Print journalism's value - a narrative ode
With a print newspaper, you truly discover its content. It takes you on an adventure. You might not know what lurks on the next page. The story you want could be surrounded by gems you hadn't thought of mining. Print papers open you up to unexpected possibilities.
When we're online, we're much more deliberate. We go where we want. We click where we want. We see the screen we care to see. There's less adventure, less room for unintended explorations.
There are still few things I look forward to in this world than Sunday morning with my Boston Globe and a cup of freshly ground, locally roasted coffee. Sometimes I stare in amazement at the place in my driveway where the recently delivered newspaper lies.
What a journey it must have taken to get to my doorstep. How many times did it change hands? I'll admire the double-plastic wrapping that envelopes it when it rains or snows. Oh how it keeps it dry and pristine!
Sometimes when I'm driving late at night on the Massachusetts Turnpike, I'll spot the Boston Globe delivery trucks making their way west from Boston to my part of the state in the Pioneer Valley. Every night, those men drive their printed wares to destinations across Mass and across New England. They drive all night to make someone happy with a tangible delivery of a one-of-a-kind product that will be completely different the following day.
