Ode to Newspapers

There was a great "ode" to newpapers in the Op-Ed section of my local paper this week and it asks some noteworthy questions. If newspapers are "dead," why then were people lining up to buy them the morning after both the election and the inauguration? Why couldn't I find an extra copy of our paper after the Phillies won the World Series?
And what do people pin to their bulletin boards when their kid's accomplishments are noted in print?

The bigger questions seems to be what will we save when there is nothing to save--printouts of on line reports?

I have a collection of notable front pages from notable events: 9/11, the World Series (of course) and the last election. My mother has some from the moon walk, Kennedy's assassination and funeral. You get the general idea: these are permanent records of the history we lived. Somehow, the internet does not do these things justice. Maybe it's fine to read about them on line, but when it is worth saving, I think we all still want something in print.

The fact that the Newseum in Washington has a notable collection of front pages also says something....

As Jay Smith, former CEO of Cox Newspapers notes in his piece: "Lose them [newspapers] and we lose a part of ourselves. We lose a part of what makes America--well, America. If you believe in our way of life, you believe in newspapers."

I believe he is right but I also believe that newspapers are going to have to reinvent themselves to weather this storm. Without the income provided by Classifieds Ads, (their bread and butter), they are floundering, but the trick may be to come up with something to replace those daily and weekly infusions of cash, even if that comes with advertising on line AND in the paper.

I also think that newspapers could reinvent themselves as a forum for what they were once known for: serious journalism. Not the ten second stories that grace the front pages thee days, but long, investigative or even thoughtful pieces that require lingering over an extra cup of coffee.

I'm holding out hope that newspapers will survive because I believe they have the ability to tell stories in ways that are worth remembering.