The Death of Print Media

On Friday 17 May 2019, an announcement was made that The Arizona Daily Star ran out of ink. This is not a truth in reality, but a truth that there will no longer be the sound of the printing presses filling its printing room. Even though the newspaper was only ten years old, it might have had a place in society (Smith, 2019). This is not only a loss for the Tuscon readers who will, since 15 May, no longer be able to read hard copies, but it might also be a sign of the future of many other newspapers.

Printing has the longest of histories and it is difficult to pin down an exact date for when printing started, because of its diverse nature. For me, the first impression of printing came when Martin Luther pinned his 95 Theses on the church door. That was the first time that I became aware of printing and its power. Luther created a change in the way people viewed printing and what could be done about it. He had a profound influence on the German printing processes and the later developed printing presses (Woodard, 2015).

Anyone who has ever worked in the printing industry as a journalist, graphic designer, layout artists, right up to the printer in the print room will know the excitement of that environment. Even the smell of the ink contributes to the excitement. For all these people, it is seeing the final product that is the most exciting event. For a journalist who would see their story in print, and the graphic designer and layout artist who would see the final work, it was a most satisfying experience.

If you are one who loved such an environment, it is not only a loss of a job. It is the experience, of the entire process that is taken from you when the press stops forever. Unfortunately, this might just be the beginning of the end of the printing industry, albeit in a distant future, but the digital world has signed a death warrant for printing for some.

The printing industry, too, is guilty of aiding and abetting, as they have placed many of their print editions online. All of us have contributed as we read these digital editions as it is easier than going out to buy a hardcopy. We should all be concerned about the death of the printing industry.

With the death of the printing industry, the hardcopy disappears, and the digital remains. This leaves the world in a dangerous place where facts can be changed and altered to suit a specific narrative.

References:
The power of Luther’s printing press. By Colin Woodard, December 18, 2015
Final locally printed edition of Daily Star will roll off press Sunday. By Dylan Smith, May 16, 2019
Image https://pixabay.com/photos/newspaper-news-media-spectacles-412452/