Chapter 8

   The biggest thing that has made newspapers important over the years is their nack for investigative journalism. This all started with yellow journalism in the 1800's. This idea of "exciting human-interest stories, crime news, [and] large headlines" is still in high demand today (254). We always see stories about gang violence, what elected officials are doing with our money, and much more. The most recent story that I can think of is the controversy with former Governor Eliot Spitzer. Spitzer had paid for a prostitute and was eventually forced out of office. These investigative reports and stories are followed closely by all. Why? Because we are nosy. Because we want to know what's going on with people's lives. So authors write about it and we read it. This is how yellow journalism became so popular, and still is alive today.
   The two types of newspapers that started to emerge in the 1800's, that would pave the way for future newspapers, were the story driven model and the "just the facts" model. To me "just the facts" seems a little on the boring side. Even as a writer that would not be a fun paper to write for. Instead of creating an article you are simply copying down facts that are given to you. Where's the fun in that? With all the newspapers using this style and just simply telling the people what the government wanted to tell them, when World War I broke out everyone was in a panic. As one scholar described it ""the American people were utterly amazed when war broke out in August 1914, as they had no understanding of the foeign scene to perpare them for it" (258). This is why it is important to be subjective. It is our right to say what we want, when we want to. Some may argue that it is our duty to keep officials in check through criticism. Walter Lippman explains what the press should do by saying "(1) 'to make a current record'; (2) 'to make a running analysis of it'; and (3) 'on the basis of both, to suggest plans'" (258).
   Newspapers today are definitely losing their edge. With the internet at everybody's fingertips and the news on cable channels like CNN and ESPN, newspapers are the last thing on a teenagers mind nowadays. I know that I am more prone to look to the internet for news instead hunting through the Buffalo News. So to stay afloat newspapers are starting to go digital. While it may seem that newspapers are losing steam, don't count them out just yet. This idea is highlighted in our book: "While some observers think newspapers are on the verge of extincion as the digital age eclipese the print era, the industry is no dinosaur...the history of communication demonstartes that older mass media have always adapted" (274). It may be a tall order, but if history repeats itself, our children just may be reading newspapers after all.