When was the last time you held a newspaper in your hand? With newer innovations like computers, smartphones, and tablets, the news has become more accessible digitally than ever before, as paper is quickly becoming a thing of the past.

Iconic newspapers like the New York Times have stayed up to date with technology to be more available to readers. The Times went online in 1996 and has published news daily on the internet and on its  app.

Media companies have been able to stand the test of time through their own technological advances, putting news in places easy for readers to reach like their smartphones.  However, the printed paper’s growth has been lackluster.

School newspapers have also changed their ways to keep up  with the times. Hundreds of schools have gone digital with their school newspapers in recent years.

For example, Fair Lawn High School has transitioned from its iconic paper  ‘Crimson Crier’ to the digital site Fusfoo to post news stories. Fusfoo is a network of dozens  of high schools, including Fair Lawn, where students can upload, share, and view articles for themselves and from students across the country.

Current co-advisor of Fair Lawn’s Journalism Club and English teacher Garrett Van Curen has seen newspaper production replaced with digital platforms like Fusfoo.

“One reason for the change to a digital format was cost. Another with format and logistics...Sometimes it’d take months to format one issue. It’s hard to be responsive when it takes so long to format and print,” said Van Curen.

Former club advisor and teacher of journalism Teresa McAleavy recognizes the opportunities that a digital platform presents.

“The fact that [Fusfoo] is a national platform now has us rethink the traditional newspaper where you cover every sport, every event, and try to give voice to that, that’s just not going to be possible anymore. It’s more issue-oriented and something that can resonate with readers across the country,” said McAleavy.

In a 2017 study by Kristen Bialik and Katerina Eva Matsa from Pew Research, about  eight in ten adults in the United States consume their news digitally, a 72% increase from the year before.

The hard copy newspaper has been directly affected by technological advances, shown by increasing trends in digital consumption of news.

“Transitioning to the web was long overdue, this is how people consume news now. It’s definitely the way to go,” said McAleavy.

Sources:

https://www.nytco.com/company/history/our-history/

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/10/04/key-trends-in-social-and-digital-news-media/

Thumbnail: http://jhs.jcsdk12.org/9209-2/...

Header: https://depositphotos.com/13732950/stock-photo-background-of-old-vintage-newspapers.html