RIP NEWSPAPERS

Every year at this time, television broadcast networks do a ‘year-end-wrap’ of stories which happened over the course of the year.  These wrap-ups usually include the most newsworthy events like politics, the War, the economy, Swine Flu, plane, train and automobile accidents and the events of Mother Nature from Tsunami hurricanes, tornadoes, fires and earthquakes.  They also include the year of deaths like the passing of Walter Cronkite, Soupy Sales, Billy Mays, Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Paul Harvey, Army Archerd, Karl Malden, Bea Arthur, Ed McMahon, Patrick Swayze, Natasha Richardson and Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Senator Edward Kennedy.

Usually the news media will do recaps of the year, while the tabloidish entertainment news beats will cover the people who have milked more than 15 minutes of fame like the Kardashians and  Jon & Kate Gosselin.

But the year’s end for me, as a scribe, feature journalist and publicist for the past twenty-five years represents the end-of-an-era in print media.  This year, marked the good-bye to many newspaper entities.  And this is the year-end wrap-up that your broadcast media won’t talk about due to the politics of media reporting on media.

To me, the news that newspapers, the original platform for news (aside from the carrier pigeon) is going away is sad news.

I remember as a child, going out to go get the morning paper was ‘an event.’  The whole idea that news was delivered right to your door….okay, more like driveway or rosebush – was an exciting thing.   Friday’s newspapers were fun because they listed all the new movies that were released for the weekend.  And oh – the SUNDAY paper was the greatest of all.  Nothing was more fascinating  than the technicolored ‘funnies’ comic section and the glossy coupons and advertisements for sales in stores.  The Sunday paper had yummy recipes and more elaborate sections for all things related to home, gardening, features, entertainment and sports.   It was exciting to read the paper all Sunday morning long, knowing that the day started with family breakfast. By morning’s end your fingers would be saturated with the black ink from flipping through sections, and the ink was further smeared over the paper’s edges because your remnants of bacon and biscuit grease from breakfast kept the ink smearing.  Nothing was more inspirational than reading lovely compositions from the many talented reporters and columnists, eloquently composed for my eyes to appreciate.

Newspapers had further purpose than for what they were intended.  They actually created more news by being recyclable. We would stack read papers in the garage and save them for my elementary school paper recycling drives to raise money for the school.  This tradition continued with me into high school for fundraising for my senior class to repaint a parking lot, purchase a new podium, replace a rusted marquee and create the first-ever color yearbook pictures.   

During the holidays, newspapers provided packaging filler and even wrapped gifts in a pinch.  Thus, their life beyond the news was further extended.

While I am all for saving the planet, and being green and loving the beauty that the Internet provides, I can’t help but express in my year-end wrap-up, my nostalgic and melancholy feeling about how I am dismayed at the continued dissolving of newspaper publishers with each passing day.  And I feel for the many colleagues I have who have been editors, writers, photographers and stringers, earning their living, doing something they love… which is to present the news.

So I salute all of you who have worked long hours to meet that deadline. 

I salute all of you who had to call endlessly to get the facts and fact-check your stories and do interview upon interview – with some who did nothing more than provide yes or no answers. 

I salute all of you who had the red-pen markings slashing your too-long articles and stories which got cut because the sales department got big ads which took up your editorial space. And I salute the sales people who busted their hump to get the ads to keep the paper going, when the Internet banners were stealing your paper thunder.

I salute all the opinions in the op-ed section who didn’t compromise the fact you had a mind and cared to share it. 

I salute the editors who had to make the difficult decision as to which story would make the front page and which of the 400 chocolate recipes was the best one to print in the salute to desserts of the holiday season.

I salute the photographers who would wait hours and hours for the ‘perfect picture,’ in waiting for the ideal sunset, the pipeline wave, the ideal flight of the baseball across the field and for being in the horrific eye of the storm or war zone to get the picture that told the story before you even read the reporter’s version.

I salute the original ‘kid job’… all the paperboys and girls who have the aches and pains of the throwing arm arthritis today, who made their living at an early age by tossing the newspaper with all their might to try to make it to the front door.

So thank you… to all of the newspapers across the globe who said goodbye this year.  I thank you for publishing my stories, covering my clients and for making a difference in bringing the facts, figures, photos, features and compelling, heartfelt and fun reading to all your readership and subscribers over the years. 

Together we will marvel in the news you created and covered over the many decades of your existence and know you left an impression on all the eyes which gazed over your pages… and the ink you left behind in editorial and on Sunday morning breakfast fingers.

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