Absence of newspapers hurts communities - Right Thinking - rightthinking's Blog - Bakersfield.com

Mar 14, 2009 at 02:03 PM : There's nothing...

There's nothing like the warmth of the printed word...

So many memories attached to the newspaper - the excitement of seeing my band's name listed for the first time, running out in the cold to grab it from the driveway in time for breakfast, me and my pops discussing a story, oh man....I could go on forever.

Don't leave us!

Mar 14, 2009 at 02:03 PM : Agreed~ throu...

Agreed~ through my year in Bakersfield I have alternately loved and hated the paper~ and some columnists too! ;-)

Nonetheless when I awake early in the morning,sleep elusive,that thump of the paper signals help has arrived.

I confess to reading the obituaries regularly,working at a hospital that was often how I found out the fate of an ex-patient...or an old friend I had lost contact with.

My son graced the front page one time~ in a feature story about his special teacher. It is a treasure now.

Mar 14, 2009 at 03:03 PM : Actually, I can curl...

Actually, I can curl up on my couch while Googling my way around. It's called a laptop and a wireless router, heh. But my concern with the failing print media is the loss of true journalists. That's the real travesty; not the loss of the weekend travel section. A blogger or TV reporter is just not the same.

Mar 14, 2009 at 03:03 PM : For so many years of...

For so many years of my life, the newspaper was a focal point. I go back to the day when the paper was an afternoon edition and my day wasn't complete until I had read the paper, all of it. My routine, although I didn't drink coffee, was to get the paper, sit and just let the world go by while reading it. So many memories surround my daily reading. When I lived at the ranch it was a mile and a half drive to the row of mailboxes on the main road to pick it up. Sometimes I would ride my horse down and sit on a log reading while she munched on grass. The almost daily drive to Lancaster for (electrical) work was spent with me reading the paper on that endless boring ride.

In my younger years when I was an army wife and hubby was in Korea for a year, the paper and 3 TV stations were all I had for company outside my kids. Farther back I remember being at my friend and neighbors house on Sunday mornings while her dad read the Sunday funnies to us.

When I travel I tend to pick up a local paper just to see what's going on in their world. In my electrical trim out work I collected crossword puzzles from newspapers used to wrap light fixtures from cities all over the country and enjoyed the challenge of a different author.

Unfortunately, the Internet HAS played a great part in my gradual disinterest in the daily paper. By the time it arrives, I've already read the main stories on line. The papers began to pile up on the lawn only to be gathered and tossed in the trash. The Sunday paper was reserved for the special crosswords and the ads. Other than that, I found little of interest that I hadn't already read on line. First the daily went, and then the Sunday paper. Sad, but true.

Now, on family breakfasts I stop and pick up a Sunday paper to share with the family as each has their own special interest. Me? I just want the two crossword puzzles, the family can have the rest. I used to get restaurant coupons there as well as Longs and Payless but those have started coming with the mail.

My apologies to the newspaper families who have served us for so long. I'm always sad to see the demise, especially of a local paper, but maybe it's time has come and gone. I have plenty of nostalgia for the paper, just not the desire to fill the trash can with unwrapped newspapers....especially ones I've paid for.

Maybe I should have taken up drinking coffee after all.

Mar 14, 2009 at 05:03 PM : The dumbing down...

The dumbing down of newspapers hurts communities, would have been more accurate IMO. I buy the Californian, more as a sense of public responsibility, and read the LA Times for the investigative journalism that stimulates me, and of course Doonesbury who always makes me smile and often contemplate, a much more in inclusive opinion section, and details of the world news, that the cable news networks don't provide in their soundbytes, and endless debate after debate over useless trivia, most recently Rush V. Steel.

I pretty much get all the news that I want from my iGoogle page and mail alerts about any topic I want information on. iGoogle is a wonderful tool for any one who wants to keep current on the events of the day, and it is the demise of many newspapers who have cut back on investigative journalism.

In fact this blogs very topic is one in which iGoogle delivers to me every day, the major headlines concerning the search phrase: "Internet journalism", which today are:

If newspapers die, will journalism follow? « The Hannay Angle ,

Ethics Are Easy When Nothing Is At Stake : Hot Topics

The Podium: Clay Shirky On The Collapse Of Newspapers

Maybe this column will make the headlines , or not.

Mar 14, 2009 at 05:03 PM : It doesn't help...

It doesn't help newspapers when they raise the cost of the paper while whittling down the content. I wouldn't be any happier to go to my favorite restaurant and have them tell me "sorry, we had to raise the prices due to increasing food cost and also had to make the portions smaller and use cheaper ingredients for the same reason. We hope you'll continue to support us."

Mar 14, 2009 at 06:03 PM : I haven't picked...

I haven't picked up a local paper in years. Most of my news info comes from the internet. Local news I get on t.v. Last I heard, local t.v. news is cutting staff because of slipping viewership and advertising income.

Mar 14, 2009 at 07:03 PM : The first thing I do...

The first thing I do every morning after showering,etc. Is get a cup of decaf coffee (My old heart can't stand the sudden caffeine jolt), go get the paper and read it. I usually read it at the table on the patio when weather allows. I would really miss this way of starting my day. T.V. and the computer are just not as satisfying.

Mar 15, 2009 at 07:03 AM : My day starts off way...

My day starts off way before the crack of dawn....pets fed..a pot of coffee brewing and The Californian at the door step--and for about an hour of reading....

IF I don't have that paper in the morning--then I'm hateing life for awhile...it's just the 'norm' here.....

Mar 15, 2009 at 11:03 AM : ...

C'mon, now folks, look at the upside of the evolution of the newsprint industry.

People will get used to reading the complete newspaper on their computers, sans the messy ink and paper waste.

Millions of trees will be saved.

People in the not too distant future will marvel at the archaic custom of having a pound or two of paper tossed onto their driveways each morning, only to end up wrapping the coffee grounds, fish guts and lining the bottom of the birdcage.

Want to save an article, ad or photo? No problem, a couple clicks of the mouse and voila, store it on your hard drive or other digital media without piles of yellowing newsprint consuming your closet space.

Still want hard copy? No problem, print it out yourself on recycled 20 pound copy paper or even on archive quality stock. It will outlive you, your children and your great, great grandchildren and maybe even generations of their progeny.

Embrace the technology, embrace the the change, it's all good.

Mar 15, 2009 at 12:03 PM : So you never did...

So you never did explain exactly how the lack of a newspaper "hurts communities." You really think citizens don't know anything about local scholars, athletes, and crime other than to pick up the paper? Haven't you turned on a television lately and watched local news? The Californian folding might mean a spike in the number of grumpy people who don't get to pore over a wad of paper with their morning coffee, that's all.

You print journalist sorts should really get over yourselves. The paper Californian, like all papers, isn't full of "news" anymore--it's full of painfully OLD information that's already been hashed over by the time the morning edition rolls off the press. TV and the internet are the real sources of NEW news (local and US/world) now. As for the claim that local newspapers are wonderful in-depth material you can curl up with, give me a break. The Californian chops up and abridges lengthy AP wire stories so that they take maybe two minutes to read, and anything by an actual local reporter is so incomplete and badly written it's laughable. The columns have gotten shorter and narrower, the photos have gotten larger and more numerous, and the thickest part is the advertising. It's a desperate appeal to readers who have little time or inclination to read. The internet edition of the paper is free, reasonably up-to-the-minute, and no trees died to create it. Judging from how much the Californian's website has evolved from a few short years ago, I have a feeling it'll be around long after the paper edition has gone the way of the DeSoto and phones with big round dials. It's the wave of the future, Marylee, like it or not.

Mar 15, 2009 at 12:03 PM : You're talking...

You're talking about taking away ' the printed word '---- the very thing that started America's Freedom and a birth of a Nation...way before radio or television...yet kept us informed reguardless wherever you was located within the country....

Some things are better left untouched...If you really want to clean up the air...get that blowhard Rush off the air...before Capt. Ahab puts a harpoon into him----( just kiddin'..but sounds good)

Mar 16, 2009 at 11:03 PM : I like the...

I like the online edition of the Californian, especially the fact that (except for the weekends) it tends to be very current, is accessible from anywhere you have an intenet location, the bloggers can argue with one another about the content, and it doesn't leave ink marks on my hand. In fact, I was shocked when I actually picked one up last week and it had gotten smaller (both in width and content).

That said, I know not everyone has a computer nor wants to sit at a computer, getting frustrated with banner ads and popups. I may enjoy looking at the paper on my laptop with a cappucino, but others I know like to thumb through the paper, peruse the ads, and share it with others. It's not exactly easy to "hand over" the sports section of an internet version.

I hate many magazines because of the ads. I remember perusing a new magazine once about men's life (or something like that) and in all of the magazine's 50 some-odd pages there was only about 4 pages of actual text - the rest was advertising! No joke. I put it back as if it carried a disease - it was nauseating. It's like paying $30 to see a movie with a date and having to sit through the pre-movie commericals - NOT what I paid for.

I think the Californian should post more work from freelance writies and photographers. It's free, gets exposure for their work, and makes the community feel like they can contribute more.

Mar 17, 2009 at 06:03 AM : Seattle...

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Newspaper Goes Web-Only

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,509404,00.html