Journalism is becoming increasingly multi-media, and the trend is affecting every aspect of the print media.
One example is the Sunday supplement. Around half of all UK newspapers, including the Mail on Sunday, the Sunday Times and the Observer have already made theirs accessible online, and more look set to follow suit. The Telegraph is about to go one step further, relaunching as a completely multimedia service.
But do the benefits of multimedia journalism really outweigh those of the printed Sunday supplement?
My parents seem to think so. When I asked my mother where our Sunday paper was last week, she coolly replied, "Oh, we've stopped buying them now. Dad reads it all online."
What?? No more freezing cold early morning strolls to the newsagents in my pyjamas and winter coat to pick up the Sunday Times when my dad was too lazy? Okay, maybe I won't miss that.
But I will miss snuggling on the sofa, full and drowsy from my Sunday roast, passing the various supplements around my family after which we all become comfortably engrossed in their contents for a good few hours.
Personally I love to read the style supplements, folding down the corners of the pages with dresses that take my fancy. Then my sister seizes the magazine to do the same with the shoe features. Mum prefers the cultural pull-outs, murmuring the odd comment about which London shows are coming up and whose autobiography is to be released next week. Dad has the main paper to himself and is able to check the previous day's football results in peace.
Is all this to be lost to the solitary and unsocial act of my father logging into the internet in a hardbacked swivel chair and scrolling down the webpages whilst everyone else slopes off to their bedrooms for a nap? Or will we all queue to view our desired supplement before passing the mouse to the next family member?
I can't say this idea appeals to me. The main motivation behind my consumption of the Sunday supplements is the familial interaction it encourages. Spending a Sunday afternoon communally reading creates a feeling of closeness to my family that I don't often experience at home any more. My sister and I are constantly either at university, working or catching up with friends, and my parents are either at work or bickering. Sunday afternoons are one of the only occasions when we all spend quality time together and the Sunday newspaper with all its glossy supplements play a big role in this.
So although I am excited by the opportunities a multi-media approach to journalism will afford, I also feel that certain cultural commodities like the Sunday supplement should perhaps be preserved in their present form for now.
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3 comments:
i think the whole point of the sunday supplements is for people to share and read what they want. You need to be proactive, buy a copy yourself and force it on your dad!
I've often thought this - curling up on the sofa with a bit of choccy and a sunday supp feels like a treat. You could be learning all sorts from the articles, but it still feels relaxing.
Sitting at a computer staring at a screen just feels like work. This is one reason I think print will never completely die...
I agree with the above. There's something very traditional and warm about the Sunday Paper. You know you can just read it at your leisure and with your family. I think you should make your dad read what you have just wrote so you can at least you use emotional blackmail on him!
Sarah
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