Editorial: If newspapers fall, you may too

The newspaper industry, which wasn’t exactly in a state of youthful health before the economic downturn, is sliding down a destructive slope toward…well, we don’t exactly know. But if that fall ends in obliteration, those employed by newspapers won’t be the only ones suffering. Whether you think so or not, you, the reader, will pay, too.

The chaos is diverse. Some newspapers have closed print operations and moved online. Others, like The Washington Post and the New York Times, recently announced layoffs, pay cuts and buyouts. Closer to home, the Media General Washington Bureau closed for good late last week. You have likely already heard about the situation at our parent paper, the News & Messenger in Woodbridge, but to recap, printing transferred to its sister paper, the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Twenty-five people were let go and employees there and at the Stafford County Sun are required to take a certain number of days off without pay. If the industry continues like this, then eventually all people may have to rely on the Internet, television or radio for their news, but when it comes to that, we think the reader may find that those venues lack the depth newspapers provide. Bloggers, and to a certain extent, television and radio news, rely on the information dredged up or provided by newspapers.

Do television news anchors or radio reporters often go to board of supervisors’ meetings and wait for that one choice piece of news to report? Some do. But many too often read about it in the local paper and then follow up. Do you think bloggers, most of whom have day jobs, can spend the time calling up various officials, citizens and experts in order to get varying views on issues of concern? Some do, but most don’t. They rely on newspaper articles to provide them a board from which their ideas may leap.

And what if newspapers all migrate online? Suddenly, being informed will require a hefty financial investment. Many of us take computers and the Internet for granted, but there are still some for whom those items are a luxury. Are they to be relegated to ignorance because of it?

Use the Internet at the library, you say? We suppose the devoted and truly interested will pursue that route, but for many, news will simply become a bygone pleasure of simpler days. Whether you think any particular newspaper is doing a good or bad job is your entitled opinion, and you should always push for news outlets to more effectively cover the news that concerns you. But if you wish your newspapers gone, then you are embracing a personal form of intellectual suicide. Newspaper workers will find other jobs, but you may never again find the information you crave.

Newspapers: Love us or hate us, but lose us and you may be lost.

Stafford County Sun editorials represent the opinion of the managing editor. Other columns, letters and cartoons on his page express the opinions of the authors and not necessarily the Stafford County Sun.