Newspapers have been around since the 17th century to deliver news, but have been decreasing as social media and the internet have been more accessible to people.
It is important to have local newspapers around to deliver news to the public and to be able to reach those who cannot receive news through social media or the internet.
One reason why there has been a drastic decrease in newspapers is influenced by age groups, such as younger generations getting their news from social media instead of print. Older generations tend to be patient enough to wait on a news story until the print edition comes out the next day.
“I mostly get the news from my phone. Every now and then, I’ll pick up a newspaper and read through it, but I mostly get the news from social media,” said college student, Megan Keim.
Social media has increased in popularity and access over the years, making it tough for newspaper companies to keep up.
To catch up on any news that is happening, it is easier to read it on social media because all that is needed is to be able to have internet access. Breaking news automatically sends out notifications that everyone gets on their phone at the same time.
“I want newspapers to stick around because they’re more reliable than what can be on social media. Newspapers have to go through so much editing and on social media, anyone can post anything and make it sound legit,” said Keim.
One local newspaper company that has sold their building and decreased their size is Butner Creedmoor News located in Creedmoor, which is just 30 minutes away from William Peace University.
Even though Butner Creedmoor News is still around, they had to sell their building and downsize because they couldn’t afford it anymore, and it was partly due to not having enough advertisements anymore.
Sponsors who use to sponsor Butner Creedmoor News for years, have not sponsored anymore, which has caused them to not make as much income.
There is no question that newspaper popularity has been decreasing within both large and small newspaper companies, but that doesn’t mean the print industry cannot be saved.
Start with supporting local newspaper companies and WPU’s newspaper, The Peace Times. The Peace Times’ print edition is coming out Thursday, so instead of just walking past the paper, take a break from studying and read about what is going on around and off campus.
Thanks for pointing out that local newspapers could benefit those who cannot receive news through the internet. This reminds me of my parents who live far from me and are not used to the use of the internet. I will consider finding a newspaper that could be delivered to them so they could be aware of what is happening locally.