by Daniel Willis

Created on: March 05, 2011

Video killed the radio star. So too now have we come to the death of the old to bring rise to the new. That which is new is the core of the death of journalism. Newspapers provide in depth news, the only problem is that it is the news of yesterday. The nostalgic and out of touch seem to be the few holding on to the last breath of traditional journalism. One must ask whether or not it is time to pronounce the field of print journalism deceased and start looking for a hole somewhere.

The 3 core nails in the coffin of journalism came with handhelds, internet and wifi.

The first stage of the end was when the phone which had always been a tool of communication shifted from talking to being a technological swiss army knife. The evolution of the phone to consist with newer and greater tools and functions changed the world of news from being stationary to mobile. A simple text message could know communicate the news faster than any newspaper.

The second stage of the end was the internet. The constant and immediate updates that are made available from any number of reliable news sources online all but eliminates the need to even glance at a traditional paper. Not only did the internet offer faster access to the content it could hyperlink you to numerous alternative views on the same topic. Rather than being restricted to the single bias or view of in individual news offering you now had access to a near infinite spectrum of opinion.

Finally, the last nail in the coffin. WIFI. When internet required someone to be plugged into the wall print still stood a chance. With the evolution of the phone merged with the technological advancements of the mobile internet the news was now available almost immediately from a wide range of sources on any topic of your hearts choosing. The print journalism of yesterday is not broken. Print journalism is merely to slow, opinionated, and inaccessible in comparison to the readily available alternative.

With these three incontravertable and unchanging truths there is no choice left except to pronounce the last rites on print. It had an amazing run and will live on through the style and maneurisms of news websites everywhere. The legacy of print and the traditions it taught us will be forever imprinted on the web in the palms of our hands. Rest in peace print, you will be missed.

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