It might sound unbelievable, but the days of sipping a cup of coffee and reading the morning newspaper while sitting at the kitchen table or riding a train to work may soon become a thing of the past. According to reports, many major newspapers across the U.S. are in deep financial trouble. A number of publications may go out of business entirely, change to an Internet format only, or file for bankruptcy.
A recent article published on Time.com listed many cash-strapped major newspapers. The list includes such noted publications as The Philadelphia Daily News, The Minneapolis Star Tribune, The Miami Herald, The Detroit News, The Boston Globe, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Chicago Sun-Times, The New York Daily News, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram and The Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Long-time stalwarts, including the Rocky Mountain News, have stopped their presses and no longer exist. Today, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer can only be found online. In Illinois, The Chicago Tribune recently declared bankruptcy. Indeed, Chicago may be soon become a one-paper city–if and when The Chicago Sun-Times succumb to its financial woes.
The problems facing the newspaper industry are far and deep. The long-standing relationship between newspapers and wire services, like the Associated Press (AP), are also at a low point. The AP–which provides coverage and photos of stories to publications not at a local newspaper’s disposal–is also subject to major changes in the very near future.
Local newspapers–which subscribe to the AP for articles written by that wire service–are balking at the costs that can exceed over $800,000 a year. Some publications will cancel their contracts with the AP, joining or forming local consortiums of newspapers to increase their scope of coverage without having to pay the exorbitant fees charged by the AP.
Adding to the woes of many publications is falling advertising, revenue which has dropped 25% during the past two years. Even The New York Times, America’s supposed “newspaper of record” finds itself among those papers which are on the brink of financial failure. The San Francisco Chronicle is seeking legislation to change laws which restrict one company from owning more than one newspaper in the same city in order to head off that publication’s demise.
Many point to these dramatic events as the result of the rapid growth of technology. Some say the Internet is a much more up to date and reliable source of information which has, in many circles, made newspapers obsolete.
“I enjoy reading the newspaper. It’s almost a tradition in my family,” said Dean, 79, a central Illinois resident. “However, by the time the morning newspaper arrives, the stories I’m perusing is old news because of the Internet and the 24 hour cable news cycle.”
I have been analyzing the mainstream media for almost 20 years and I have a different take on the problems facing journalism in America today. In fact, the newspapers in Illinois can give us a perfect illustration of why some publications thrive while others are failing. Chicago’s two major dailies present a microcosm of what has led to the economic downturn facing so many publishers across America. At one time, the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times covered the news from differing political perspectives. In the past, Chicago had as many as four daily newspapers, ensuring for readers a look at the events of the day from a more balanced perspective. The Chicago Tribune was seen as the more conservative of the city’s two major publications, while the Chicago Sun-Times was more liberal in its presentation. This is not the case today. Journalism has become homogenized. It is widely acknowledged that both the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times have liberal editorial boards, and, unfortunately, the political views held by these publishers have bled into the hard news sections.
Sadly, the economic demise of newspapers like the Chicago Tribune may be a result of a departure from the traditional tenets of journalism. The political ideology of a paper should only be found on the editorial pages. Yet, long ago, many conservatives learned this is not true. For a case in point, a number of pro-life organizations complained about the slanted coverage in the Chicago Tribune regarding the issue of abortion. Hundreds of thousands were attending the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. which is held to note the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, a U.S. Supreme Court decision which legalized abortion in America in 1973. Though over a half million pro-life demonstrators made the trek to the U.S. capitol in 2003, the Chicago Tribune did not dedicate one column inch to the coverage of the event.
Indeed, newspapers have adopted special politically correct language when dealing with issues like abortion. For example, the word pro-life was often edited out (or even changed to anti-choice) in letters to the editor submitted by readers and, in some cases, Chicago Tribune contributing columnists themselves had restrictions on the terminology they were allowed to use. The standard was set by something called a “stylebook” which is a guideline of “accepted” p.c. terminology which all newspapers use.
The failure by the Chicago Tribune to cover the March for Life in 2003 (and the many thousands who have attended the event in subsequent years) was a result of subjective journalism. The quote I received from Tribune management on this lack of coverage asserted that no matter how many turned out, the event was not “newsworthy”.
It wasn’t “newsworthy” to whom? This type of reporting, or lack thereof, is at the root of the financial problems facing print journalism.
The Chicago Tribune’s reluctance to cover events like the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. was only the tip of the iceberg. The newspaper used the same tact in its hard news stories regarding the reporting on pro-family issues and subjects including gun control, school choice, and illegal immigration.
Eventually, thousands of conservatives and fair-minded people with no allegiance to any political ideology showed their discontent by canceling their subscriptions in droves. Though there are those who downplay conservatives turning away from newspapers which alienated them, it is certain that the economic situation facing the world of print journalism was (and is) at least in part, a result of this fact.
The success of the Fox News Channel (FNC) can be seen as proof that conservative America can impact the bottom line of news agencies. FNC’s primetime news and commentary programming has ratings which equal those of CNN, CNN Headline News and MSNBC combined. Also, Internet news sources, including World Net Daily and NewsMax attract huge numbers of Americans daily. The truth is, politically ideology has damaged the journalistic reputation and earning power of newspapers which report on the news from a liberal perspective.
In contrast, a source told me the Springfield State Journal-Register, located in central Illinois, is in no financial difficulty. This may be the result of this paper’s coverage–which many see as being more objective than their counterparts in Chicago and major cities across the nation. The amazing aspect of it all is the newspapers which find themselves on the brink of fiscal disaster have refused to change. After contacting the editorial boards of literally dozens of American newspapers, I have found the most egregious violators of journalistic objectivity are the most reluctant to present their coverage of social and political issues in a fair manner. When I speak of fairness, I do not mean a story has to be covered from my point of view. As a character on an old television show called Dragnet used to say, “Facts, just the facts.” That should be a requirement from all journalists. Of course, newspapers have the right to their editorial opinions, but such ideology should not be a part of hard news coverage.
It would be absurd to say the Internet has not played a role in the decline of daily newspapers. In fact, many people under the age of 30 have never looked to a newspaper for information about the world around them.
“I never read the paper,” said Tim, an 18 year old Chicago native. “The Internet provides all the information I need, when I need it and its more up to date, too.”
Tim’s sentiments cannot be denied. However, the tradition of holding something of substance is not the same as using a Blackberry or a PC. The newspaper is an American tradition which should not go by the wayside. But, in reality, the industry may be its own worst enemy. Over the last 30 years, many newspapers have failed to serve a considerable percentage of the population. Subsequently, a substantial number of Americans have turned to sources which they feel speak to them.
Hopefully, it is not too late. I truly believe if publishers turn away from their attempt to culturally re-engineer American society and return to the true tenets of objective journalism, newspapers may survive. If not, that daily paper–which once sat on every America kitchen table–may soon become a thing of the long-forgotten past.
