Am I the only one who cares about print media?

High school is a microcosm of the society at large. That's a horrific thought, I know, but I do believe that what we learn during our educational journey those four years is more than a "coming-of-age" young adult novel. It is a prelude to the "real world" as young adults practice and ready themselves for "adulting" or "real world" life. So what? What the heck does that have to do with critiquing newspapers or worrying about the future of print media? I know, sometimes my introductions seem off topic, but it's all connected, really.

When I began my education at high school, I was in awe. Seniors were like gods. Football players and cheerleaders were like movie stars. Teachers were glorified babysitters and we all knew that the lunch lady and the bus driver should have made as much money as them. I had to figure out where and how I was going to shine my little light in all that. I had to figure out what the microcosm of high school could do to help prepare me for my future. Was getting an A on my Geometry test really going to effect my future? Probably not that much, though getting an F was going to effect my present as my mother would have grounded me or taken away some privileges. I decided in high school that I was a writer and an actress, so I put most of my interest, effort, learning, and time into Journalism and Drama while I was there. I took lots of classes and I passed most of my classes (though Algebra kept embarrassing me for a long time) because I was doing my best to make my mother proud while at the same time get what I needed for my self-actualization. I lettered as a Thespian, performed in several stage productions, and won a Superior rating at the State Thespian competition. I was an Editor for our high school newspaper during my Junior and Senior years, and a poem of mine was included in the Literary magazine. Those "wins" in high school not only defined me as a character, but helped me to visualize a future for myself. My part-time job at Burger King didn't define me. I'm more than a burger flipper or drive-thru cashier. I'm a writer and a journalist.

When I worked for The Tampa Tribune in 2002, it was not what I had hoped it would be. I was hired as a Customer Service Rep (for my previous experience in that field) for the Classified Ads Department. It was a stressful job with the pressure of deadlines and careful editing. I earned $9 per hour, which was a bit more than minimum wage at that time (around $6), but I had a college degree in English Education and I was a single mother of a 5-year old who was starting his life in public school. Not only was I disappointed with how I was "valued" per my paycheck which was not enough to pay the rent, my car payment, my insurance, and raise a kid.... I was also disappointed in learning that neither my education or my past experience was going to elevate my career there. It wasn't a matter of "what you know" and I don't even think it was a matter of "who you know". It was simply "established norms" and "no vacancies".

Life continued and my job life evolved. I moved on to teaching and continued to work at restaurants and offices as I had done before graduating from college. I kept my eye on print media (newspapers, magazines, and books) as a fan of the library, literacy, and stores like Barnes and Noble. I wanted to see if the internet was going to change the "game" and it was, and it has. When the creation of the internet shocked me in the 90s, perhaps it was shocking to me because I intuitively knew that the world as I knew it was never going to be the same. All that I had worked so hard to learn in high school on the newspaper staff was already outdated and archaic information. Just like a Blackberry cellphone became obsolete once the public agreed that Smart phones were "better". I watched so many changes happen over the past 30 years. Some were incredibly innovative and made the world better for people, and some were based on the worst aspects of humanity: greed, laziness, apathy, and indifference. I doubt I'm the only one who wonders about the word "evolution". No offense to Darwin meant, but when did morals, values, sentimentality, and consistency fade out of the evolutionary process?

Today is Monday morning at 2:21 a.m. before the sun has risen. I am writing this after having taken a nice walk to the nearby convenient store where I usually buy my cigarettes or get a nice fresh cup of coffee. They still sell the newspaper there, the Wednesday and Sunday editions. I purchased my cup of coffee and the Sunday paper. I wanted to see if I noticed anything different since the last critique I provided online regarding that medium. Am I the only one who cares about print media? I don't see anyone on my block with a subscription. I don't see any of those newspaper containers on the sidewalk around my neighborhood. And while I do see ads for delivery jobs inside the paper, when I inquired recently about doing that job, they put me on a waiting list and never called me. What do you think that means?

Long introduction, right? Where's my critique? The issue in my hands right now is the Sunday, December 6, 2024 issue. The Tampa Bay Times also has an online version at tampabay.com. When I called to inquire about placing a classified advertisement (I was considering offering Tutoring services) the prices of the ads were too expensive for an underpaid Tutor to afford. When I read the ads that are in that section, I see mostly used cars for sale at $15000. Excuse me, who has $15000 cash to buy a "used" car? Am I smelling something fishy? Or is my nose still looking to find the smell of print media on recycled paper?

This issue's front page is about how the farms are recovering from hurricane damages. Ok, that's relevant. The next two pages are all about the Gasparilla parade. Reminds me of something you'd see in a high school yearbook. Look, little Sally was photographed dressed like a pirate. I don't read the Sports section which is the only section that still reminds me of what print media is supposed to look like. The only writer who seems to really care about the demise of the paper is Jonah Goldberg, who's story "Media's outsize power, influence is a lie on which all sides have agreed" was an A+ in my opinion.

The final disrespect to your readers and an insult to our intelligence again was the half page ad on page 6A: Give Hope for the Holidays, Donate today to the Ronald McDonald House Charities. Really? If a tutor can't afford to place a 3-line classified ad, but they (Charities) can afford a half page ad, you expect your readers to donate to them? I know that people have proven time and time again the extent of human stupidity, but that ad was beyond insulting. It was horrific.