Ole Pappy
When asked if newspapers, in the light of a heavy social media influence will ever die completely, I used to joke, “Not as long as there are bathrooms!”
It was funny once, but today, I’m sure people take their smart phones or other devices into the bathroom to keep them company instead of newspapers.
But it’s a valid question. Some people feel the death of newspapers altogether is imminent as folks rush to all sorts of other devices to get their news and information as fast as they can.
Nearly every day I have people tell me they don’t like to read their news on their computer or cell phone and they love to have a newspaper in their hand.
I’ve been told more than once, “I love newspapers for my news!” Sure, that felt good.
But then I began to notice who was telling me this. In every case, it was a person nearly my age or older. I began to understand newspaper ARE MY GENERATION.
But one day all the people my age will be gone. Will there be newspapers then? Frankly, I doubt it. Not that I won’t fight to keep them because I will.
But when I see my son read three daily newspapers on his computer each day while chucking a Mountain Dew ... I’ve got to be concerned about the longevity of newspapers.
Because my son and his wife are heavily into the technology generation, they don’t even like having newspapers around their home.
But what sorrows me almost more than losing newspapers is losing “Journalism.” You see, the technological generation isn’t interested in getting the facts accurately.
They want it fast, funny, right now! Sunday when the beautiful rainbow came over Minneota a man buzzed up in his car, got out and took photos and on his way back into his car said, “In an hour photos like this will be all over Facebook.”
I put my photos on our newspaper website, but it doesn’t attract as well as Facebook or Twitter or the others.
I’m also concerned because the kids in school, high school down to elementary, are NOT reading newspapers at all — not even their local paper.
Maybe they see a photo of themselves now and then, but they don’t read it on a regular basis.
Yet, through all this gloom, I’m happy to say your community newspaper is alive and well. And it will remain that way because I believe it’s wanted.
Happy National Newspaper Week Minneota Mascot.
LAUGH A LITTLE: Don’t eat that! A teacher asked her high school kids to interview a veteran about World War II.
One kid knew a veteran who had served in Vietnam so he chose him to interview.
After a few basic questions, he very gingerly asked, “Did you ever kill anyone?” The man got quiet, then, in a soft voice, he said, “Probably. I was the cook.”
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: As my Ole Pappy used to say, “As you travel down lives path, you will run into someone who understands you, listens to you and cares what you think. If you’re smart, your path will end there and you won’t walk away.” For me, I didn’t have to travel far because Ole Pappy was right there for me. Thanks Ole Pappy!