Industry in decline

The market is flooded with places to go to get the news: television, Internet, Podcasts, magazines and, of course, newspapers. But in recent years the newspaper industry has taken a hit in readership and, because of declining readership, less advertisers. This Friday ends Newspaper Week, a celebration of the longstanding tradition of newspapers and their contributions to the world. History reveals hard-working journalists checking governmental power and exercising freedom of speech in ways no other communities have. Still, many students like Walker Cornwell, a Weber State University freshman and business marketing major, go elsewhere for news. "I go more online for news," Walker said. "I'd say nowadays with Wi-Fi, and as a college student, its just easier to access news online." Students on WSU have access to free newspapers like The New York Times, The Wallstreet Journal, and the local Standard Examiner because of special programs offered to universities across the nation. "They're reaching an audience that they wouldn't otherwise," said Mike Vaughan, WSU Provost. "The cost of printing additional newspapers at the print run isn't that great, so the student markets extra revenue for them. And there is probably some hope that students will subscribe once they leave campus." According to The Economist, Philip Meyers, author of "The Vanishing Newspaper," calculated that newsprint will die off completely by the year 2043. The Newspaper Association of America shows the number of employed people in the industry fell 18 percent between 1990 and 2004. "I watch the news in the morning on TV," said Nicole Linn, WSU freshman. "Its more convenient and I can have it on while I'm doing other things. I don't read the newspaper very often, occasionally. There are just more new ways of getting news, the Internet and TV." One study showed that, in 2007, Google, Yahoo, AOL, and MSN received 100 million monthly visitors, a stark contrast to both major networks and publications. Major television networks averaged 7.4 million visitors a month, and publications like The New York Times and The Washington Post averaged 8.5 million monthly visitors. "Newspapers are declining," Vaughn said. "Newspapers go out of business everyday. Newspaper readership really is declining." The New Yorker reported on declining readership in newspapers, citing the 2004 "Abandoning the News," a publication by the Carnegie Corporation. The study showed 39 percent of respondents under thirty-five said they intended on using the Internet for future news and only eight percent said they would rely on a newspaper. Still some WSU students like Josh Johnson, a construction management major, remain hopeful on the newspaper's future and continue to rely on newspapers as their news source. "I read the newspaper more often," Johnson said. "For me it's more convenient. I have limited Internet access at home and the newspaper is always there. I think the newspaper will continue to stay. It may not always be as popular, but I think it will always be there."