Forum #6

Topic #1

I recall having sleepovers at my grandparents house when I was little. I would wake up, walk up the stairs to the kitchen where I would see Grandpa at the kitchen table with his coffee in hand, Raisin Bran being shoveled into his mouth as he read through the morning newspaper.

I would crawl up beside him, awaiting my Raisin Bran and orange juice, and we would read it together. I would look at the pictures and as he skimmed the car ads. It was a bonding experience I will cherish forever.

We receive news in so many different ways now. Quick, accessible, and with no hassle is how we want the world to be ran.

They say that the art of the newspaper is dying, but I know in my heart that someone out there will still be reading it.

Working for the Commuter here at LBCC, and seeing the leftover copies that get thrown into recycling each week breaks my heart a little. While I enjoy being able to turn on the TV and here the latest news, or scroll through Facebook or Twitter, there is not quite like the smell of solid news inked to a piece of paper.

This is same reason I do not own a Kindle or an eBook. I would much rather feel the paper on my fingertips as I turn the pages.

Something that we have been doing at the Commuter lately is playing with graphics, textiles, and color. The Internet is loaded with an abundance of graphics that we simply cannot put on paper. The trick is catching the eye of the reader. With fun pictures, backgrounds, or layouts viewers will want to grab a copy as they are walking by.

Many newspapers have resulted in posting their edition online as well as in print, or just strictly online. The Commuter does this as well. We can see that more and more people are clicking to read instead of picking up the paper copy.

Each week varies in numbers of left over copies. If we tease the right articles, display the right cover, then people will be intrigued.

A number students that I have spoken to, were unaware that LBCC even had a newspaper until it was brought to their attention. I think spreading the word about the news we want to share with our peers could help as well.

When I went to the University of Oregon for a few terms last year, the members of the Emerald (their paper), would stand on the street handing out their paper. Most people would walk right by, but several would stop pick up a paper and be engaged.

The challenge that newspapers are facing is competing against all the social media platforms out there. Grasping a hold of societies attention to read a spread of papers is a true challenge. One that is inevitable right in front of us.