Papers need to start going with the flow

Thus far in my studies of journalism, there has been much controversy regarding the supposed death of the newspaper. Most of the professors I've encountered seem to think it will survive for quite some time. I'm not so sure about this and neither is Eric Alterman.

In his article entitled, Out of Print, of the New Yorker, Alterman sites "The Vanishing Newspaper" author Philip Meyer and his assertion that the last tangible paper will be delivered sometime in 2043.

If I'm doing my math correctly, I'll be about 56-years-old. Since I'm already a much bigger fan of the Internet for my news needs, I can't imagine that I will be too heartbroken if newspapers disappear.

The article also says that the average reader of the newspaper is 55-years-old and rising. I am forced to believe that the last paper will be printed around that time, if not earlier.

All of the current journalism students in the U.S. and I will undoubtedly shape the course of the future news media and I suspect that many of us only glance or scan the paper occasionally. This is mainly because our professors highly suggest that we do or threaten our grades with quizzes concerning content directly from a specific front-page article, but even then, most of that is shoveled onto Web sites. That certainly makes it convenient for those of us not so eager to sit around with a 10 pound pile of sloppy papers strewn around every morning to still gather the news efficiently.

And on a side note, I know some of the elderly will sit every morning and read through the paper in it's entirety but I think this is a minority. Therefore, newspapers are indeed, a detriment to the environment.

I liked the words of Bill Keller, who is executive editor of the Times.
"Editors ask one another, 'How are you?,' in that sober tone one employs with friends who have emerged from rehab or a messy divorce."

I don't know if this holds any validity by it is humorous to imagine. It must be tough for the newspaper staffs around America, as their work is being read, bought, and trusted less and less each day.

I thought the statistic that there has been a 42% decline of market value of independent publicly traded American papers was staggering. I definitely do not want to immerse myself into a business of that condition right out of college, with loans to pay.

I agree with Arianna Huffington of the Huffington Post that "the online world isn't the enemy." There is always going to be a need and desire to obtain news, local and global. The Internet has set the trend of immediacy and interactivity. I think everyone would benefit from newspapers moving with the current instead of against it.