From ASNE Web site, April 11

The future of newspapers

The ASNE Reporter asked young people across the nation how they follow the news and how they want their information. As editors gather this week to discuss the future of newspapers, here are some perspectives to consider:

“With technology and stuff … you can check four or five newspapers online without paying for it –– which is easier for me as a student.”
— Laurie Au, junior, University of Maryland

“Newspapers aren’t going to go away any time soon, but I really think their role will be diminished and handheld devices will really take off.”
— Tom Howell Jr., junior, University of Maryland

“I don’t like reading the local papers … because all they mostly talk about is bad news. Really I just watch TV news and that’s OK sometimes.”
— Héctor Velázquez, 23, senior, Central Michigan University

The Internet is “constantly current. I kept up with the Oscars that way on MSN.com because they were posting stuff as the night went on. The newspaper the next day didn’t even have the main winners … I’ll probably always read it, but I don’t know if I’ll subscribe. I’ll probably just pick it up if I ride a bus or subway to work.”
— Kristina N. Maddux, 18, freshman, Central Michigan University

“I like the Express because the stories are short and the paragraphs say what happened and just reports the fact. The Sunday New York Times, you can hit somebody with that. You pick up the first section and it is 40 pages long.”
— Derek Smitt, 20, sophomore, George Washington University

“I don’t think a lot of people read the newspaper because there are other things to do and we already get information in other ways, TV and the Internet. I don’t see myself buying something I can get for free.”
— Yevgeniy Rikhterman, freshman, George Washington University

The Internet is “easier to navigate. Instead of 30 pages, you have a couple of links and you know where to go.”
— Michael Frei, 21, junior, University of California, Berkeley

“A lot of the stuff in [newspapers] shouldn’t be there,” such as the personal lives of celebrities. He reads MSN, Yahoo and Google for news, because newspapers cost money.
— Peter Wang, 21, senior, University of California, Berkeley

“Purchasing a newspaper would only mean accumulating garbage. World events rarely have any bearing on my day-to-day life. They are interesting to know, but don’t actually change my day-to-day life. … People want everything now. I do think they’ll (newspapers) become a thing of the past, but I don’t think it’ll be instantaneous...mostly for environmental issues.”
— David Emmons, 21, junior, East Central University, Oklahoma

“It’s a waste of money. Plus it takes trees to make paper…. Some of it gets recycled but most of it ends up in our landfills.”
— Chris Koontz, 22, senior, East Central University, Oklahoma

“When you have the Internet, why do you really need to pick up a newspaper? I just go online and just skim for the headlines that interest me.”
— Moyin Ayanbiola, 20, junior, Howard University

“I like the Internet because stories can be frequently updated, with newspapers you have to wait until the next day. … On Sunday I get the full paper. It’s the only day I can enjoy it.”
— Larissa Etwanso, 24, senior, Howard University

“I think in general TV is easier [to refer to for news] … because you don’t have to process any information. People want someone to tell them what’s important.”
— Danny Chiriaco, 21, senior, University of Maryland

The Internet “is the easiest … It’s always right there. I usually go on Yahoo! News because they’re always updating it. They’re always fresh.” College students “don’t want to pay for it … It’s so much easier for you to look online because you get the same stuff online without the ink on your hands.”
— Jonathan Panado, senior, University of Southern California

“We’re a very technologically dependent generation and we’re all about convenience and fast-paced life, and it’s so much easier to get news online or on your cell phone. Papers are excess baggage.”
— Cher Purificacion, senior, University of Southern California

Read more on this topic:
Click here to read about what young readers seek from newspapers.