I like newspapers. And I like the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. When I heard they were up for sale back in January, because they were losing money, I thought, wow. That’s business for you. But in the weeks since the announcement and landing somehow on the mailing lists for groups like NoNewsisBadNews I’ve started to think, wait. That’s public space going away.
According to the American Planning Association, this is what public space is:
A public space may be…[an] area within the public realm that helps promote social interaction and a sense of community.
Someone at a panel somewhere said it wasn’t about newspapers versus blogs. But you know, in one way, it kind of is.
It’s so much easier to wander into a shop with a couple of newspapers on the shelves to see what looks interesting than it is to navigate the internet. Especially if you don’t like being online or aren’t the best at making the most of the tools available when you log onto your computer.
Newspapers as social tools
I’m not against blogging! I love blogging. I love people who blog. Heck, I’m even on Twitter. But I will miss browsing the P-I when I go to the coffee shop around the corner to relax and read about what’s going down around town. Funny stories, cute stories, newsy stories written, illustrated and edited by different people without an agenda (we hope). No popups, no subscription requests, no Google ads, no fees. Just turning the pages at leisure. Pages written exactly for this purpose.
If the printed P-I goes away, I will miss going up to find the sections of that paper they always have at my usual cafe. The one that everyone’s already looked through. You know, it’s been read and reread because people share the printed pages as though it’s part of the public realm. That’s because, well, it is.
Characteristics of great public spaces
Here’s what the APA says are the things that make for “Great Places.” Think about how this relates to reading a newspaper.
- Promotes human contact and social activities
- Is safe, welcoming, and accommodating for all users
- Has design and architectural features that are visually interesting
- Promotes community involvement
- Reflects the local culture or history
- Relates well to bordering uses
- Is well maintained
- Has a unique or special character
Do our newspapers do that? You bet.
Do blogs? Not until the day we have computers installed as omnipresently as newspapers in public spaces. And not until the day when everyone knows how to log in and use them.
It’s all about accessibility.
You don’t have to be able to operate a computer in order to read the newspaper, and you don’t even have to be able to read beyond the seventh grade level.
But you do have to be able to do both to find and read news online.
Parting thoughts
Anyone who knows DK personally or reads this blog knows that we are all about encouraging people to meet and mix. Good ideas come from exchanges. I hold that the best exchanges happen in real life. Otherwise you’re projecting a lot of what you think somebody is onto the picture, instead of just experiencing it.
Also, I think it’s healthy for people to talk to each other.
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