While we were pedaling around in the PNW philosophizing on the future of news, people in the deep SE were feeling the very present problems facing our consumption of news. How apropos. The story is "'A Morning Ritual': New Orleans Fights for Its Paper." Four newspaper in Alabama and Louisiana are laying off hundreds of reporters, and they are ceasing daily publication. In New Orleans, the Times-Picayune is moving to an online focus with only a 3 day print publication. The story ends with a man hoping that an entrepreneur can find a way to get us our daily news. Wow, has all of our technology brought us to this?
For the past few years, I have been teaching a college prep class to students, and one of their assignments was to choose 3 books from a theme and compare them. One of the themes was Hurricane Katrina. Students could select from several books, but the most relevant to this article concerns Chris Rose's 1 Dead in Attic. Chris Rose was a reporter for The Times-Picayune before, during and after Hurricane Katrina, and this book is a compilation of his published articles concerning the aftermath. For his journalism, he won a pulitzer. His commentary is raw, real and community focused. What would have been lost had this suspension of daily news and dearth of reporters happened during this crisis?
I was in Venice during the September 11th tragedy. This was when I started reading the New York Times online. I wanted to know what was going on in the city, written by people inhabiting and experiencing that place. I've continued to read it, because many of the stories are compelling and cover a broad range of topics.
My entire family in South Carolina reads The Post and Courier, and I enjoy reading it when I visit. It gives me a sense of place, not to mention the crossword. Speaking of ritual, give us our daily word puzzle. Because I no longer receive a daily paper, I no longer do the crossword. This is a great tragedy; however, playing Scrabble and Words With Friends on Facebook helps. Growing up, I can remember watching my mom drink coffee and do the crossword. As I got older (and smarter), I would occasionally offer a little help. Then one of my brothers would eventually look on and fill in some blank spots. Before the end of the day, the puzzle would be complete. Family bonding. When I'd visit my grandmother in college, I can remember doing the crossword with her. It breaks my heart to think of all those grandmothers and mothers and father and brothers and sisters in Alabama and New Orleans (where else?) not having a daily newspaper to do the crossword. Perhaps that's not the biggest implication, but at this moment it's the most poignant. I tried doing the crossword online. It's a farce.
Should a citizen of the U.S. necessarily have Internet access to be able to read the news? Is this fair to our older and poorer citizens? How can we support our journalists? I don't think a total breakdown into niche news markets is a wise direction to take. Newspapers give us marriages, deaths, crime, sports stats, and information on new ventures in our community.
Incidentally, I was at the monthly Friends of the Library meeting, and we were discussing the results of the levy vote in May. Yes it was successful. Yes it continued the 89 cents per $1000 assessed property value, but we still had to close the libraries on Mondays and reduce staff. If we hadn't continued the levy, most of the 18 branches would have had to close and the remaining ones would have reduced hours. Libraries and newspapers.
Necessity is the mother of invention, so I have every faith that we Americans will find a way. And so. All things must change. To every season. Nothing stays the same. Nothing endures but change. It's kind of exciting to imagine the future of news. I also think I'm pouring some of my morning coffee out to Ray Bradbury.
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