Perhaps you didn’t notice that National Newspaper Week came and went again two weeks ago.
I figure there’s a good chance you were distracted by celebrating other national weeks that occupied the same time period.
You might have been inspired to clear potential “fuel” away from your wooden house on your forested lot in recognition of National Fire Prevention Week. You could have been buying fresh batteries at Walmart as your contribution to National Hearing Aid Awareness Week.
Then again, maybe you were enjoying National Pet Peeve Week and avoided paying attention because you find newspapers annoying.
Or maybe you were involved in some other activity (or non-activity) as part of one of the many other national weeks that no doubt simultaneously occurred.
But Oct. 4-10 was indeed National Newspaper Week. And as usual, the “big event” went by quietly.
Not that I was disappointed at the fact I didn’t receive any gift certificates during the festive period, but I did reflect on how newspapers are one of the things we spoiled Americans take for granted in our technology-packed, material-filled lives. They’re just there, like running water and electricity
And they’ve been there a while; the first record of a newspaper can be traced to the Roman Empire (in 59 B.C. of all things), the first newspaper in America existed for a few days in 1690 before those mean ruling Brits shut it down, and a weekly publication began in 1760 in Connecticut (and is still going now).
But I’m kind of glad newspapers are taken for granted. That shows how engrained they are in society and most certainly is a sign of something integral to the life of the average too-busy-to-care American.
Some people like to say these days that print is “dead” or “dying.” Well, maybe the classified sections are shrinking because of craigslist and other online marketing avenues, and maybe some of the larger, big-city publications are feeling a pinch from online news sources.
But it’s pretty obvious that in places like Houston, Mo., and other rural communities, local newspapers are anything but weakening. Yep, while the “real truth” is “shared” on a far-too-regular basis via social media, the rural fish-wrap business continues to be an important source of local knowledge and enlightenment.
But why wouldn’t it? Where else can you possibly find out – in one package – who stole a bottle of vodka, who won a ribbon at the regional math competition, what caused that loud noise outside McDonald’s the other night and who visited who last week?
But seriously, the local newspaper allows a perspective of the community that can’t be found anywhere else. It conveys the nuts and bolts about all kinds of circumstances (good and bad), reports what people said about problems, solutions, failures, achievements and of course, other people.
And while doing so, it – through printed word and photos – conveys the community’s very atmosphere and paints a picture of its personality.
American newspapers are also (at least for now) able to praise or ridicule individuals, promote or discourage ideals and even openly share the name of Jesus Christ if they so choose.
I find a very real beauty in that. I know I’m a tad biased because my job is to help make all that happen, but I really do.
A few months ago, a long-time journalist who has permanently hopped aboard the online news bandwagon came to the Herald office to discuss how we could make better use of what is already a great website in order to drive more people toward it. I enjoyed speaking with him, and I have no problem with online information (I absorb a bunch of it every day), but I had to let him know I felt he was a little off track.
I was like, “hold on cowboy. You may want to save trees and turn everyone away from their paper pages sooner than later, but you need to realize the concept you’re dealing with here is way ahead of its time here in Mayberry.
“People really enjoy getting the paper, reading the paper, seeing all the advertisements in the paper and generally using the paper as it’s meant to be used. You’re encroaching on territory that a whole lot of people aren’t ready to give up yet.”
Anyway, in case you like reading news and you wonder if you’re in a minority, pay attention and you’re sure to hear someone say, “I read in the paper the other day that so-and-so.”
The bottom line is, don’t believe any of that “print is dead” propaganda you might hear – even from the media’s own doomsayers. I’m pretty sure it’s going to be a good while before newspapers go the way of the dinosaurs.
Of course, it would be absurd (in a literal sense) for you to believe that because you’re reading this. But I digress.
Let me just say on behalf of all of us at in the print news industry that we’re glad to be here for you and I have no doubt we will be for a long time to come. And on behalf of the staff of your Houston Herald, we appreciate the many thousands of you who celebrate National Newspaper Week (along with us) 52 times a year.
Doug Davison is a writer, photographer and newsroom assistant for the Houston Herald. Email: ddavison@houstonherald.com.