Well, being from Washington I was always a Seattle Times kind of gal before I was a Seattle PI frequenter. That being said, the Seattle PI going completely online on March 17 marks the beginning of a new era.
This won’t be the last time that this will happen. Soon, due to lack of interest and lack of resources most, if not all, of the world’s papers will probably be fully available online and not in hard copy. That is, if they can afford to make it that long.
True, I am nostalgic for an era of morning coffee and stepping out to grab the paper. But, at the same time it is possible to change with times and find new rituals to fill the old voids.
As a journalism student, I can’t lie that the Seattle PI going fully online isn’t a little frightening. I am not, nor did I previously think I needed to be computer savvy. Now, I don’t know how I will be able to get a job without those skills, which wasn’t a thought that entered my head even four years ago. So much has changed. And with it we are lying the newspaper industry in her grave. And, the worst part is that I can’t say I’m not a contributer to the problem.
Now spoiled by technology, not only do I want to read the story, but I also really enjoy the short documentary videos on the subject. With the wonders of technology in news now you can watch a picture slide show while listening to an audio clip about the same subject. So, yes it is scary because it is uncharted territory, but as journalists it is also exciting. Now we have the ability to fully capture a story if our minds are willing to learn the new technology.
It is sad to think of all the journalists in newsrooms losing their jobs every second. But, that is not to say that the work is gone. Now, theoretically, you can write for any publication in the world that wants your work on your expertise. There is a website for everything, news is no exception. Although, the Seattle PI had to drastically cut it’s staff for this transition and that is never a good thing.
Even though I always preferred the Seattle Times, I truly hope that the Seattle PI survives. This is because more than one local “newspaper” serves as a checks and balances system for the community. The opportunity to have more than one viewpoint is important for the reader. And the PI, for the most part, always has a different take than the Times.
And in the meantime, if you were to get so sad that you couldn’t read your Seattle PI in it’s original hard copy form, there is always a printer. But, you won’t be able to print the videos.
