Friday, February 15, 2008

New York Times Lay Offs Planned


Here's a scary look at the future of newspapers. This is just the latest in a long line of newspaper layoffs. Here's an insanely long list of media layoffs this decade. Getting that journalism degree right on the cusp of the Internet age probably wasn't the wisest choice, in hindsight.

But, I still don't see the newspaper dying out any more than I can see it with magazines. People still like to have something tactile to hold and carry with them. Sure, you can get the same information online, but imagine a doctor's office without magazines. Imagine sitting outside and reading news sheets that you printed out on your computer.

The habit of picking up a newspaper to read the latest is ingrained in us. Because of this, newspapers will be around for at least a few more decades. After that, there's a chance of them being replaced by news that's read over a Kindle or a similar device. The Kindle already gets the New York Times and a few other large newspapers. It may be just a matter of time before everyone gets their news that way. It'll be a shame in a lot of ways, but on the bright side, at least we won't have any more ink-stained fingers.

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