The Internet has a hunger for physical media. Magazines and newspapers are consumed everyday by the electrical powers that exist within the common broadband box. In order for journalism to move towards the future, newspapers require accessibility through the Internet. Online journalism does not lead into the death of the field; reporters still need to investigate and write stories as usual. Various news readers might believe that having the same newspaper available online for free dilutes the substance of journalism. In actuality, the Internet immortalizes the reporter.

David Simon, the creator of HBO’s show The Wire comments on the current state of newspaper journalism from the Washington Post article “Does the News Matter to Anyone Anymore?”:

“Isn’t the news itself still valuable to anyone? In any format, through any medium — isn’t an understanding of the events of the day still a salable commodity? Or were we kidding ourselves? Was a newspaper a viable entity only so long as it had classifieds, comics and the latest sports scores?”

Americans need to know what is happening in their local communities, and the world as a whole. News holds a high importance that other outputs of media cannot achieve. Simon cannot be more correct in his message of a changing consumer. A society such as America has evolved into such a state that purchasing newspapers for news is not a necessity. Now readers can receive virtually the same material of a newspaper on its accompanying website free of charge. On Sundays, many people that I know still buy newspapers in a down spiraling economy: for the sales ads and coupons alone. Anyone with the Web can save fifty cents and go to Washingtonpost.com to catch up on news. Personally, I use online journalism as my main source of news for the fresh updates to current events, and the simplicity of navigation that newspapers lack.

On YouTube, a member posted a journalism video from the 1940s. This video in summary explains the daily construction of a newspaper. The essence of the news reporter is mostly accurate to current times in 2008. Reporters take their story, investigate, collect information and quotes, and write the article. Even with online journalism, reporters still have to achieve a story idea, investigate, collect information and quotes, and type the article all the same. In addition, a large number of news articles from the print edition are directly transferred to the website version anyway, so print journalism workings still exist.

Technology continually advances into something vicious. Newspapers such as The Frederick News Post with information historically exclusive in print are now placed on the website for easier access. The Internet violently consumes print resources, but gives the citizen of a technological society such as America an increased quality of life. Journalism’s future existence belongs to the Internet, especially as the Web evolves into one personified entity. In the near future the personified Internet, similar to a shadow, may follow the human anywhere he or she travels.

“Does the News Matter to Anyone Anymore?”

“Old School” journalism video on YouTube