But its last meter journey is a physical torture – the delivery boys practice javelin & discus throws with tightly rolled newspaper. At least they can choose soft targets instead of concrete parapets or iron grills.
The eight column printed papyrus object, folded back to back, holds riveting attention in the morning, noon or evening, depending on the edition. The newspaper also suffers from the menace of window shopping – people gaze at the posters displayed at the vending stalls and move away – a circulation manager’s nightmare.
From the primordial era, to the present day modern setting and printing techniques, it had seen them all. It had high readership value when the collection of news was by wire services, and news travelled faster than those of the fastest means of travel at that time.
The tag Foreign correspondent, Special correspondent & War correspondent enhanced the standing of these reporters in the society. The war correspondent was held in high esteem – his out put came from the very noses of flying bullets, arcing grenades, crashing bombs and ,of course ,from the teeth of landmines. It had space for all of them.
The newspaper enjoyed an uncontested reign for many decades and during the time of instant transmission of happenings around the world, going truly international but printed at home. These all were set to change – the climate changes came in the form of cost and competition in the form of Television News Channels.
The arrival of non-stop news channels tolled the bell louder on those newspapers that were not part of an electronic media houses. The channel owned news papers shared information available with the master and slowly entered the slave market.
The newspaper is neither intelligent nor enterprising to go “live” preferring to keep aloof to watch the TV channels scrolling and crawling with the ‘breaking news’, even though it remains the same throughout the day. It has no such freedom, once printed the news is history.
It still remains content to publish ‘panel discussions’ – substance without vocals and visuals, after walking the tight rope of editing process and calling it an excerpt. In this aspect it has failed miserably to understand that vocals and visuals add depth and dimensions to the discussion, even on a trivia. The ‘live’ news comes literally alive with sparks and charged up emotional display perilously edging towards a free-for-all, nationwide!
Some of the print houses put up a stiff fight and at the end threw in the towel. Some survived by metamorphing – changing hands or diversifying in to other activities of publishing by willingly letting The Newspaper o also to run.
Gazette and election result notifications, international, national and regional coverage, business, politics, matrimony and of course the obituary column. These are the spheres where the newspaper has some influence, so far!
Do we have one TV channel with an obituary hour every day? The TV channels might make an exception to carry an obituary of a high & mighty or a celebrity – all in public interest!
Will it dare to broadcast that such and such persons are likely to be forced to forego their ancestral lands in the name of nation building or a local satrap trying to hoist his image by bringing in a JV with a foreign company, claiming to unleash the non-existent employment potential in his constituency. Will they resist from ‘running campaigns’ if they cannot get any free mileage out of the whole show?
Yes, newspaper is very naïve!
In its heydays, the newspaper had multiple roles to play – as wrapper for school books, as kite material and as an important element in packing. The old newspaper found its way in to grocery shops.
The way it got neatly torn and folded in to cone shapes in packing kilograms of rice, wheat, sugar and other house- hold items or the compact packet version used in packaging of dry grapes and condiments , left the onlooker mesmerized by the exponent of origami –though working for a pittance.
Slowly, brown paper bags started to fight for a market share, leaving the old newspaper bewildered. Then, the plastic carry bags appeared in the market, in appealing designs. Whatever was its pristine worth, the old newspaper could not compete, sporting a villainy look, with printing scars. Pitted against attraction & reusability, it lost yet another battle in its survival.
At the end of its life time, it is unceremoniously bundled out to a vendor for cash, onions or plastic articles - it has failed to ask its beloved reader - “why”! Yet the satisfaction, that it could still play a role in these barter deals softened the fall from its perceived exalted position.
Battle weary, it is still making the rounds, in the hands of ardent fans – the habitual subscribers and vendor s alike. The newspaper continues to bring headlines to horrors, editorials to engineering feats, sports & science, discoveries and dissidence, opportunities to obituaries.
Will it survive another day to carry its own obituary??
What will be the use; it can’t even read what is printed on it!
Yes, newspaper continues to be naïve!
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