Decades ago, parents urged their children to read newspapers to sharpen their grasp of English language, vocabulary and grammar.
Chennai: Getting back to the newsroom after a two-week break was not easy for this columnist. It has always been the case whenever she returns from a holiday after taking a few days off. With a wedding in the family leaving little time to keep up with current affairs, she made it a point to spend a few hours quickly going through the newspapers from the past fortnight to get a grasp of the major developments before settling back into work.
After being in print media for nearly three decades, she knows reading newspapers is key to staying informed and knowing what competitors are doing. Reading newspapers helps spot emerging trends, assess source credibility and avoid duplicating stories.
Decades ago, parents urged their children to read newspapers to sharpen their grasp of English language, vocabulary and grammar. Even now schools in Tamil Nadu try to inculcate the habit of newspaper reading among children. Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan have made daily newspaper reading mandatory for school students to improve reading habits, boost general knowledge and reduce excessive screen dependency. Schools are required to allot 10 to 15 minutes every morning, after prayers, for students to read newspapers. This habit drives students to identify and learn the meanings of new words every day.
However, reading newspapers is no longer considered compulsory as the rise of digital news platforms has made news more accessible, allowing users to stay updated from anywhere in real time. Reading news online offers instant access to local, national and global updates. Reading an authentic domain matters in navigating digital news effectively. However, people want current, accurate and readable information and so news on social media is getting replaced by news on short news-based apps that use cutting-edge technology and use AI and ML to offer the best experience to the user.
