I do not believe in the theory of the death of things.. Things do not die; Everything leaves or perishes, its effect remains.. Therefore, I do not believe in the death of the paper press just because the National Distribution Company will stop distributing paper newspapers at the end of the month of Ramadan for the Hijri year 1444; Newspapers remain, even if their papers have ceased to be printed. Paper journalism has its own history, heritage, and authentic originality in its content and the professional skills of its pioneers and media professionals, and since it has moved to the electronic world, this is its fate like the rest.
Paper newspapers are not the only ones that have stopped printing, and what happens to them is the same as what is required by the evolutionary stage that affected everything. All state agencies, sectors, and companies have shifted to the electronic world, just like court documents that preceded the press and shifted from paper to the electronic world, and other paper-based matters and transactions have shifted to the digital world.
I appreciate the sadness of some and my nostalgia, which is pinned to the wing of paper, with which I began flying wildly and writing, but it is the reality that we must live in. I do not appreciate the claim of some in the death of the paper press; Because journalism does not exist through the medium, whether it is on paper or electronically, but rather through the content that it presents with high professionalism. Today’s reader is following his favorite newspaper, news, and his favorite writers from other local and international newspapers via “mobile.” As for paper lovers, they can print what they want to read from the newspapers via the electronic platforms of the newspapers. In a way that does not affect the journalistic process and professional ethics, as confirmed by some scientific reports.
Journalism remains part of the big and new world of media, and it will undergo development and change, like all traditional and modern media as well. I say this after I read the annual report issued by the Reuters Institute, which revealed trends in journalism, media and technology in 2023, and was based on a survey of 303 press employees from More than 53 countries confirmed the significant decline in advertising in the paper press, and on the other hand, people and society spent on consumption in the field of print journalism, the high cost of paper for publishers, and fear of new challenges in 2023.
In conclusion…Eidi's painting of paper:
Eid anyway I'm back, Eid..
What is past or what is in your order to renew..
As for the loved ones, in the desert without them..
I wish there was a hand between you and me
Mona Al-Otaibi