Why Print Journalism Still Matters?
In city after city, the major newspapers are stopping production. Some are folding completely while others are having only online editions. This trend has been happening for many years now. The costs associated with printing and news ink and a lack of advertising have forced media conglomerates to take this route. This is why marketing companies will tell you to focus on digital marketing and forget about print. However, print journalism still matters. Here are some reasons why.
Many people believe that print journalism is dead. Although it appears dead with so many newspapers going to online only editions. However, the older population prefer to read a paper than to get their news any other way. Also, the online editions act just like the print editions with more features. Therefore, don’t think of print journalism as dead but changing. See why it still matters in the following article.
- Older Population – The world’s population is aging. Baby boomers are in their 60s and 70s. The Depression era and World War 2 babies are still alive. Most of these Americans do not want to get their news from their smart phones. They prefer to read it and hold it in their hands. They will read a local paper even if the big city paper has gone away. They will cling to the community paper. For these reasons, it should be noted that print journalism is still important to these generations. In addition, the older populations have money and spend it.
- Online Newspapers – Even though newspapers are going to an online edition, they still function like print. Online editions are more searchable and have more features available to subscribers. The rest of the paper is virtually the same. It has news, world news, business, sports, arts, obituaries and local briefs. The hierarchy remains intact from the editor-in-chief to beat reporters. Online editions allow free classified ads and community events to be uploaded right on the site. The stories remain the same except that online editions also have community blogs where a subscriber can write a blog and post it. They also have blogs from reporters. The online editions are paid for by subscribers and advertising as the print editions. Therefore, assuming that print journalism is dead just because it is online is a mistake.
- Media Conglomerates – Today, most newspapers that remain in print journalism are owned by media conglomerates. These big companies own radio, television, newspapers, online publications and advertising outlets in a city. If a story shows up in a newspaper, it more than likely will appear on a television show and online. Sometimes, it appears in the newspaper, reworked for radio and television, and published online. This gives the focus of the story many times the number of mentions than when a city only had a newspaper. If you are sending a press release and a newspaper editor likes the story idea, you have a good chance of getting it put in several of the conglomerate’s media outlets.
- Right Stories – Some stories work better in print or online than on radio or television. If you are writing about a new product or new technology, those are hard to show on air. You might need more explanation than in can give in a 30-second segment on the radio. That is why it is good to remember print. Newspapers, magazines and online publications are designed for long features that can give all the information you have about a product. Profiles also are good for print for similar reasons. They tend to be longer and with more information. Besides the long stories, briefs are better suited for newspapers too. When you have very little information, you could talk about it on the radio or you could publish in a brief section of the newspaper. Online editions usually have brief sections too.
Despite the naysayers, print journalism still matters. You need to keep sending press releases to ensure your news is in front of all the people who might use it.
Why Print Journalism Still Matters? – NEXT STEP
You can satisfy a print journalist 100 percent with your press release. However, it must reach those journalists who might want to use your story or your efforts in writing it well would be pointless. To help you target the right journalists for your situation, you should take a look at Faselis Growth and Faselis Professional solutions packets for distributing your press releases. You will have the latest contact information of the journalists.
by Louise Harris
