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Why do we still produce newspapers?

B

Bulldozer

Senior member
There are several alternatives for getting daily news. While there may be some minor conveniences to newspapers, I think the sacrifices made in production costs and tree consumption outweigh these benefits. I did a couple quick searches and could not come up with any numbers but the number of trees cut down to supply one day's worth of newspapers is unreal. There are more than 55 million papers printed daily (U.S. only). I am anything but an environmentalist but this seems rediculous to me. Sure, all of this newspaper production creates lots of jobs but I thought we were supposed to be protecting the environment. I've never heard the greenies complain about this. Instead, they complain about topics like snowmobiles in Yellowstone, which is anything but a problem. But that's a different topic.

Does anybody else think that newspapers need to be all but eliminated? I think anybody actually interested in the daily news has access to a computer.
 
true, but some people like the feel of the newspaper and the ability to read it at breakfast, or on a bus or something
 
not everyone has a computer, nor everyone with a computer likes to read his news on the computer.

Regarding the paper, well newspaper is pretty easy to recycle (I think) and as long as they aren't cutting down old growth forest to make papers I don't see a real problem.
 
to read


Um, if you think about it, it must still be profitable to produce newspapers, or they wouldn't still do it. It's not like we get together as a society, and say, "Today we will stop printing newspapers, because that's the way to be now." As long as someone makes money off it they will keep making them.
 
I'd ask the same question about Phone Books. It would be a hell of a lot easier to get a searchable CD version of the phone book. I truly don't understand why that option (to my knowledge) has never been given.
 
Well, if newspapers were to cease production where I live, two bad things would happen. One, I'd be out of work and two, nobody would know what's going on news-wise. My area is a very rural no technology area. For most here (of those who actually have pcs), Windows 95 is as up to date as it gets. There is no cable or dsl. Most people think that "Internet" is pronounced "Innernet."
 
A while back I read the number of trees cut down per day that were turned into newspapers and it is insanely high. That is where these thoughts came from. I realize many people like to read the paper on the bus or with their morning breakfast. It just seems like an obvious solution to reducing harmful effects on the environment.
 
Good grief, that would be suicide.

Newspapers are cheap, portable, don't require power, don't break, don't lose data, are never obsolete, don't require patches, don't require a startup cost to obtain, and can last much longer than computer media.

Not to mention tradition.

They're here to stay for a while.

Viper GTS
 


<< I'd ask the same question about Phone Books. It would be a hell of a lot easier to get a searchable CD version of the phone book. I truly don't understand why that option (to my knowledge) has never been given. >>




I don't think a typical computer owner leaves their computer on all the time. I know I'd rather look in a phonebook than wait for the computer to boot up to find a phone number.
 
Is it about the trees? Then let's stop building homes out of wood, and use steel instead. I'll just throw in that there is as much forest in North America today as there was 100 years ago. Link.

Newspapers are fading somewhat, and all I can think of is all the bad things that will result.

It's the newspapers who investigate corruption in government. They report on stupid decisions by your elected officials. Without that oversight, it would be up to the citizens at large to monitor the government. Do you know anyone personally who attends their local government meetings? That's what I thought.

They report on stories which are too complex to summarize in a 30-second story on the news. Not everything you need to know fits neatly into a short film clip on the 11 o'clock news. How do you decide whom to vote for - by the ads they run? If so, you are supporting the growing trend that only rich people can win elections. Do you see CNN doing any investigative work? No, they report very short blurbs about events.

They make it possible for advertisers to reach people in their area. Small and medium-sized businesses need a way to reach people in their area. No one can make it if they have to hope people just happen to drive by and stop in. Radio/TV ads are not as effective. People who have things to sell use classified ads to reach thousands of people for a few dollars. Ebay cannot compete with local classifieds for things like selling cars, household goods, etc.

They are the chronicle of history. Without newspapers (which survive indefinitely when stored properly) we would never know much about what actually happened. That comparatively impartial recorder of what happens every day keeps people from rewriting history on their own terms.
 
Using WinXp, it only takes like 20 seconds for my PC to boot up fully and be ready to work 🙂

But regardless a CD should be an OPTION. If I don't know the exact spelling of the name but know what the person's address is or what the number looks like, it would be a million times easier to find with a searchable CD than using the PhoneBook.

Yea can always use Switchboard.com, but I'd like an option to page through the entire local area phone book without having to do a search.
 


<< Good grief, that would be suicide.

Newspapers are cheap, portable, don't require power, don't break, don't lose data, are never obsolete, don't require patches, don't require a startup cost to obtain, and can last much longer than computer media.

Not to mention tradition.

They're here to stay for a while.

Viper GTS >>



I don't see what half of these "points" have to do with the topic.
 
Can you read 20 inch column articles on a phone or palm while you are on the way home on the bus or train? Do you get wireless high speed net access everywhere you go? Can you wrap packages with your computer after you are done reading it?

dumb question if you ask me.
 
I read both major daily newspapers here. They are much more informative than the empty drivel that passes for news on the TV networks.
 


<<

<< Good grief, that would be suicide.

Newspapers are cheap, portable, don't require power, don't break, don't lose data, are never obsolete, don't require patches, don't require a startup cost to obtain, and can last much longer than computer media.

Not to mention tradition.

They're here to stay for a while.

Viper GTS >>



I don't see what half of these "points" have to do with the topic. >>





are you stupid?


getting rid of paper newspapers require computers. computers cost money. Not everyone has one. The paper, if archived correctly, will last decades upon decades. You think that little CD rom will? Or you think every newspaper will always have every article searchable online forever?

tell me one thing, in specific, of what he said, that doesnt pertain to your topic.
 
You have some good points, kranky.

I'm not suggesting that the news should not be reported. It just seems to me that getting local news (detailed, just as it is in newspapers) from a website paid for by the same subscribers that subscribe to local papers would save all of that paper.

I definately don't see television news as an alternative to the newspaper. I'm also not calling for an all out cease in production of newspapers. The college I attend has a student population of approximately 24,000. There are 16,000 copies of the university paper circulated daily. Seems wasteful to me. Obviously they will continue to produce them while there is a demand for them.

I agree, ebay can't compete with classifieds, but that's a different market. I check classifieds daily (from local papers). However, I do it online with sites that search 5 different papers at the same time. I don't think any of the reporting should be eliminated, just received in a different manner (through the internet).



Lucky, I'm fairly certain that newspapers aren't produced so that we have something with which we can wrap packages.
 
Yes, Lucky, I'm stupid, thank you.

I don't see what archiving has to do with this discussion. You're talking like you'd need to buy a computer to get news if newspapers were eliminated. I don't think I need to explain why that is false. Do you store newspapers for decades? I'm guessing not so I don't see your point. I never said anything about CD-ROMs so their longevity isn't an issue.

I'm talking about daily, conventional use of newspapers. You read, you discard.
 
Wood used to make newsprint generally comes from tree farms planted specifically for this purpose. They are not cutting down old growth forest to produce newsprint. Furthermore wood is a renewable resource. The reason we are recycling paper has more to do with disposal than it does with cutting down trees.
 


<< Yes, Lucky, I'm stupid, thank you.

I don't see what archiving has to do with this discussion. You're talking like you'd need to buy a computer to get news if newspapers were eliminated. I don't think I need to explain why that is false. Do you store newspapers for decades? I'm guessing not so I don't see your point. I never said anything about CD-ROMs so their longevity isn't an issue.

I'm talking about daily, conventional use of newspapers. You read, you discard. >>






you cannot talk about discontinuing the daily use of newspapers without bringing up the subject of archiving. Thousands of libraries, not to mention all newspapers, either save paper copies, or in the case of most libraries, microfiche them after a while. As a matter of fact, yes, I do keep newspapers for arvhices. Im not old enough yet to have kept them for decades, but I certainly do keep any paper of historical significance. Along with any and all that contain decent work of my own (photography).

Archival is an integral part of the equation, you cant just ignore it. Digital storage and CD'roms have their advantages but for archiving purposes, cost purposes (initially), portability, ease of use, and many other reasons a physical newspaper wins hands down.

And I can guarantee you that newspapers are not produced from virgin trees, both papers I have worked at used 100% recycled paper, IIRC. (edit: excluding inserts)
 
i prefer to read a "physical" paper rather than the news online. for one, its just way more convenient than backing up 20 times and battling through popups and ads. for another, its highly portable, dont tell me that your car has a wireless access point installed in it? i ride the bus from the parking lot to my school, and i would not dare pull out a laptop on there, especially in the public cause this is a big city. that and my bus has no wireless access point anyway, so it would be pointless. and also, newspapers recycle a lot.

 


<< I'd ask the same question about Phone Books. It would be a hell of a lot easier to get a searchable CD version of the phone book. I truly don't understand why that option (to my knowledge) has never been given. >>


1) Reliability. By the time a CD reaches your hands, statistics show that roughly 10% of the numbers are wrong (and this number just increases over time). This is difficult to update. The phone book on the otherhand, mails out a correction to me every couple months which I slip into the front and I always am up to date. At the moment, sending a letter every few months costs far more than creating a new CD to mail every few months.
2) Production cost. Since nearly everyone has a phone, a phone book must be produced. Only half have a computer - so phone CD's don't need to be produced. The cost of creating these CD's is quite high...
3) Ads. Many companies doubt that a CD with pop-up ads would be nearly as successful as the current yellow page ads. Thus businesses won't spend money for CD ads like they will spend for phone book ads. No ads makes the production cost even greater.
4) Technical support. I can imagine the difficulties some people (like my grandparents) would have with using a CD phone book. The phone company would have to greatly expand their technical support to handle these excess calls. More costs.
5) Ease of use. When I want to go to a new address, I grab the phone book and look at the maps as I'm driving. I'd hate to have to boot up a computer, load the program, find the maps, then print them out. In fact I do this so often that I keep a phone book in the car. It will be quite some time before I keep a computer in my car. Won't that be a haven for theives.
6) Recycled stuff. Phone books around here are 100% recycled materials. CD's aren't.
7) Safety. Belive it or not, but some people need to use those important numbers on the inside cover of the phone book. Numbers like 911 are clearly shown for small children and the mentally challenged. Not many of those people will be able to use the CD in an emergency (although some might not even be able to use the phone book - at least it is easier than a CD).
8) Speed. Looking up a number in a phone book is almost always faster than a CD.

I could go on and on. CD's have great uses (searches especially) but their benefits don't outweigh their problems quite yet.



<< Out of the more than 55 million newspapers produced daily, how many do you think are saved for several years? >>


I may be wrong, but I thought at least one copy of every major newspaper is saved forever. This is both in paper form and often in microfilm or other forms. News on the internet seems to last about 1 week. Sometimes it is moved to archives and other times it is deleted - either way it is difficult for me to find again.
 
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