Online news: not depressing

In my Citizens and Media class, the majority of my classmates regularly proclaim their love for print, particularly newspapers.

They all say that they love to read the print edition of the paper and are deeply concerned by its demise.  For years I have been of a similar mindset, thinking that the disappearance of newspapers would be a terrible occurrence.

But I've been reevaluating my stance on newspapers and I realize that I do not exactly share their concerns. As a news designer, I've always felt a loyalty to newspapers, but honestly, they're difficult to read. They leave newsprint on your hands and they're not valued by consumers.  And, from my experience, visual elements are often cut by newspapers to make room for more copy.

I think that new media is making newspapers more efficient and more valuable.  Links, slideshows, videos and other multimedia are enhancing the papers' content and providing better information for audiences. Plus, it's more convenient to read the paper on your laptop or iPad than to hide behind broadsheets.

But more than that, most people don't like to read. I'll admit that sometimes I only read the headlines and maybe the first few paragraphs, but unless the story is remarkably interesting, I usually don't make it to the jump.

However, if there's a chart, a timeline, a raised quote or any other type of pulled-out information, I definitely read it.

I think the Internet is enhancing these features. There are no spacial constraints, so every story can have an info graphic or bulleted lists that make information easier to process.

Approximately 65 percent of the population are visual learners, according to several Web sites.The brain can process visual information 60,000 times faster than it can process text, and 90 percent of information that comes to the brain is visual.

So is online news and the possible demise of newspapers really as depressing as my classmates thing? Or will online visuals appeal to a wider audience and make getting news more convenient?