THERE is a shocking amount of disinformation out there in the Information Age. While electronic and social media have radically changed how news is produced and consumed, responsible print media outlets continue to hold fast to the old-world values of factual reporting and upholding truth-telling. This is the message being relayed by the All Pakistan Newspapers Society through a public awareness campaign launched in connection with National Newspaper Readership Day, being observed today. The day was first observed in 2019, and seeks to highlight the value of print journalism and promote newspaper readership in a rapidly changing media landscape. While the future is digital, print media will play a key role in the transition; for example, even the most trusted digital news outlets in the country are in fact extensions of legacy media houses. There is an important reason for this: it is the editorial gatekeeping of print media professionals that sifts lies from truth, disinformation from genuine news. Social media may be awash with ‘information’ —much of it actually noise and outright lies — but it is traditional media, especially print, that assures people that what they are reading is corroborated and factually correct.

However, it is also true that legacy media must adapt to the swiftly changing scenario. For obvious reasons, print cannot compete with electronic and digital media when it comes to ‘breaking news’. That is why newspapers should refocus efforts on investigative and long-form journalism, which can delve into the backstory and dive deeper to uncover the events behind the headlines. Regurgitating facts 24 hours after they have happened, and relying on he-said, she-said ‘news stories’ will only speed up the demise of print. It is by emphasising quality journalism that the more established papers in the West have managed to stay afloat. By upholding the principles of journalism, and speaking for the voiceless, print can continue to stay relevant.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2023