Newspapers: Survival of the Techies

Who even receives newspapers anymore? Is there any reason to spend the money to subscribe to these print stories anymore? Why not just watch the news if you want to know whats happening in the world? The only reason people today even consider buying a newspaper is if there child made it into the sports section as the "Next MLB Star" or "High School Star Signs to Play Division I Ball" Personally, when I am on my way to school at 6 in the morning, I specifically take a different route than I usually would because I know on a certain road I will get stuck behind the idiot trying to toss newspapers out his window to the residents. I always ask myself, "why does he even bother? These people all have TV's and iPads that they get their news from." There is no point to the print version anymore unless you want an article to frame because your child is the new Whiz Kid.

This is exactly why only the technologically savvy newspapers will move forward. The New York Times has taken leaps and bounds to be that forward news report that people will still subscribe to, even if it is online. Even the print version is the largest local newspaper in the United States. However they have moved from a "all the news thats fit to print" to a "all the news that's fit to click" motto in order to attract those who depend on their smartphones and computers. Even with this transfer, they have yet to lose any information. They are one of the only papers that have chosen to keep the eight column news instead of half-assing and switching to six columns to condense the reading. People will read more if it means that the information is prevalent to their lives. Instead of lessen their reports and losing potential clients that read those two thrown away columns, they still keep their broad range of audiences while keeping the news concise and straight forward.

The New York Times is one of the hardest newspapers to become a writer at, only selecting the cream of the crop writers to commit to their columns. With a reputation like that, and having most everyone know that fact, people are more drawn to read their news because of the guarantee of a well written piece even if they are uninterested in the content. There still are people in the world that enjoy works that are well written even if the content is lacking. Poorly written articles with extreme content are essentially worthless because no one wants to hear a cool story told by a third grader. That same story coming from someone with a Master's degree is more likely to sink in and believed than if you chatted up a homeless person on the side of the road. 

The Times will survive. Their movement to apps and online subscriptions will keep them in the game as long as the news keeps rolling, which it always will. Don't be that idiot that listens to what a third grader tells you and takes it to heart. Know what you are reading, and who it is coming from. With the New York Times, there is no disappointment.

The Impact of the Cover: Should We Care?

All around the world we hear people complaining about how celebrities on the cover of magazines are extremely airbrushed and fake. People are outraged that the companies could lie to a nation like that and create a false sense of what beauty really is. Well guess what people, it's time to get your priorities straight. Stop worrying about who is on the cover of People magazine and start reading the headlines of real issues. The cover is there to catch your eye, and as much as the image may be fake, your biggest concern should be that the unrealistic image you're looking at is causing such a commotion in your mind. Honestly, who cares if Charlie Sheen is going through a divorce or Beyonce had ugly pictures taken at the Super Bowl half time show. Read a real magazine with real issues. I read Time magazine and for a specific reason. Time can appeal to most audiences with a wide range of stories. When I am in a store, these kinds of magazines appeal to me because I could care less about the celebrities whom aren't affecting my life, and don't care to have to fumble through the ten thousand subtitles on the cover of gossip magazines just to find the actual headline.

My two images are of one Time cover that strives to give college athletes(like myself) more credit. Another is a headline about the world through Vladimir Putin's eyes. These are thought provoking covers which also have a very simplistic and basic picture that in no way could cause any controversy. The diversity in images is lacking because pictures are only posted based on what is pertinent to the story. No "baby pictures from the UK", no "which celebrity has gained the most weight," it is straight to the point. And get this, inside the magazine, they have STORIES. Politic stories, economic stories, all articles which are actually affecting our lives today. Imagine that. Put down the crap you have, stop worrying about whether Miranda Lambert sent her husband to rehab and get in touch with the world around you. Once people begin to become engage in real life, we may stop having such an ignorant group of idiots walking our streets.