapers dominated the news world, we will survive.

My faith in print falls not only on my future profession, but also for the value in the reading experience. The differences in reading a lighted monitor and the ink-blotted paper are vast. Sitting down with a paper over morning coffee is the time to unwind while still acquiring a daily dose of news.

Online and print are different worlds that can coexist. And there will always be fans for both. Hopefully the value of print reading will remain embedded in future news audiences and not swallowed by the fast-paced style of online news.

Nicole Knight, a senior journalism major, is editor in chief of the Campus Times. She can be reached by e-mail at nknight@ulv.edu.