This spring was particularly cloudy and rainy. It was hard to feel the spring in my bones. It seems that clouds, made of paper, are also rising on the field of the press. Today, newspapers are growing apart from human beings all over the world, and it is said that the circulation of newspapers has slumped. Most of the young people today are receiving the latest news through the Internet and through their smartphones. “It’s a frightening scenario when a free press is actually a bought and paid-for press, and it can happen on both sides,” said Ellen Miller, executive director of the Sunlight Foundation, according to the Times. The old notion of news being charged and being on paper is breaking down. This trend is inevitable and can be seen as well in the case of the newspapers being published in the universities in South Korea. There’s thus a crisis on the question of whether to maintain or abolish newspapers. It’s true that more and more people have become accustomed to looking at and touching the screen of a computer, smartphone, and similar instruments. Some specialists in the field would say that the paperback books will never ever die, but I’m not sure about the fate of newspapers. This, of course, is not yet very evident because you are still reading this article.
The name recognition of Soongsil Times among the Soongsilians is quite low. I emphasized communication in our 154th magazine issue. How will I communicate with the readers who know nothing about ST? ST decided to distribute copies of its 154th magazine for a week after finishing every chapel, to promote ST. The ST reporters had to bear the students’ indifference when giving them copies of the magazine. They also saw some of the magazines in the trash bin and felt sorry about it. That’s often the case, but not always. There are some moments that are moving and inspiring. Some students returned and asked for more copies of the magazine. Some acquaintances of the staff volunteered to distribute copies. More readers are sending posts to ST than before. These are good signs of progress, of sunshine breaking through the clouds.
저작권자 © The Soongsil Times(숭실대영자신문) 무단전재 및 재배포 금지