The Importance of Reading Newspapers

Ironic though it might be, publishing this from a digital platform, I have been an advocate of reading print newspapers for a very long time. I have always bought newspapers and, though (depending on my salary), the frequency has varied, a physical paper has been my preference. Naturally, like any sensible person, I receive news notifications on my phone. In an era where anything could happen at any moment, whether an emergency or a warning, there are scenarios where you can't wait until you see it on the next day's front covers. However, as much as I can, I will try to receive my news from non-digital sources if I can avoid it. And I think it's a practice that could do with a resurgence.

Still, it can't be denied that newspaper-reading is not popular for a good number of reasons. First of all, they're fiddly and take some practice even turning a page, whether a broadsheet or a tabloid. Constantly having to fold, rustle and straighten makes for uncomfortable reading, not to mention leaves you with inky fingertips. Second of all, the font is often small so despite the larger page, you're still having to squint or hold the paper closer to your face. And lastly, walking into work with a newspaper under your arm is just old-fashioned these days, and sitting there reading one, especially under a certain age, just looks pretentious (and even performative, apparently).

But perhaps the biggest reason for newspapers' unpopularity is just the sheer convenience of online sources. All the published news, opinions and stories, accessible and linked to one another, are just not available when it comes to a physical newspaper. And this even goes beyond mainstream newspapers: social media offers a freedom and an immediacy of news that doesn't need to wait for the next day to be consulted.

All in all, it's no small wonder as to why printed newspaper circulation has been dwindling. Yet, despite all these drawbacks, reading printed newspapers is far better for us than I think we realize.

Reading a newspaper, once you get the hang of it, is much more aesthetically enjoyable than reading off a glaring screen. The popular argument employed toward reading physical books over ebooks (one I rather polemically don't agree with), applies even better with newspapers. The scent of the paper is pleasant and, though at first a hassle, the rustle from turning pages all makes for a much more civilized reading experience. Above all, the complete lack of paywalls, intrusive adverts and "premium sign-ups" in a print newspaper is something I for one greatly appreciate; full access to all the news without needing to "subscribe".

Beyond the aesthetics though, I have noticed (and I imagine it's likely widely applicable) that reading newspapers has mental benefits. Today, we are so constantly bombarded with news that it is overwhelming. Notifications rolling in, TikTok takes, tweets, and Instagram stories, mean the news is shoved in our faces every time we look at our phones. And if you don't read more than the headlines, all carefully crafted to provoke a certain response, it's likely you end up suffering from emotional burnout when reading them.

If one does read news articles, the online reading experience, whether on mobile or desktop, also contributes to this stress. For one, it follows the same pernicious content engagement as with all social media, that is, scrolling. Scrolling endlessly down a story makes reading claustrophobic and anxiety-inducing, not knowing when you're going to get to the end of it. It is a practice that has completely destroyed our attention span and heightened our sense of uncertainty. It's also a singular experience: you don't see the article in context or surrounded by others so you're trapped and unable to flick your eye to other stories as you naturally would with a paper.

Whereas before, taking the time to read a newspaper made news just a part of your day, today it has become a persistent, unending part of our lives.

I have no idea whether it's the fact that I can see the end of the article I'm reading or that I can see other stories in the surrounding columns, but I find myself getting less angry when I'm reading through a newspaper. This is particularly useful when it comes to reading opinion pieces. Today, we are likely only to start reading those opinions whose headlines already spark our intrigue. With newspapers, I usually only glance at the headline after having started because I've already become curious about a sentence or paragraph. Psychologically, there seems to be something calmer about being able to see everything to read presented on the page without it being narrowly squeezed onto a screen. There's also a slower and more relaxed sense of leisure in being able to page through and deciding what to read in a limited, non-overwhelming way.

But the main advantage of a newspaper is its completeness: they include the full cycle of news, from international affairs to local politics to economics and to society. It is not limited to just the notifications that you get on your phone, but you have it all, both major and minor stories, presented to you. In other words, a full democratic overview. It exposes you to different points of view and to different aspects of your society, even if you are not especially interested in these topics to begin with. And it does so in an inviting rather than oppressive way. For me, despite having little interest in seeking out information about celebrity gossip, even the society section has the odd bit I'm interested in. In fact, the only section I always unapologetically skip is the Sports.

There is also the important aspect of learning to read different newspapers. While online we might subscribe to one or two, the free choice of picking which paper to buy in the morning is much more flexible than being locked into a single source. With picking a different paper each week (or even day), you engage more with opposite points of view and understand how other political orientations perceive things, which may well be wildly different. In being able to pick freely, you get to know the tone and style and the strengths and weaknesses of each, so you can build a nuanced and informed opinion. It is a direct challenge to our increasingly polarized and cognitively dissonant behavior when it comes to differing points of view.

Unfortunately, reading newspapers is not ideal today. Most of us are too busy to spend any considerable time perusing through news they could get more easily online. It's also not cheap either since you need to rely on buying a paper a day or getting a print subscription. That being said, there are plenty of free papers that are handed out on daily commutes, and with more people working from home, it might be good to start your day by reading a paper. And, as if this might settle the matter, from the ink to the paper, they are entirely recyclable.

So, even if it's only once in a while, I still greatly recommend it.