Stop The Presses! Breaking News: Newspapers Are Fading into The Sunset

5 min read

Hi everyone, I’m Rick Barron, your host, and welcome to my podcast, That’s Life, I Swear

So, here’s a question. Did you read the morning newspaper today? Was it the paper version or digital version?  If you used the digital version, you’re part of the changing population that’s contributing to the newspaper industry disappearing, and could be eroding democracy in the United States as we know it.

Let’s jump into this 

The decline of traditional newspapers in the United States has been rapidly escalating for the past few decades. With the advent of the internet and the rise of digital media, newspapers have struggled to maintain their relevance in an ever-changing media landscape. The result of this struggle has been a loss of more than two newspapers a week, which is a major blow to the newspaper industry and a cost to our democracy.

Digital vs Hardcopy newspapers. Courtesy of: News TV

Since 2005, the United States has lost over one-fourth of its newspapers. It’s on track to lose a third by 2025, per a report from NorthWestern Now.

The report said the country had 6,377 newspapers at the end of May, 2022; down from 8,891 in2005. While the pandemic did not quite cause the reckoning that some in the industry feared, 360 newspapers have shut down since the end of 2019, all but 24 of them weeklies serving small communities.

An estimated 75,000 journalists worked in newspapers in 2006, and now that is down to 31,000, Northwestern said. Annual newspaper revenue slipped from $50bn to $21bn in the same period.

The role of newspapers in a democratic society cannot be overstated. Newspapers serve as an important source of information, providing citizens with the news and opinions to stay informed and engaged in the political process. 

They provide a platform for investigative journalism, which is crucial in uncovering corruption, wrongdoing, and other forms of unethical behavior. The loss of newspapers, therefore, means the loss of a vital source of information for citizens, which puts our democracy at risk.

Why is this happening? Here’s a few bullet points:

1.     The rise of digital media: The internet and the proliferation of smartphones and social media platforms have fundamentally changed the way people consume news. Many readers have shifted away from print newspapers in favor of online news sources, which for the most part are free.

2.     Declining advertising revenue: Print advertising revenue has been declining for years, as advertisers shift their budgets to digital advertising. This has had a significant impact on the financial viability of print newspapers.

3.     Changes in ownership structures: Many newspapers are owned by large media conglomerates or private equity firms that are primarily concerned with maximizing profits. This has led to cost-cutting measures such as reducing staff and coverage areas, which can lead to a decline in the quality of journalism and a loss of readership.

4.     Consolidation and mergers: In recent years, there has been a trend toward consolidation and mergers in the newspaper industry. This has led to fewer newspapers and less competition, which can make it more difficult for smaller newspapers to survive.

5.     Changing demographics: The demographics of newspaper readership are changing. Younger readers are less likely to read print newspapers and more likely to consume news through social media or online sources.

The decline of newspapers is also a result of economic pressures. Today’s economic downturn has hit the newspaper industry hard, making it increasingly difficult for newspapers to maintain their traditional business models. This has led to a decline in advertising revenue, as businesses have been forced to cut back on their advertising budgets in response to the economic downturn. Additionally, the rise of digital media has made it easier for people to access news and information for free, which has resulted in a decline in newspaper subscriptions and further reduced revenue for the newspaper industry.

Newspapers in decline cartoon. Courtesy of: PHSNEWS

The loss of newspapers is not only a cost to our democracy but also to the communities that they serve. Newspapers provide an important source of information for local communities, keeping them informed about local issues, politics, and events. Additionally, the decline of newspapers can also result in the loss of jobs, as many people are employed in the newspaper industry, from reporters and editors to graphic designers and printers.

Recent studies suggest that the decline of local journalism negatively affects any measure of governance by the decline of local journalism. Suffice it to say, there may be no single cure for America's newsrooms. Still, one thing is clear: Local journalism is facing near extinction and, with it, the quality of local governance necessary to sustain a healthy American entity. No local news is bad news.

As people stop reading physical newspapers, many newspapers are forced to end their print editions and go fully online. There’s a flipside to this coin. Ad revenue is not enough for newspapers to function properly. This has caused many newspapers to die or switch to a subscription system.

The death of so many newspapers has created countless “news deserts" with no local news sources. Here’s a data point, an estimated 70 million Americans live in a county with no local news or with only one source. 

This is a massive issue, deeply tied to the issue of misinformation. People do not have access to reliable local news sources and many do not trust the national sources.

The rise of the internet has made it easier for people to access information and has given rise to social media, becoming ‘the’ major source of news and information. Here’s lies the problem with how this type of model could damage democracy.

Social media’s purpose is not known to provide accurate information. In many ways, it is made to do the just the opposite. Social media is built to capture and hold the attention of a viewer. Therefore, the accuracy of what is depicted is not a priority. This setup is very dangerous. The algorithms have now become the new newspaper reporters.

With social media’s ease of spray painting the news, everyone has an opinion that can be shared openly. Everyone can call themselves a reporter today, in short, a keyboard warrior.

This state of affairs is even more dangerous than people initially predicted. The January 6th insurrection was a prime example of how misinformation is affecting the public psyche. 

Even Fox News was recently caught having amplified misinformation on the 2020 election fraud claims, only to ensure the goal of misinformation helped the bottom line.

Decline of traditional newspapers. Courtesy of: Bangor Dailey News

So, let’s cut to the chase, shall we.  The decline of traditional newspapers in the United States is a cost to our democracy and to the communities that they serve. The loss of more than two newspapers a week, or any newspaper, means the loss of a vital source of information for citizens and a decline in the number of educated journalists, which can have a negative impact on the quality and availability of news and information. 

What can we learn from this story? What’s the take away

The decline of newspapers has important implications for the future of American media and society as a whole. It’s a cost to our democracy and to the communities that they serve. 

Seeing local newspapers fade away and replaced with pseudo newspapers, social media and news channels priming the channels, with whatever will anchor the audience to their channel, only cultivates a population that is construed to believe falsehoods rather than substantiated facts. 

The spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories can have serious consequences for public health, democracy, and social cohesion. 

Upholding the role of journalism as a vital pillar of our democracy is critical.

Not doing so is not doing us any favors long term.

Well, there you go. That's life, I swear.

For further information regarding the material covered in this episode, I invite you to visit my website, which you can find on either Apple Podcasts/iTunes or Google Podcasts, for show notes calling out key pieces of content mentioned and the episode transcript.

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