He had a strict print news diet and survived, thank you!
Not only that, but Times’ writer Farhad Manjoo emerged from his self imposed freedom from digital push notifications, constant alerts, and the minute by minute flow of breaking news developments, better informed while spending less time consuming the same story repeatedly.
Manjoo’s print only news regimen coincided with the shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida.
Not only had I spent less time with the story than if I had followed along as it unfolded online, I was better informed, too. Because I had avoided the innocent mistakes — and the more malicious misdirection — that had pervaded the first hours after the shooting, my first experience of the news was an accurate account of the actual events of the day.
For two months, Manjoo’s news consumption came via The Times, The Wall Street Journal and his local paper, The San Francisco Chronicle — plus a weekly newsmagazine, The Economist.
Not too shabby, I say.
He says he still got a push notification on his watch about the Parkland shooting, even though he had turned off notifications. I admire that he had the courage and patience to see a push notification about such a major event, and still waiting till the next day to read the story in print.
But, as he writes, that was good:
There was a lot I was glad to miss. For instance, I didn’t see the false claims — possibly amplified by propaganda bots — that the killer was a leftist, an anarchist, a member of ISIS and perhaps just one of multiple shooters. I missed the Fox News report tying him to Syrian resistance groups even before his name had been released. I also didn’t see the claim circulated by many news outlets (including The New York Times) as well as by Senator Bernie Sanders and other liberals on Twitter that the massacre had been the 18th school shooting of the year, which wasn’t true.
I hope you read the account in his own words. But he seemed happy, upbeat and relieved after his two-month hiatus from news in the 24/7 cycle.
I read the news in print only on Sundays, when I get my robust Sunday New York Times edition delivered to my doorstep. I look forward to my date with the Times, and admit I love separating the sections, going from one topic to the other (Arts comes first for me, although since living in New York City I have developed a passion for Real Estate, and the Times’ Sunday Real Estate is equal to none).
However, I don’t think I could separate myself from my digital gadgets for news for two days, let alone two months.
Manjoo is 40 and he did it, and liked it. I confess that at 71, I would not even consider it as an experiment.
I would give up my nightly glass of bubbly first.
What is your relationship with print?
This is the question I have asked my Columbia University journalism students as part of their next assignment due after Spring Break, March 19. I hope to share some of their comments with you.
But it is a good question for all of us to ask ourselves—and to answer honestly, of course.
In his own words
For Two Months, I Got My News From Print Newspapers. Here’s What I Learned.
Of related interest
I ignored Trump News for a Week. Here’s What I Learned.
Society of News Design New York: Celebrating 40 years
Mario’s Speaking Engagements
April 18-19, 2018-–Newscamp ,Augsburg, Germany.
June 3-6, 2018—The Seminar, San Antonio, Texas.
June 7-8—WAN-IFRA World Congress, Lisbon, Portugal
Garcia Media: Over 25 years at your service
