Print keeps community strong

Rumor has it that the newspaper print industry is dying. Sorry rumors, but our publication isn't going anywhere.

People say that newspapers are easily being replaced by the Internet, and there is no longer a need for a printed paper. But if newspapers really were that unnecessary with all the new and advanced technology, isn't it reasonable to think they would all have been eliminated by now?

The answer is in your hands. The fact that you're reading this published article is proof that there is still a demand for a printed paper, and that someone is going to pick it up.

The newspaper's impact on a community is irreplaceable. Our reporters work hard to bring relevant, exciting and new information to our readers.

Tying the Richland community together, we make sure that what you read affects you and those around you, spreading ideas and evoking emotion that really hits home.

It's easy to refresh the front page of Yahoo, or any online news source to get the latest information. We can't refresh the newsstands every time something happens, but we can guarantee that what fills the stands is relevant to you.

 Countless times we hear of a breaking news story, but the second it doesn't relate to us we change the channel. Sounds selfish, but we all do it.  

There's some way to make almost every news story local and some way to funnel it down where it affects where it really counts – our campus.

That's something you can't easily find on the Internet.

Speaking of the Internet, why haven't all publications just moved online? Wouldn't it be easier to just present all the news online? We need to be progressive, right?

Well, sort of. Our paper does reach all the tangles of the web.

The Chronicle hosts its own website where information printed in the paper is also available for online reading. Here, it's easy to comment on stories, answer polls and give feedback. Something that a solely print publication couldn't do.  

The average American will check Google News before ever reaching for a printed paper. In a way it makes sense; there's instant gratification with the most up-to-date information.

However, there are key aspects that these Internet-only stories are missing.

When randomly selecting a news story online, chances are that there is going to be bias in the story.

Yes, no human being is without bias, therefore it takes time and effort to remove all bias from a news story before it is published. That said, quickly written web-based stories contain large amounts of bias that will often sway the reader to a writer's opinion without the reader even being aware of it.

Credibility?  It's out the window.

To get a news story done quickly, the sources are whatever the writer can find. Unless you know exactly where your news is coming from, there's no telling what is "fact." With a printed story, there is time for us to carefully read each article before publication and make sure that what is being distributed isn't a bunch of gibberish.  

Having a printed publication gives us the time to delve deep into a story and research it from a perspective that no one else has.

A local paper, like the Chronicle, helps keep the community a close-knit one. It's something you don't have to search for.

 You can always know that by picking up an issue. No matter the date, the information inside will be relevant to you. At any point in the day, you can read it and know that someone took the time to make sure that what's inside really matters.

While the paper has a large responsibility to keep its readers informed and entertained, the readers have a responsibility to keep the paper afloat.

We challenge you to find one article a week that really matters to you.

Whether positively or negatively, we challenge you to find a topic we publish that evokes an emotion. Give us feedback; come talk to us. Help our publication matter to you.

Without involved readers, we can only guess what you want us to cover.

We consider any and every idea that comes through our door, whether it be our physical door (E020) or the virtual one, www.richlandchronicle.com.