The editorial represents the opinion of the Editorial Board, composed of the editors of all the sections of the X-Ray. After the Editorial Board discusses current issues at length, the Editors-in-Chief write the editorial so that it reflects the official opinion of the X-Ray staff.

Paper newspapers are becoming more of a rarity in recent years with the rise of the internet. Online news is convenient because you can update and change stories whenever you want, and informative videos can also be included in articles with colored graphics as well. With the abundance of online newspapers, though, the amount of paper newspapers has dwindled significantly. According to CBS, “Local news is in crisis. By some estimates, more than 3,200 print newspapers have vanished since 2005.”
These statistics are a direct result of the digital revolution we currently live in. The decline in paper newspapers raises questions about whether, for the sake of speed and convenience, we are risking accuracy. Writing stories and posting them on the internet is much more convenient than paper issues because in paper issues, you have to write stories, place them on pages, then wait for them to be printed. This means that digital news is more prone to false information because you can very easily post whatever you want, including gossip articles with no factual evidence to back them up. Although some may claim that online newspapers allow you to reach more people, they also take away from the promotion of local newspapers.
According to an article published on Aug. 21 this year by Elmwood Park Advocate, “Six local newspapers in Northern Illinois shut down […] the newspapers that ended operations include the Amboy News, the Ashton Gazette, the Mendota Reporter, and Ogle County Life.” These local newspapers’ closing down is only paving the way for large corporations to continue taking over the media market. Having such easy access to newspapers that are also large corporations at your fingertips means that they start covering areas that used to be covered by a local newspaper. This puts local newspapers in jeopardy, and it also takes more personal stories away from the media.
In addition to these more technical reasons, paper newspapers create a sense of community enjoyment for readers and the writers. Writers get the enjoyment of seeing the words they wrote on a large paper that people read. And readers get the enjoyment of flipping through the pages and doing crosswords with a paper and a pencil—something that you don’t get when you are scrolling through a small light-up screen, such as your phone or laptop.
As paper issues remain in decline, it is important to understand the importance of print. So please—continue supporting your local newspaper—as you are doing right now by reading this.