As cable television news and the internet have claimed significant portions of the information pie, many have written off Rochester newspapers as part of an antiquated and obsolete news medium. There is even a website called “Newspaper Death Watch,” which professes to be “Chronicling the Decline of Newspapers and the Rebirth of Journalism.”
While there is certainly an underlying current of satire in the tone of the above website, one also senses more than a hint of sincerity. However, the creators of the website might find themselves “chronicling” for longer than they originally anticipated, as a 2012 study conducted by the Pew Research Center revealed that 23 percent of Americans still read print newspapers.
Although 23 percent marks a precipitous drop of 18 percentage points in less than a decade, the abandonment of print news seems to be leveling off. It appears that print newspapers have proven resilient and highly malleable. In Rochester, the most obvious reason for the survival of newspapers might be attributed to how seamlessly they have adapted to the internet by launching their own websites.
Some may look at the above claim and think, “Sure, even if they are called newspapers they are still not print news, they are websites.” While that is true, the point is that it seems that the newspaper Rochester citizens read remains relevant because it is supported by its companion website. Think about it. While the roles of newspapers are changing, the pliancy of the medium has allowed publishers to adapt newspapers to the internet, rather than resist it.
Obviously, the publishers of Rochester NY newspapers would be fighting a futile battle if they were to combat the inevitable rise of the internet. Still, it is impossible to know what the future holds for any newspaper Rochesterians choose to read. But it is safe to say newspapers will not be dying off anytime soon; and they may live on for quite some time as handy, print supplements to their mother websites!