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Readers turning from page to Web for news

RICHARD BLACKWELL

Globe and Mail Update

Latest comment posted at 7:12 PM EDT 31/10/06

Circulation is falling at most large-market Canadian newspapers ...Read the full article

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  1. Sarah Matthews from Canada writes: It's a matter of opportunity (and less newspaper clutter). The internet allows us to pick and choose news sources from around the world. It doesn't take long to figure out which news sites try to present objective*, *factual news articles, Op Ed pieces and feature articles and photos, and which ones tend toward obvious bias. I now have access to many Canadian news sources, for comparison and full coverage, American, British, Australian, Asian, Israeli and even Russian sources. The Web-sites that encourage feedback are giving readers what they want. Our voices count.
  2. Banquo's ghost from Canada writes: 19th Century - meet the 21st Century.
  3. D Moss from Toronto, Canada writes: Informative, but also seems like a big G&M pat on the back.
  4. Karin Pasnak from N. Vancouver, Canada writes: Even so I read some of the news on the web, there is nothing better than reading the Globeandmail with your morning coffee and that will never change for our family.
  5. david walters from Canada writes: Great! I enjoy reading all the newspapers, from the Sun's, Globe, and Toroto Star, to get the views of their reporters, columnists and editors. But, while they provide insightful views, they are, obviously, somewhat selective and biased. The opening up of the internet, has provided a wonderful opportunity for the average, engaged, person to go beyond the control exerted by the established media. It probably scares the hell out of them. What will the 'chattering classes' do when we are all chattering. Sounds like real democracy to me.
  6. Bob Rollheiser from Canada writes: Being a tree hugger of sorts, I would prefer to see a few trees in their natural state rather than mounds of printed adverizing for products that arn't available where I live, don't want or allready know about. Web news is specific, fast and possibly a little less damaging to the enviorment. After subscribing to newspapers for over thirty years, they have become somewhat less than relevant to me today. Plus there are more better comics on the web.
  7. Ferris Bueller from Canada writes: Well if I just read the dead tree version of the paper I would miss all these intelligent insightful comments that I can enjoy here in Globe Web land.... which make me wonder about the incompleteness of the Canadian educational system and worry for democracy, but other than that it's great ....
  8. J Luft from Calgary, Canada writes: Might also have something to do with the bias in newspapers. People are getting sick of editorializing sneaking into 'news' stories. A good example is some of the outlandish headlines from the G&M for instance. Maybe if newspapers would get back to reporting news and stop playing stupid political games or faking news, the newspapers might survive.
  9. Mohammad K from Oakville, Canada writes: We are also turning to blogs!!! given the Main Stream Media is just a re-hasher of substance-free news content...seriously I do not care for Paris Hilton's love life, what Bush has for breakfast or if Harper has an independent thought.
  10. Bob McDonald from Canada writes: One of the key promises of the computer age was to see the replacement of paper media with digital media with the subsequent savings in the cost of making paper, printing the news and all the trucks needed to deliver it. I sure hope no one is surprised by this. The wood industries will have to make more durable products like furniture and homes with their lumber. The printing professionals, I hope will have taken to the internet technologies as an alternative. As for the trucking and delivery folks - find something else to move - like computers or internet-ordered products. I don't think the great savings are really there since all of these workers will find alternate activities using the same resources and energy to do their new work. Its not really better - just different - and maybe a tiny bit faster. Hey! If I'm right, what was all the hoopla all about?
  11. Robert Rose from Mont-Royal, Canada writes: This is great news! I believe the trend is a dominant one and there to stay. News, yes. NewsPAPER... not necessarily. Personally, I like to get news daily from all over the world, on the Internet (Web), to participate in discussions on the news, etc. This is why I very much appreciate an interactive environment. My laptop is therefore set up so that I can surf quickly, from one source of information to the other, taking into account where major events are happening each day. I remember BBC World suggesting all day long, on TV, 'Demand a broader view!' Well, there we are, more and more people do demand a broader view now, and they do not keep on waiting for BBC World (or for any other source of information, for that matter), to give it to them, anymore. For each and everyone, those are true benefits of what some like to call 'globalization'!...
  12. D JL from Canada writes: I would miss the paper paper.My favorite passtime for Sat. is reading the G&M in the morning @ Strbcks & the local paper in the afternoon @ another coffee place. Great way to spend time reading, looking, relaxing. Not the same reading the news on a screen.
  13. Peter Walker from Calgary, Canada writes: Obviously I read The Globe and Mail online,

    BUT

    I do enjoy reading a paper copy while sitting in a cafe with lunch or a coffee. I don't work (accident) and actually look forward to my paper copy daily.
  14. wddfwf dsffgeg from Toronto, Canada writes: And I wonder if even these numbers are inflated ... I know that the Toronto Star regularly (at least three separate times) 'subscribes' me to their daily paper, and I have to either call and 'cancel' my 'subscription' or endure carrying all that waste (and wasted) paper in my blue box, week after week after week.
  15. A G from Toronto, Canada writes: There is alot to be inferred about this trend, and some more thoughts. 1) It is clear that these newspapers each cater to different audiences with different access to internet. For example office workers can read newspapers online at work, while newspapers that cater to labourers can not be read online. 2) Paper copies are more portable- you can read them at breakfast, on public transport and in the office. 3) How many of these subscriptions are corporate plans? Many businesses provide paper copies to employees, but how many people actually read them? 4)By the time you read the paper copy of the newspaper, the news may be out of date, but the analytical pieces do not get dated very easily.
  16. Casey Stepaniuk from Canada writes: Ha, ha. Am I the only one who finds the posting of this article on the globe and mail's website hilariously ironic?
  17. bill johnson from Quebec, Canada writes: #8, J Luft hit the nail on the head. When you witness something and then see the way some members of the press cover (or not) the event, you are left shaking your head. So while some migration to the web was inevitable, papers are often agents of their own demise. Printing smaller and fewer pages simply accelerates the process. Less editorializing in the news articles, please.
  18. Brendan Caron from vancouver, Canada writes: When the establishment decides that the news is theirs to report as they see fit then the readers lose. When the readers find an alternative source of news then they follow it. It is not only the destruction of the trees that matters but the fact that the trees are being cut to produce biased views of the world. In other words they are wasted.
    Not everything in the paper falls into this category but it is there and it affects many, many people who, as a result, turn to what they consider a better approach to getting the objective, unbiased view of the world. People with the power of the press have forgotten that it isn't their right to witness on our behalf but are given our trust to act as our witnesses. When they don't live up to the bargain then there is no alternative but to look elsewhere. Now that the internet has opened up the vista of the common man then the media should expect that people will pursue the truth. Not the portion of the truth that they have been allotted. I am glad that Canadians have seen that the forerstry industry upon which the press is built will now be moving towards the Internet. Blair's statement about global warming are fact. One of the ways to revitalize the planet is to stop deforestation. Canada and the media have been flung into this controversy by virtue of the fact that it is based on deforestation. People will do what is right. The Internet offers more in saving the environment that the tree-cutting media uses to print about ecology and sustainability. Don't say that I didn't tell you that this was going to happen a few years ago. Heck of a lot of good journalists are still needed but the paper/newspaper industry should take a step back and see how to re-organize.
  19. Michael Lawrence from Vancouver, Canada writes: I also side with the environmentalist camp on this one. Sure there's a certain type of comfort that comes from reading paper, but the paper savings have got to be astronomical. Casey Stepaniuk: And an even bigger component of that irony is that the voice of the people who only read the printed version of the Globe will not be heard here!
  20. dave jackson from Victoria, Canada writes: Data and opinion are readily available in real time on the net. Radio and soon TV are widely available online. What purpose does a newspaper serve, exactly? Consumers under 40 just won't put up with pyramid-style news stories (journalist reference), stories written to keep liable lawyers happy, excessive copy devoted to a few goofy celebrities or the 'art' the major pushers want us to read, see or hear. It's a wide wide world out there and the Internet gives it to us. Newspapers are being relegated to the same corner of historical relics as record stores, churches and pretty soon movie theatres.
  21. Sarah Matthews from Canada writes: Bob McDonald, you wrote: 'The wood industries will have to make more durable products like furniture and homes with their lumber. '

    The wood industries, of course, already DO make those durable products and paper is made from wood waste pulp. More and more people reading the news via the Web has not translated into less paper being used, overall. Have you ever seen so many flyers stuffed into your mail box and lying soggy and forlorn on your doorstep as you do now? Computer printers spit out reams and reams of wasted paper, and even Mastercard machines use paper tapes. Have you noticed magazines going out of style? Nope. The wood industry can withstand the impact of 'net news.
  22. Tine Cruickshank from Canada writes: #16, you took the words right out of my mouth.

    I'll add though, that reading the feedback on an article right after reading the article is one of the perks of online newspapers.
  23. K. O'Brien from Kingston, Canada writes: I subscribe to the G&M and scan the electronic version. The Star, NYTs plus several papers from vacation countries are also scanned regularly. I used to get the Sunday NYTs but add that to the other 6 days of paper and you have to start thinking of adding another recycle bin.

    I do not think a quality printed version broadsheet will be replaced by the electronic version as I look at the web source as a value added product. Plus the computer is too combersome to drag into the bathroom.
  24. Naughta Doormat from Canada writes: We must give ourselves a pat on the back. We are saving trees and contributing to the reduction of green house gases.Whether or not we realise it, we are contributing to the environment by reducing the use of paper.
  25. doctor business from vancouver, Canada writes: The quality of most newspapers is that of disinformation. Does that have something to do with it? The internet is so wide and the networks do not overlap so much as strangers in the same city - same space, different worlds. But there is potential and slow grawth away from the centrally controlled knowledge.

    Smart editors know the value of good writing and good editing. Information is overwhelming and abundant. There is still a place for a national newspaper service that manages the flow and makes it coherent and comprehensible. But the old trick of reprinting and cheering on shallow wire feeds of government press releases is fading fast thank god.

    Quality over Quantity, but access is important.

    This is all of course assuming the internet survives the corporate attacks as it so far has. But many would like to see fences where freedom now flows.
  26. John McCaffery from Warragul, Australia writes: I believe the WWW is one of the most important communication mediums humans have ever created and will challenge our abilities to think.. The WWW has the broad scope of television, the impact of the printed word, but the power of the village community. It just might be the tool that helps save this world and possibly protect us from tyranny. Throughout the ages, information has generally been controlled by small groups of people that might include; state, church or commercial institutions – aimed often to control what people think. The WWW and other digital technologies are rapidly changing this – we are being challenged to “think” in our age and that has to be good; however, reading a number of blogs and comments in general, it might be a while before some people exercise the idea of thinking - cherish this opportunity! Thanks to the Globe and Mail and its staff for providing this wonderful format.
  27. Michael Lawrence from Vancouver, Canada writes: Sarah Matthews (quote) 'More and more people reading the news via the Web has not translated into less paper being used, overall'. Please provide a reference to back up this statement. You'll notice that my comment (#19) about paper savings is speculative.
  28. Marc Landreville from Eastern Ontario (no, not Peterborough!), Canada writes: So the National Post's print readership dropped 10 percent. I suspect that the cause is not a migration to Web based news, especially as the Globe has dropped only one percent in comparison. Could it be that the National Post's editorial policies, dictated by its owners, are objectionable enough to many Canadians to turn them off buying the paper? If all papers' print circulation dropped 10%, I would find this a major downward trend. But if only one paper's circulation dropped by that amount, I say it points to what's printed in it.
  29. Michael Lawrence from Vancouver, Canada writes: (Note to editor: Please append this to my previously submitted comment if possible)

    A study summarized by Pulp and Paper Online (http://www.pulpandpaperonline.com/content/news/article.asp?docid={8fca4594-62dc-11d3-9a60-00a0c9c83afb}) concludes that pulp and paper production for newspaper will feel the biggest loss, although global demand for paper will continue to rise thanks to the continual rise in demand for office paper.
  30. Louis Pacella from Canada writes: Great news. More PCs more freedom of speech for all people, not just for the owners of the press.
  31. Joshua Hergesheimer from London UK. Vancouver, Canada writes: While living here in London I have access to a wide range of media - Guardian Unlimited, BBC, AlJazeera, etc. But I still like to read the Guardian newspaper with my coffee/lunch. There is something about the way that articles are laid out in a print edition that you cannot get from an online edition (the way the eye moves and the text flows around images).

    In Canada, on the other hand, I might read the Globe and Mail occasionally, but I would not trust the Canada.com network to give me anything of substance. I can't believe that so many Canadian newspapers are owned by the same company - no wonder subscription rates are falling. The market needs challenging newspapers to draw people in, and as long as (Western) Canada suffers from a lack of quality dailys people will simply stop reading what is out there.

    Also, what is it about Canada.com (and G&M to some extent) trying to charge for viewing internet based content? I can view everything on BBC and the Guardian FOR FREE! Why should I pay to read low-quality writing on vacuous issues?
  32. Paul Aparycki from st. jean sur richelieu, Canada writes: . . . I too get most of my news from the web. I can access various Canadian sites, and european, BBC, Deutsche Welle and others for a fraction of what it costs to get my fingers stained. Having said that though, I do enjoy having printed matter in front of me, particularly on the week-end. What did most to drive me away from the printed page however was the incredible shorrtsightedness and greed of some 'media barons', the Asper gang for instance. The National Post has turned into used kitty litter since they acquired it, and the Montreal Gazoo (Gazette), at best of times inaccurate and a shambles has become like most of it's brethren, 10 pages of ads and (if you are lucky) a quarter page of sloppy reporting . . . an insult at best to the consumer.
  33. David Simon from Canada writes: It would be ionteresting to compare the change in circulation figures of the big metro dailies with the smaller market dailies. P.S Where I work we also got unrequested Toronto Stars-and then they tried to bill us.
  34. Susan Toy from Saint Vincent and Grenadines writes: What the article failed to address is that the internet versions of newspapers have opened up new markets right around the world as poster #26 and I demonstrate. The Internet allows Canadians, and other nationals, instant access to the news 'back home', something a print copy could never do. Used to be we were quite excited when someone brought us a 2-week-old Sat. edition of the G&M. Now it's old news by the end of the day the paper is published. I usually know of events happening in Canada before family and friends living there hear of them because I check the headlines every morning. Seems to me that instead of wringing their hands over a downturn in paper-readership, the newspapers should be looking for ways to attract more website readers.
  35. vince mayne from Travelling in the U.K., Canada writes: Yes, I read the G&M on-line while out of the country. At home, I still enjoy the hardcopy. Generally, avoid vacuous dailies that disguise themselves as newspapers, when in fact they are a conduit for advertising.
  36. admore inches from Toronto, Canada writes: Although I read the news online quite often, I would still prefer to sit and read the news. Time doesn't permit me, though. I do like the Globe's feature where they allow you to post comments, however. #8, the bias in newspapers? All newspapers have bias and slants, even when they try to be objective and unbiased. Nothing new in that.
  37. Barrie Ward from Weldon Saskatchewan, Canada writes: For those of us out 'In the Sticks' the internet has given us an opportunity to read what is not available locally in the hinterlands. Thus 'awareness' is promoted on a broader variety of issues and events making for a more informed (or brianwashed depending on your viewpoint) public.

    The Globe and Mail has managed to expand its reader base significantly and as such the advent of the Web can only be seen as a positive for its marketing/circulation department. I for one enjoy tapping into a dozen or more news sources and viewpoints such as what is in the Globe each and every day!
  38. Wilson Fontana from Hamilton, Canada writes: Oh let's face it....it's all because it's much easier to read the online version than the hard copy when you're sitting at your desk trying to look busy at work! ;)
  39. Peter McKinney from Montreal, Canada writes: Reading the morning paper on a computer is not really relaxing for me. There is nothing better than the quiet time before the family wakes up while I prepare breakfast and read the G&M. Saturday mornings pass quickly reading the paper front to back and then again for the more in-depth items.
  40. Peter McKinney from Montreal, Canada writes: How true! LOL Sometimes the morning read is not possible, so online access is most useful
  41. Laura Quraishi from St. Lazare, Canada writes: I think #26 put forth a valuable commentary. I too agree that the www is increasing our expectations and expanding our taste for 'newsworthy' material. I predict that the www will continue to have an impact on both our behaviour and thought life. The web's ability to enlighten and provide unprecedented choice makes me applaud anyone working to connect developing nations with this access.
  42. Ken Hass from Canada writes: I enjoy readers comments. They give me an idea of what is really going on. Also selective editing by print media distorts the real story.
  43. E Newell from Abbotsford, Canada writes: Here in British Columbia, it is difficult to get honest news. The two largest newspapers(The Vancouver Sun and the Vancouver Province) and the largest TV newscaster (BCTV) are all owned by CanWest and are sensationalist ( the Province, in particular, enjoys presenting sexual titillations), biased (News that can be found elsewhere is often not available in BC.), filled with propaganda (Apparently, the war in Afghanistan is going well and is good for Canada.), and cowardly ( The term 'Indo Canadian' is constantly replaced by the more general term 'South Asian' which leaves readers to guess about countries of origin).
    I, for one, read no other newspaper that the Globe and Mail. I find it to be much more interesting and objective than the majority of alternatives here in British Columbia. My only regret is that is can't be deliver to my home at the standard delivery cost.
  44. Cheryl Nelson from Minneapolis, MN, United States writes: I used to voraciously read the newspaper nearly every day, but no longer. The shrinkage of paid subscriptions, IMO, has been brought about by managerial shortsightedness. They shrank the staffs, story lengths, number of stories, page sizes, font sizes, number of columns, and the number of stories that are in fact real news, as opposed to 'entertainment' or 'consumer interest' features cleverly disguised as advertising. The printed copy of my local paper isn't readable - the print is far too small to read comfortably. About the only thing management has increased, besides the size of its own ranks, is the amount of advertising I'll find in the print copy of my newspaper. The weight of advertising circulars in the expanded Sunday edition of our local paper outweighs that of the actual news sections! With less room for true news content and staff to provide it, today's print newspapers no longer report the story behind the headlines, less international news and fewer local news stories. What passes for news in our local paper is stuff I can read about in 'People' or 'Us Weekly', not stuff that impacts my life. Because most newspapers are now owned by publicly traded national/international chains instead of independent local families, they look the same across the continent. The Internet frees me from being held hostage by my local newspaper. I can ferret out what I want to know from sources around the world if need be. Until newspaper managements return to printing papers containing actual news that has a bearing on my life, in a readable format, I won't return to the printed page anytime soon.
  45. Rob Fair from United States writes: Nothing beats the MSNBC, CBC, Globe and Mail and BBC websites for truly useful news.
  46. Sarah Matthews from Canada writes: E Newell from Abbotsford, I rarely read the Province newspaper, but the ONLY newspaper I buy in paper form, anymore, is the Vancouver Sun. Its editorial board shows a realistic grasp of big issues, which is so rare in Canadian journalism.

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