Response...

A couple of years ago my dad expressed to me that he believed in twenty years from now written works would be a thing of the past, a keepsake whose purpose was only for nostalgia. Instead, he predicted that we'd all be carrying around tablets that contained every published work in a microchip; something that would allow us access to every book, newsource, and other publication in the country. Now, two years later, as a society that can carry around classic literature on our iPhone and will turn to Google news briefs before the newspaper, we are fast approaching my dad's premonition. The article from the New York Times was one that reinforced my dad's idea. As devastating as it is to admit, the newspaper is no longer the glory it once was, and now as publication after publication run out of money, the American public is forced to question the purpose of the paper. As an active member of my school newspaper, The Westword, I have come to understand the importance of the written word and its role in our society. Therefore, the extreme methods the article mention to preserve the newspaper, although drastic, seem to be a foolproof plan to preserve the newspaper in our history. Otherwise, the newspaper is destined only to be the next hot application in the iTunes store.