What is the role of newspapers these days?

brianthebard

Apologies if this has been done before but I find myself asking this question again and again, almost every time I pick up a paper. So many of them carry the exact same newstories, they are using the internet more and more as a source for information, and they are providing nothing new or unique to the medium that cannot be found in a different, and perhaps better media elsewhere. Opinions?

mike65

Note to Brian - 50% of the population is not on the web*. You cannot take the tv to the bog for a good read either!

Mike.

*may not be actual percentage.

jdivision

To be honest it depends on the paper you read. Tony O'reilly said during the week that his newspapers are becoming viewspapers. Explains partly why they've become worse and worse

flogen

24 Hour News and the Internet have both pushed newspapers into a more contextual and analytical role.

The TV, radio and online outlets hit you with the facts as they come and move on, newspapers (should) give you a more considered account will all the facts, the history and the reasons.

I think there's plenty of room for newspapers to move into a more investigative role too, amongst other things. Unfortunately many newspapers are currently going for the cheaper option of social commentary - I think that's something that will lose its appeal very quickly in the coming years.

monument

The main role of newspapers - whether in paper or online - is still news first and foremost. When that's investigative news or articles with more detail or extra context all the better.

Radio and TV bulletins simply don't have the space for half the news that newspapers can hold, and with 24-hour news station it's unthinkable to carry many smaller stories.

Analyses, comment, opinion, views, reviews, rants etc should all continue to take a back seat to reporting.

brianthebard wrote:

Apologies if this has been done before but I find myself asking this question again and again, almost every time I pick up a paper.

Out of interest, what newspapers are you picking up?

brianthebard wrote:

So many of them carry the exact same newstories,

For general news, the same can be said of nearly all mediums that news is carried on. It's the nature of a lot of news.

brianthebard wrote:

they are using the internet more and more as a source for information,

Is there something wrong with such? The net has developed to become a large part of business and culture. There are now many different networks, communication streams, and databases/archives. Some are mirrors of paper/other databases and networks some are new ones that can be only found on the web.

brianthebard wrote:

and they are providing nothing new or unique to the medium that cannot be found in a different, and perhaps better media elsewhere.

Whatever about the internet, do you really think radio and TV bulletins can carry half the amount of news as a newspaper?

brianthebard

monument wrote:

The main role of newspapers - whether in paper or online - is still news first and foremost. When that's investigative news or articles with more detail or extra context all the better.

Radio and TV bulletins simply don't have the space for half the news that newspapers can hold, and with 24-hour news station it's unthinkable to carry many smaller stories.

TV stations always carry smaller stories-think about those nonsense stories bout bears that get stuck on a trampoline or what have you.

Analyses, comment, opinion, views, reviews, rants etc should all continue to take a back seat to reporting.

Agreed.

Out of interest, what newspapers are you picking up?

Independant, Irish indo, Times, Star, business post. I've been working in a newsagents the past few weeks so I get access to a good selection.

For general news, the same can be said of nearly all mediums that news is carried on. It's the nature of a lot of news.

Perhaps, but I was thinking more of articles about yer man who plays Bourne having the best ROI or articles about how men carry, on average, more cash in their pockets, etc. Also articles such as those about Bertie and his lulu. I realise sometimes this is just for filler, but that's annoying in itself, I don't buy papers for the filler.

Is there something wrong with such? The net has developed to become a large part of business and culture. There are now many different networks, communication streams, and databases/archives. Some are mirrors of paper/other databases and networks some are new ones that can be only found on the web.
Whatever about the internet, do you really think radio and TV bulletins can carry half the amount of news as a newspaper?

Ok by splitting up my sentence you are coming close to quoting me out of context. Please don't. The problem with heavy dependence on the net for stories, is that they are already on the net. Are newspapers just becoming a relay device to alert you to a particular video on Youtube or an article on BBC news? Whether radio and TV carry as much news or not is not really a problem as I see it. Most people don't read the paper from cover to cover, and with the internet becoming more accessible (which was my main point), they can get the news they want, and leave the rest, avoiding things like the filler outlined above. A take or leave it attitude to new reporting due to 24 news channels and internet reporting means that people are choosing to leave it more and more often.

jdivision

It should also be borne in mind that it is August, ie, silly season when sales plummet and stories dry up because of a lack of news (holidays etc means not much happens)

Spyral

I like the indo but I dont like certain columnists. they have bebo-emo like pictures of themselves and always have to have a slant. They are rather biased and whine about some piece of news then go off on some tangent and no real information is given. I like facts. And mary kennedy. I like her a lot otherwise I want to shoot most of the rest and while ian o dohery can be funny he can equally be a nab on other days.

constitutionus

TBH it seems to me their main function is to flog advertising.

i never buy a tabloid anymore as the free one given away in the moring pretty much gives me what i need (the TV section ! ) but in terms of news odds are ive heard it on the radio or read it on the net the night before . some times even DAYS before.

i buy the indo the odd time because i cant stand the times broadsheet format and do like to read good analysis but even then half the time its page8 or more before you get something meaty as odd are you'll have waded through pages of "celebrity" crap to get to it so in the main the dailies are a waste of time.

i do love reading sunday papers as the quality goes way up in terms of investigative journalism but considering most of it is usually an over view of the weeks events its hardly news.

sad fact is the media in this country is going down the swany and that just seems to be the reality of journalism in the celtic tiger economy. theres no money in quality investigative journalism and plenty in "opinion" peices that seem to have been lifted from sites like ours on the net. christ even some of the crap ive spouted has been read out on news talk and printed in the sindo by "professional journalists". ok i tend to know what im talking about and you can check it with sources like the CSO but still that kinda things worrying!

honeslty, flawed and all as it is, im starting to think the net is fast becoming the more reliable of the media. who the hell wouldve ever thought that! !

lisbon_lions

They provide an informed alternative to the vested interest and minority controlled News Now TV that you absorb zombie like over your Findus chicken supreme TV Dinner.

Lets take Sky News as an example, they drip feed you, Joe citizen, with all the news they feel you need. Ever see their "BREAKING NEWS ALERTS" in yellow and black or red and white caps at the bottom - aaarrrghh:mad:

Journalism standards are not as high as they used to be, having to compete with other media channels, but it is always a good thing to get your news from various sources to make an informed independent decision on the matters of the day.


www.zeitgeistmovie.com if you get time sometime...

santosubito

constitutionus wrote:

i do love reading sunday papers as the quality goes way up in terms of investigative journalism but considering most of it is usually an over view of the weeks events its hardly news.

honeslty, flawed and all as it is, im starting to think the net is fast becoming the more reliable of the media. who the hell wouldve ever thought that! !

Please, please enlighten me. Which Sunday papers have investigative journalism?

_blank_

lisbon_lions, please read the charter before posting.

Charter wrote:

2. No posting off topic. This site covers news and media... quite simple. Please remember that Politics, Television, Sport and Radio are all catered for elsewhere (see point 5 also). If a Mod, CMod, SMod or an Admin tells you get back on topic, do so or you will be banned.

The link in your post is off topic, and should not have been included.

If you wish to discuss the Zeigeist movie may I suggest you take it up in Politics or the Movies forum.

Thanks.

constitutionus

santosubito wrote:

Please, please enlighten me. Which Sunday papers have investigative journalism?

im pissing myself laughing as i type this but the irish mail on sunday !

frank connolly ,whether you like him or not, scored big time with berties account to the tribunals months before he was due to go in front of it including all the stuff about the 45k in dollars.

but you do make a good point. like i posted earlier the quality, and hell number, of investigave reporters in this country is a disgrace so its lesss about which papers and more about which reporters. ya gotta follow the feckers as they move about !!

santosubito

constitutionus wrote:

im pissing myself laughing as i type this but the irish mail on sunday !

frank connolly ,whether you like him or not, scored big time with berties account to the tribunals months before he was due to go in front of it including all the stuff about the 45k in dollars.

QUOTE]

That's a fair point*. Only the MoS is doing any sort of investigating - the rest of them are just pants. Look how bad the Tribune has become, what a disgrace.

*Having said that, Mr Connolly wasn't too happy when reporters started investigating his past.:D