Canada and the World
Current Events with a Canadian Perspective
Last update
29 December 2010
Newspapers are Disappearing
The newspaper business has been suffering
for several years; the economic recession is
causing some to close their doors permanently
Time Magazine has published a list of the ten most vulnerable newspapers in the United States. The March 2009 article lists such storied journals as The Miami Herald, The Detroit News, and The Boston Globe as being among those in trouble. However, while many smaller papers have folded, those three big metropolitan dailies were still publishing at the end of 2010.
Susan Lesch
Steady Decline in Readership
According to the Newspaper Association of America there were 1,878 daily newspapers in the United States in 1940.
By 2008, this number had fallen to 1,408; that’s down by 72 newspapers since 2000. Today, there are about 49.1 million daily newspaper readers, that’s about the same number as in 1966, when the country’s population was 196 million. But today, the population is 305 million.
The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press found that in 2008 39 percent of the U.S. population had read a newspaper (either print or online) the day before. That’s down from 43 percent in 2006. The Pew study also reported that the readership of print newspapers had dropped from 34 percent to 25 percent between 2006 and 2008.
Many Reasons for Newspaper Decline Put forward
Writing in The Globe and Mail (June 2009) Ryerson University journalism teacher Suanne Kelman said there is no single cause for the troubled times hitting papers: “There’s the stampeding flight of advertising, the public’s loss of trust, the decline in literacy, blogging, a reluctance to pay for news, a market fragmented into shards...Take your pick.”
At the same time, classified advertising revenue has disappeared with the advent of such online services as craigslist, kijiji, and ebay.
What Does an Absence of Newspaper Mean?
“I believe that the loss of the mainstream media would constitute an irreparable blow to our society.” That’s journalism teacher Suanne Kelman speaking. She, and others, worry that if newspapers go who is going to keep the politicians’ feet to the fire.
The broadcast media were uncritical of the Bush administration in the run-
Writing in The Globe and Mail (June 2009) John Ibbitson asks: “Those who lack the means or interest will depend on blogs, social networking, and whatever information they choose to look for online. How does democracy survive on that?”
News for the Privileged Few
Ibbitson quotes The Pew Center for the People and the Press as reporting that, “a
new Washington media have evolved, but they are far from the more egalitarian or
citizen-
These publications have a very narrow focus and charge subscription fees beyond the reach of the average consumer. They have titles such as Government Executive, and Energy Risk.
As Ibbitson points out, “Those who know the power of information will pay to obtain it, and use that knowledge to influence the agenda.”
Sources
“The 10 Most Endangered Newspapers in America.” Time, March 9, 2009.
“Read all about it -
“How Does U.S. Democracy Survive without its Newspapers?” John Ibbitson, Globe and Mail, June 17, 2009.
© Canada and the World, December 2010
All rights reserved
The website Paper Cuts reports 39 newspapers ceased publishing in the United States in 2010. This followed the 144 that closed their doors in 2009.
Newspapers are competing for readership in a declining market with more alternatives.
According to the Canadian Newspaper Association
“One of the earliest publications that could be described as a daily newspaper appeared in Rome around 69 BCE. It was a primitive news sheet called Acta Diurna (acts of the day) and described the activities of the Roman Senate.”
The first newspaper published in Canada was the Halifax Gazette whose first issue came out on March 23, 1752.
“Over three-
Canadian Newspaper Association