Between the radio and social media networks lies the truth..!
Printed journalism has been experiencing a significant “rupture” for some time, caused by social media networks. The problem is not that the public has found a faster way to obtain news, but rather that the public itself has become capable of producing and distributing news without going through the newspaper. This is a major dilemma. Many recall the challenges that printed journalism faced when the voice of radio announced a new, competing news project, stripping newspapers of their monopoly on speed in delivering breaking news. The subsequent challenges then cascaded.
Before radio, the newspaper was the primary medium through which news reached the broad public. Its function was largely tied to its ability to gather information, print it, and distribute it. Then came radio, launching a new paradigm with the slogan: “Why wait until tomorrow morning to know what happened today?” News began reaching people on the same day, and sometimes even at the very moment an event occurred. This forced printed journalism to redefine its role, as it could no longer compete with radio on speed. Instead, it began competing on interpretation, analysis, details, and background context.
I remember the former editor-in-chief of Al-Qabas newspaper, the creative and distinctive Dr. Ahmad Taqashah, saying during discussions in the newspaper’s corridors: “Radio did not kill the newspaper; it merely forced it to stop chasing the news and instead begin chasing its meaning.” His words proved correct. Printed journalism enjoyed a golden age despite the presence of radio, and later television. However, what saddens us, as veterans of traditional journalism, is that social media networks have deprived us of the “gateway.” They have become simultaneously publishers, distributors, and sources of news. Consequently, newspapers no longer hold the key that opens the door to news for the public.
We are facing a very important philosophical shift. Radio took away the newspaper’s monopoly on speed, while social media networks have taken away its monopoly on the mechanism, since a new piece of news can be produced every minute, and any given news item can change within minutes. Here, printed journalism faces a harsh paradox: the faster news becomes, the slower paper becomes; and the more impatient the public becomes, the more difficult it is to wait for the newspaper. This raises a question that was posed when radio was invented: Is it possible for the slowness of paper to become its strength?
Perhaps printed journalism loses when it tries to mimic social media, as it cannot be faster than a phone, more abundant than the internet, or more immediate than a social platform. However, it can certainly offer something different by avoiding haste, ensuring verification, and explaining context and solid information. The world is now sprinting, not jogging, in terms of news, as was the case with radio and television. This is certainly something printed journalism cannot compete with. However, this slowness, which once seemed like a flaw, can transform into a journalistic value if we carefully study the future of printed journalism, politics, and public opinion, and search within those spaces for what can make the future sustainable. I believe this is not a difficult task.
Nasser Al-Abduli
