by Anand S
In a bygone era, newspapers were a staple source of news and reading those was a part of the morning routine. The newspaper changed hands in the family to go with morning tea or coffee. We implicitly trusted the printed word and did not let the TV or a smartphone come between us and the pages of our favourite papers. We didn't have numerous TV channels with noisy debates and frequent interruptions for advertisements. Newspapers shaped our thinking.
Are the morning papers a relic in this day and age? Going by the sheer number of newspapers which get printed in this country, it would not seem so. However, newspapers face a growing existential challenge, not in the least because of the proliferating online media and hurried lifestyles. Many publishers in the West have exited the print media business because of plummeting sales and the unrelenting rise in choices online. The newspaper business relied largely on advertising as a source of revenue. With advertisers shifting a significant portion of their spending towards digital media, newspapers have struggled to stay afloat. Some have changed their business model to have only digital editions with some content behind a pay wall. The New York Times is an example of a newspaper that has adapted successfully to a digital edition that has attracted many subscribers who pay for the content.
In India too, we have witnessed changing preferences over the years towards media for the consumption of news. Online media rides on convenience and instant notification which newspapers cannot easily match feeding on a daily cycle of reportage and analysis. Yet, the value of reading the papers goes beyond getting news.
Reading a newspaper is a habit that one must cultivate when young. Indeed, it is an enjoyable and productive habit for all age groups. Still, the millennial generation or the digital natives may never take to it because of their penchant for accessing information online. For sure, reading the papers in time becomes a daily ritual enriching our lives. It is a ritual that builds patience and mental stamina to read and process meaning. This capacity will hold you in good stead as you face weighty decisions in life. The newspaper does not induce a hurry and does not filter content based on our interests. It has a structure which does not threaten to pull the reader in different directions like the hyperlinks that lurk in a webpage. The range of content may nudge us to read more than we would have liked. Reading per se improves our ability to comprehend material beyond our ken. Our vocabulary and intuitive appreciation of persuasive writing develop over time. One gains the confidence to express oneself on myriad topics in social settings. A newspaper is an accessible resource that we can use to expand our understanding of current affairs in a variety of areas such as the economy, politics, sports, culture, and society.
For starters, the sheer size of content can intimidate you. But when you go past this hurdle and hold the papers, you are very likely to find something to lay your eyes on, that will keep you in rapt attention, a sort of unhurried silence. In that silence, the seeds are sown for a habit in the making. You walk knowing that you know little more of the world you inhabit. We're not ready to mourn its decline. At the crack of dawn, the boys sort the papers and soon after, fling it at our doorstep. Thus begins another day with the familiar smell of newsprint!