Magazines And The Printed Word example essay topic

628 words
Print media and journalism in general has a bright future in the upcoming decade. I do believe that it is shifting, and we may have to redefine journalism. Journalism has always defined newspapers, magazines, and the printed word. Broadcast journalists also earn that distinction but to a lesser degree because of the medium they work in. I do think that the printed works of journalists are here to stay for a long time. The area that I see changing is where the words are going to be printed.

Words are they going to be on paper or on electronic screens? I have always liked newspapers. They can be taken anywhere by anyone. They can also be folded into paper airplanes and thrown around classrooms. The final resting-place of many newspapers is the bathroom.

I know that in my house that is where the front page and sports section is. This particular journalism class likes newspapers. I walk in and see many of my classmates reading one everyday. The technology for the extinction of newspapers has been around for fifty years. Fifty years has passed and still newspapers and magazines hold a dominant place in the culture of every race on earth. What makes them so attractive?

The information they contain is the main attraction. A poor family in Italy can find out how their favorite soccer team did against the English. A starving Ethiopian can find out when the next shipment of humanitarian aid is coming to his village. We Americans can find out if McDonalds is coming out with a new combo meal!

All these things are contained within the pages of our favorite rag. The only drawback to the printed word is that a person has to be able to read. This is when the broadcast media has the upper hand. Most forms of print media are cheap to buy and carry well on an airplane. Will the new wireless web be the end? Here in Jonesboro, Arkansas the personal data assistant has not caught on very well.

##They have a lot of useful features, including e-mail services and web surfing. Will they in the next few years. ## Yes, they will catch on eventually. Will they replace newspapers? No, newspapers have a secure future. They still hold many advantages.

The number one advantage is cost to the consumer. Most publications are still under one greenback. This even applies to magazines if they subscribed for home delivery. Another advantage is that people still love to read. I can not get used to reading off a blinking computer screen. Steven King released his new novel on the web.

People were not really interested in downloading megabytes. They wanted to hold a book. Reading off a piece of paper is still the favorite choice of people. Also if buying a publication, one has something to hold on to. The PDA and the wireless web are here to stay but they will not replace the print media. This new technology will give journalists another area of growth that was unforeseen just a few years ago.

For a monthly fee a person will be able to access the web. People are still going to access the websites of traditional print media. This will allow journalists to expand their scope and have more outlets to scream out to the world. Finally, I am not going to take a $500 PDA camping with me. What would I use to start a campfire with?