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Show Wednesday, January 20, 1999 because "it is very important to keep up to date on current issues." Many U professors also require students to read newspapers as part of their course work. Some political science and communication professors incorporate The New York Times into the curriculum in an attempt to not only keep students up to date but help them get into the habit of reading newspapers. Traci Statler, a graduate student in Exercise and Sport Science, teaches a course in which she makes it mandatory for her students to read the sports news at least three times a week. "Keeping up with current events is highly important these days," she said. But some students just do not have time to read the newspaper with school and work. U student Trent O'Brien does not read the newspaper due to a lack of time but does make a concerted effort to catch up with the evening news. Woolston claims that a very general shift in lifestyle is perhaps the most obvious reason for the rising popularity of media such as television and the Internet. He also says this change is the cause of the static popularity of newspapers. With people developing greater expectations and shorter attention spans, newspapers are continually faced with a dilemma: how to appeal to the masses. Eileen Ringnalda, a graduate student in the department of communication, gave a lecture to a class of new communication majors in 1997 where she discussed how the newspaper world responded to the rise of television news. Newspapers took two general approaches. The first approach is best illustrated in The New York Times. To news combat the new, faster-pace- d of broadcast style journalism, The Times opted to make its stories longer and more in depth, thus giv The Daily Utah ing those people who really wanted to get the full story a chance to do just that. Because of its extremely conservative image, it carries the nickname, "The Grey Lady." The other reaction entailed creating a news style that brought together ideas from both the print and the broadcast world. The point was to decrease the distance between the two and appeal to an audience that is more inclined to watch television than read. In essence, USA Today attempted to make newspaper reading more like watching news broadcasts on television: short, to the point, and visually exciting. They even designed their display stands to look like color television sets. Enter USA Today. by some, loved by Today has large following in its history. In fact, it is has the second highest circulation in the country after the Wall Street Journal, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations. Started in 1982 by Allen H. Neuharth, this newspaper Despised ar represents the first successful launch of a new major U.S. daily newspaper in decades. In essence, USA Today openly attempts to appeal to the "visually oriented" generation, as Evans puts it, by presenting its news more like a television station would and less like traditional newspapers such as The New York Times. According to Richard Campbell in his book, "Media and Culture," USA Today has found a niche in our society due to its choice of "surface slickness over substantive news" and the use of "brief news items to appeal to short attention spans." To illustrate this point, The New York Times might use an entire page covering a story which might be covered in a few paragraphs in USA Today. The producers openly admit that the goal is to stimulate readers visually, thus maintaining their attention. In essence, USA Today attempted to make newspaper reading more like watching news broadcasts on television: short, to the point, and visually exciting. They even designed their display stands to look like color television sets. English major Alvin Wilson says he doesn't read the newspaper much but when he docs, it is USA Today because it's more exciting to read. "It's more like reading a glorified magazine than a newspaper," he said. The arrival of USA Today on the journalism scene stirred up many kinds of feelings for news readers endless criticism on one hand and endless praise on the other. Television commentator Linda Ellerbec somewhat condescendingly said that USA Today was for people who find news too complex. President Reagan felt differently when he spoke at a reception celebrating the start of the newspaper on September 15, 1982. He said, "This newspaper is a testimony to the kind of dreams free men and women can dream and turn into reality here in America." "The New York Times and USA Today simply appeal to two different audiences," Woolston said. "Both are excellent newspapers in their own right." While they may be excellent Hi, I'm the Chronicle and I'll be your paper this morning. "Many people have developed a feeling of being hurried lately, due to 5, and therefore say they do not have time to sit and read a paper. " Woolston David newspapers, only time will tell if they are good enough to continue to compete with broadcast news. Besides television, another medium has emerged that will compete with newspapers: Internet news. Newsline.com is one of many websites that advertise news tailor-mad- e to fit your needs. Simply subscribe to their services, choose which kinds of news you want and it to you daily. they will While it is a form of print journalism, it is more suited to today's society. So is this the future of print journalism? Maybe, maybe not. Media, like most things, gradually evolves. Papers like The New York Times only partially resemble the early colonial and newspapers Newsline.com only partially resembles The New York Times. Instead of stopping the presses, perhaps its simply time to redesign them. fast-pace- d ART 1010 Is Now In Session. Chronicle 9 Coffee and donut extra. Every semester $1.50 of your student fees goes to pay about 10 percent of the Chronicle's budget. Consider it a tip. How was the service? Send comments to EDITORCHRONICLE.UTAH.EDU SPRING TELECOURSES: Introduction to the Visual Arts (ART 1010) Science Without Walls (B10EN 1510) Why fight the weather this winter? Work toward your degree by watching TV Principles of Microeconomics in the comfort of your home. Want to know more? Call 581 -- 5752, or visit our Web site at uleam.utah.edu. Spring classes start January 11. (ECON 2010) Principles of Macroeconomics (ECON 2020) 5j Exploring Diversity (ETHNC 5890) Scientific Foundations of Human Nutrition and Health (FD NU 1020) Western Civilization Since 1300 (HIST 1020) World History (HIST 1050) The U.S. Constitution (POL S 4790) Psychology of Infancy and Childhood (PSYCH 1220) Psychology of Abnormal Behavior (PSYCH 3400) Performing Arts (UGS 1730) Jj TELECOURSES UNIVERSITY OF UTAH |
