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When my local newspaper announced that it was going digital, the response was swift and furious.
Chattanooga has had a daily printed newspaper since 1869. For most 20e century there were two, and for a short time even three.
A 152-year-old habit is hard to break. Beginning in June 2022, the Chattanooga Times Free Press will shut down printing presses except Sundays. The other six days, subscribers must adjust to an online format that the newspaper calls “enhanced content.”
The font can be enlarged with a pinch of the fingers. Some of the articles will include videos and color photographs. No more ink on your fingers, and no more piles of recycled paper.
The newspaper will even provide subscribers with an iPad and teach them how to use it. The editor said in other cities early skepticism from readers quickly turned into widespread support.
At the moment, I see some resistance. Many readers say they don’t mind the ink. They like to brave the elements to get their paper.
Newsprint seems to go well with coffee and toast. Solving a crossword puzzle isn’t the same without a pencil (or a pen if you’re really confident).
Many of us are now used to reading the news on our portable or desktop devices, but there is something comforting about the tactile sensation of journaling or browsing its contents as it rests on the table in the office. having dinner.
Our refrigerator door is a showcase of colorful comics and photos that caught our eye. Our clipping albums are filled with price cuts, engagement announcements and columns that made us laugh.
It hasn’t gone unnoticed that most newspaper readers are, well… how to put it, seasoned life veterans. Sadly, many complaints about the Chattanooga newspaper’s digital transition start with phrases like “My 93-year-old mother won’t know what to do.”
Some older readers express resentment and anger at the loss of a printed newspaper. “How am I supposed to know when my friends die?” A lady wrote. “First it was COVID, and I couldn’t attend a funeral, and now it’s happening. “
When the youngest respond by saying, ‘Relax grandma, just download an app on your smartphone or iPad’, or, ‘It’s much more consumer-friendly to digest the line. digital on your tablet ”, they might as well quote the scientific technobabble used by Sheldon on“ The Big Bang Theory ”. Everything sounds the same.
(You won’t find many people under the age of 30 with ink on their fingers. You will, however, find them wearing headphones, staring into their small screen, ignoring oncoming traffic.)
Certainly, not all older readers are afraid of the new challenge. My dad loved his computer, buying and selling auto parts all over the country. My stepfather even refused to touch a computer. He called it “This (expletive deleted) know-it-all.” Sometimes he would ask a question I couldn’t answer. “What is the population of Guatemala? I would say, “Let me find it.” “Oh,” he would reply. “You have to ask your #% @ & # know-it-all!” “
While I can handle the basics of a digital device, it won’t be easy for me. I am addicted to newspapers. On vacation, I pack a roll of quarters, and track down the last toilet paper holder in town. I’m the guy who catches the newspaper you leave at the restaurant or at the airport. I haven’t dug one in the trash yet, but I thought about it. What would it be like to see a grown man, looking for the sports section? “That poor guy,” the spectators would say. “He’s probably hoping there are fries wrapped in this foil.”
For decades, everyday life has been my window to the world. As a child, seeing headlines from around the world drop down my rural driveway was like a daily miracle.
So why does my local newspaper shut down the press six days a week? They hope that a reduction in ink, paper and delivery expenses will allow them to continue paying for journalists. They hope citizens will continue to support independent reporting.
Whether you read this column in print or on screen, be grateful for the newspaper in which it resides. He overcame serious obstacles. Subscriptions were once an added bonus to his bank account, overshadowed by ad revenue and “classifieds”. From now on, your annual contribution is its cornerstone. Please remember this. In many small towns and counties, local journalists are your only watchdog.
So, however you receive your news, renew your subscription and support advertisers. If you ever lose your local reporters, you lose more than a companion for your coffee. You lose oversight and responsibility. When that happens, we all lose.
(David Carroll is a TV presenter and radio host in Chattanooga, and is online at ChattanoogaRadioTV.com. You can contact him at 900 Whitehall Road, Chattanooga, TN 37405, or [email protected])
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