Andy's Homage To Newsprint

Andy Rooney Reflects On The Steady Decline Of Newspaper Circulation

(CBS)  The following is a weekly 60 Minutes commentary by CBS News correspondent Andy Rooney.

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Although I might lose an argument claiming that I am one, I think of myself as a newspaperman first. I do write a newspaper column that appears in a lot of newspapers and I wouldn't trade those for all the stations that broadcast this commentary. The money I'd trade.

Right here in my CBS office, we get eight newspapers every morning. I can't say I memorize all of them but I read a lot of what's in those papers.

I worked briefly for a newspaper before WW II and, on the strength of this weak association I got a job with the Army newspaper "The Stars and Stripes," in London in 1942. It was a very good, professional newspaper with a staff of reporters and editors who, in civilian life, had worked for major newspapers in big cities all across the United States. I was easily the least experienced staff member and I was lucky that I didn't get fired before I learned how.

I suppose it is, partly at least, because I do think of myself first as a newspaperman that I worry about the newspaper business. Things are not going well for them. Too many papers are going out of business. We've all been reading about the decline of newspapers for years. First radio, then television and now the Internet all compete with newspapers.

There has been a steady decline in the circulation of almost all newspapers. But it's strange because there is still no decline in the faith that people put in their newspaper. Readers check their newspaper every morning to see whether what they saw on television the night before is really true.

We read our newspapers too for all the good pieces of information that television has no time for.

Newspapers are subjected to a kind of scrutiny that television news is not. If it's on television, you don't cut it out, save it and check the facts later.

Television news is on the screen one minute and gone the next. We're lucky that television journalism has been as good and reliable as it is because of operatives like Ed Murrow, Walter Cronkite, Tom Brokaw, Tim Russert, Bob Schieffer, Peter Jennings and countless others, but it is not the same as print journalism.

There are more pictures on television, that's about it.

[wangxp-2009]

SAVE OUR BULE PLANET!(even now,it''s not so bule.)
SAVE OUR DISAPPEARING FORESTS!(someone is cutting.)


STOP PRINTING NEWSPAPERS!
LET''S READ DIGITAL NEWS!

NEWSPAPERS MUST BE SEEN IN MUSEUM!
READING SHOULD BE 1010(mean digital)!

[wangxp-2009]

newspapers should only be seen in Museum and MUST not be printed on billions and millions of papers. We should get news on INTERNET and TV,RADIO and something else, But absolutely not on papers!

[hifrommia]

The internet cannot exist in any ''real'' fashion without newspapers. Newspapers provide content and the interent cannot exist without content. It''s a symbiotic relationship. The internet allows more people to have a voice via blogging etc., where they can discuss views different from those of the papers, but ultimately, all content was generated FROM newspapers or news sources.

[txnmxn]

America is not reading newspapers because of the bias in them. Example, a Pro Obama friend was pointing out a hit piece on McCain, I told her to count up how many negative stories were on McCain and how many on Obama. Result, 5 hit pieces on McCain zero on Obama. I then had her look for positive stories for both candidates Obama six, McCain zero. I know Obama is Messiah to many but he%u2019s not perfect. Biased and unbalanced reporting occurs, which CBS is guilty of. I don%u2019t read U.S. newspaper trash AT ALL. To me U.S. journalism died this year. Including TV, I don''t watch anything in news on CBS, ABC, NBC, CNN, and I''ll barely watch Fox. I go to the internet for a more balanced view of politics. I can read England''s telegraph.co.uk, or the Guardian.co.uk. They had the balls to point out Obama''s hypocrisy (I am my brother''s keeper) and then let his half brother live in poverty in Kenya, or his Aunt in Chicago living in the slums. With $4.2mil in booksales, I think .5% donation to George Obama and his aunt would be proof of his generosity. But, will your sheeple know about this? You prefer to do hit pieces on the white guys like McCain and Palin and leave the minority alone, as long as it''s a progressive (translation=liberal) minority. This minority see''s through your tactics, I vote against spreading the wealth (Obama''s words to Joe the Plumber) and letting those of us who EARN our living KEEP our living. Not spread it to those less ... motivated to get out and become wealthy!!!

[gtrupiano]

Andy, at the end of your piece you recited names, vintage and recent, of well-known and appreciated news reporters, including Walter Cronkite, Doug Edwards, etc. and very obviously neglected to mention Dan Rather. This is not the first time I''ve noticed that 60 Minutes deliberately slights its less-than-perfect alumnus, and it is rather a cheap shot. Mr. Rather may not be very popular nor admired for his public arguments with Presidents Bush, but in his more pedestrian fashion as "reporter" he has always been outstanding.

Gretchen Trupiano

[caseys_dream]

Newspapers are missing the boat. I read many of the most popular newspapers online like, the New York Times and the Washington Post. I would hope that the newspaper business would fully embrace the internet. They should develop a business model that does away with subscribition fees but is profitable from online advertisement. This would be environmentally friendly and reach far more people everyday nationwide. I see ads for the New York Times Weekender Package" for home delivery. Instead they should be advertising that everyone can read the New York Times everyday, constantly updated throughout the day. I do admit that it would make it harder to find the newspapers I use to light my grill in the summertime.

[bangalore19]

Andy,

Your views on print journalism are muddled to say the least. People don''t clip out news articles and fact check them anymore. At least not those under age 65. Maybe retired people have time to do that. Who reads the newspaper the next morning to see if what they saw on t.v. was true? wouldn''t that be redundant? Why the history lesson? It sounded like my grandfather when I ask him a simple question that requires only a simple answer. The shot you took at TV made it sound like there is only tabloid journalism there except for a select few. Maybe you should watch a little closer. Oh, and Andy - I watch your segments that I miss on TV on the internet.

[mrhill5]

Dear Andy,
First of all you may be the only reason I watch 60 minutes, Bless you! (Note I is not say God) Second what''s up with the Vigara ads on the web site, at our age we if we had a young willing partner we would not need this stuff.
And last, to you college:
Dear Mr. Croft and CBS News:
Thank you for your great coverage of the new first family. However I think Bob Eubanks has beat you to the punch! Are you kidding, Barack and Michelle on the Newlywed Game, thank you GERALDO RIVERA.

[brokfarm]

Mr.Rooney hit home. We have lived in a very rural area for over 40 years, and had 2 newspapers available at a nearby store every day, one from the state capital, one from the nearest large city which is 100 miles away and one delivered to our home early early AM from nearby Oregon. In the last month every thing has changed. Now, no more newspapers to buy at the store, nor at any store within 100 miles and our morning newspaper comes at 2 PM. Enjoy the papers you get!!
PS..WE NEVER MISS SUNDAY MORNING and 60 MINUTES.

[elihapilady]

As a former 30 yr print journalist VETERAN, YOUR COMMENTARY WAS EXCELLENT!!

[ausus-2009]

I wish to back up a couple of points made by Mr Rooney. Newspapers are more subject to critical review that TV because it is effectively a permanent record. Unless you record TV news (and few people do), you must trust your memory.

I also agree with him when he says, "We read our newspapers too for all the good pieces of information that television has no time for".

However, as a long-time newspaper journalist and editor I must add that a major reason for the decline in newspaper circulation is the content itself becoming increasingly self-indulgent. Many journalists seem more interested in pushing their personal causes than in objectively reporting what happened.

[bildix-2009]

Now that you mention it, Ed Bradley was black. Never really thought about it. Always thought of him as a great journalist. As far as replacing him with another black journalist, now that''s plain silly. I''m sure Ed would agree, get the best you can get. What does race have to do with journalism, or voting for president for that matter?

[monksigep]

I can''t disagree more with the critics of Andy Rooney
s homage to newsprint. There are many unbelievable advantages to television news but like Mr. Rooney, every morning I read our local paper and the New York Times. Like Mr. Rooney, I worry about the future of print journalism. One only has to read the morning papers to find out what television journalist will be picking up for their evening newscasts. And while I occasionally use the Internet to read news stories, I''d much rather read it from a newspaper in my hand. And yes, I am a clip-and-save person. I was impressed by Mr. Rooney''s comments and I believe firmly that nothing can replace having a newspaper in hand; not even the Internet.

[traceyj3]

Your good and reliable jouralistic operatives were all great men, however you failed to mention Judy Woodruff, Helen Thomas, Katie Couric, Ann Curry, Babara Walters and one of your own --Leslie Stahl.I believe they are good and reliable operatives as well...

Tracey in Seattle

I have listened to Mr. Rooney for many, many years. But I could not disagree more when he elevates the current TV journalism by inferring that it is unbiased and factual. The "Rules of Engagement" per se are pretty restrictive on this forum, so I must just say in general terms that more than one TV newscaster has produced what could only be described as a fabrication, and the media was slow to react to their abuse of the almost sacred trust that we Americans used to place in the press.

[cadimark]

It''s just sad. Mr. Rooney made an aside about people reading the papers in the morning to see if what they saw on the TV news was true. There is no research to back up such a claim, in fact from Simmons and Nielsen research over the past several decades, exactly the opposite is true. Reminisces of a different time, have their place, but there is such a dearth of integrity in Mr. Rooney''s comments. It almost seems as Mr Rooney has decided to prove that broadcast journalism is inept by using himself as an example. What ever happened to checking the facts?

[lenrai]

It is sad that Mr Rooney failed to include Dan Rather as he listed Journalists who have made a contribution to the news. The omission is a bad reflection on CBS news

[jtgibson2]

I was dismayed at the opinion explicated by Andy Rooney relative to the "Homage to NewsPrint".

It is unacceptable that Andy did not include Ed Bradley as an outstanding journalist of Newsprint. Even though the United States of America has made inexplicable strides in electing the best candidate for President who happens to Afro-American--Andy''s captious comments were reflected of the 1950''s when Blacks had adroit difficulties.

Even though the USA as chosen the best candidate for president, who happens to Afro-American--it is even more perplexing that CBS could not find a capable Black journalist to replace Ed Bradley.

Is this an inexplicable oversight of not finding a Black replacement for Ed Bradley a racial predilection of Andy''s and CBS?

JTGibson

[jtgibson2]

I was dismayed at Andy Rooney''s comments relative to the "Homage to Newsprint" on November 16, 2008.

It was unacceptable that Andy did not include Ed Bradley as an exemplary journalist.

Andy''s comments were reflective of the opinions explicated in the 1950''s where Blacks had adroit difficulties.

It is even more perplexing that CBS could not find an outstanding Black journalist to replace Ed Bradley.

Is Andy''s comments and CBS'' oversight of not finding a truly gifted Black journalist to replace Ed Bradley a racial predilection?

JTGibson

[amilotte1]

are you kidding me? this is what you decide to put on after the 1st interview with the new president? i am so disappointed and shocked at your lack of entertainment value. this is one of the worst things that i have ever seen on television.
...just awful.