Today’s front pages
Do you want to see and read the front pages from newspapers all over the world? Have a look at Newseum billed as the world’s most interactive museum. Run your mouse over the small dots on the page and today’s front page from that location will appear on the right. Click the dot to visit the newspaper’s web site.
Someone I know maintains that newspapers as we know them will not disappear within our generation. I disagree. I think that the newspaper model will survive but not printed on paper and not sold in the streets or delivered to your front door. The only thing, in my opinion, that printed newspapers presently offer and the reason they continue to exist is portability. This means that when technology is finally developed to offer a folding, portable display unit that can access your customized daily newspaper or magazines, flyers and books, the printed newspaper will become obsolete overnight. The Newseum site offers a glimpse into how reading material can be easily organized and distributed on the Internet. Now imagine the same thing offered on a lightweight, portable, easy-to-read display (like an updated Kindle) that will allow you to access everything on one piece of hardware. Viewing web sites on iPhones, Blackberries or any other small portable device is OK in the interim but the day will probably come for those units too and they’ll develop along with everything else. So until then, don’t cancel your subscription as newspapers continue to be the preferred news and advertising source for a segment of our population but don’t expect to see your paper sitting at the front door 10 years from now.