The Future of News and Paper

WHO WE ARE: We are a student group at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. We study Communication and share a common interest in promoting awareness of News as a public good and that news on paper is essential to our democracy.

WHAT WE'RE DOING: We advocate the continuance of paper in each and every community in the U.S. Our mission has been to create a plan of action that can involve everyone who cares about newspapers.

WHY WE'RE ADVOCATING: We believe that only paper can span the Digital Divide. The Digital Divide is what we call the difference between households who have internet access and those who do not. As many newspaper organizations consider going online-only, we want to remind them and their advertisers that paper has an accessibility and a credibility that the web does not have.

WHAT YOU CAN DO: We are asking that you consider acting yourself by sending a letter to your own community newspaper and its advertisers asking them to continue printing on paper. Please see the letters we have provided below and consider sending one to your local newspapers and one to each of your paper's major advertisers.

YOUR ACTION SPEAKS: A simple letter says a lot and your words will certainly be taken seriously by newspaper publishers and advertisers, especially at this time when they are weighing the costs and benefits of online only news.

LEARN MORE: Some of our inspiration for this advocacy has come directly from media scholar and advocate Robert McChesney. You can view his most recent lecture about the Death of Journalism given at the University of Portland below:






Recently, FreePress.net hosted a summit in Washington DC discussing the changing styles of media in America. There were many speakers including Micheal Copps, chairman of the FCC, Susan Crawford, from the presidents National Economic Council, and former FCC Chairmen Reed Hundt and Micheal Powell. Here they outlined the ways in which media is changing and how different aspects of media are becoming more intertwined with our daily lives. At the summit, FreePress issued a supplement reader for the event which had many new ideas and facts about media regulations and use. This is a free publication which has great insight on the issues at hand. THE ENTIRE READER IS FREE AND AVAILABLE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD. IT CAN BE FOUND AT FREE PRESS SUMMIT BOOK .