Do you read The Lamron, and why is your answer no?

Ah yes, the newspaper. Sixteen pages of pure entertainment, containing topics such as news, arts and opinions. If you are reading this, you are obviously reading the paper, but I beg you to ask your friends, “Do you read The Lamron?”, and then I ask you to ponder why their answer is no.

First, a little history. Newspapers have been around for a while with the first American newspaper being printed in 1690, according to an article by Tim Lambert for “Local Histories.” Newspapers were the first form of mass media in American civilization allowing people to spread messages to a larger audience. According to the New York Times, their first issue came out on Sep. 18, 1851. The Lamron’s first issue was released in 1922, just a little under 71 years later, making this year its 100th birthday! These are just two examples of newspapers that have become a staple in informative media.

Fast forward to where we are today, where content is available on a wide range of different platforms and most people see the traditional hard copy newspaper to be obsolete. So, if you are reading this, congratulations! You have found an actual real-life newspaper. They do exist.

Personally, there is something about a physical newspaper that gives me a sense of nostalgia. When I pick up a newspaper, it reminds me of my grandparents. When visiting them, I would wake up to the smell of coffee and go into the living room to find them indulging in their local paper. 

With that being said, I would like to discuss one of my points—most newspaper readers are in the older population. There are not many times that I can remember my mom picking up a paper to learn about the current world events, and even fewer for my sister or friends. Most people around middle age and younger have almost completely transitioned to the internet for their media sources. 

Looking to my peers, I see that most of our entertainment and news come from apps such as Instagram, TikTok, and heck, even Yik Yak. It is a very rare occurrence that I hear someone say that they read or looked to sources such as CNN or Fox to stay up to date.

Looking back to my high school years, I remember having a school newspaper for maybe one semester of my freshman year. After that, people lost interest and the club fizzled out rather quickly, and most students did not even notice that it was gone.

Would you notice if The Lamron were to disappear? Student voices would be lost from the media, and it would be up to our administration to inform the masses. Is that what you want? I urge you to read and support not just The Lamron, but any of our student literary clubs and organizations here at Geneseo.

Again, I wish to ask you, “Do you read The Lamron?” but this time, I ask you to ponder as to why your answer is yes.