Benefits of newspaper

Foolish is the man who never reads a newspaper; even more foolish is the man who believes what he reads just because it is in the newspaper – August von Schlözer, German historian and journalist of the late 18th century.

The newspaper is an important document which can be referred to as a powerhouse of information. It is important because it keeps us informed about current developments in our environment and in other parts of the world.

Over the past few centuries, newspapers have shaped culture, influenced politics, played an important role in business, and affected the daily lives of millions of people.

However, newspaper reading is becoming a dying habit, especially as the world moves towards digitalisation. You can now get virtually everything on your phones and computers, so people are not into newspaper reading as they were before. Most importantly, people are themselves running out of the habit of reading itself. The internet has made it worse as now there is a video for virtually everything. People will not mind watching a five-minute video, but will however not prefer to read a five-minute-long article.

Apart from its traditional function of informing, educating, persuading and entertaining the masses, newspapers play other functions, such as providing better interpretation of stories in the news, ensuring easy understanding and retention of media content, easier storage and retrieval of information, serving as a viable tool for mass education and mass literacy by motivating and encouraging good reading habits among the masses in the society.

Reading newspapers is a good habit that can provide a great sense of educational value. It helps us get acquainted with the current affairs of the world. It carries information about the economy, entertainment, sports, business, industry, trade and commerce.

Cultivating the habit of reading newspapers will not only enhance one’s knowledge about general information, but it will likewise improve one’s language skills and vocabulary. In addition, a person who reads newspapers can speak fluently on various topics. They can socialize better, as they are well aware of the most common topics currently on the minds of people.

The value of reading newspaper extends far beyond what has been mentioned above. If you regularly read a well-written, well-balanced newspaper, it could also help stimulate brain function for improved performance in the following areas: critical thinking skills, balanced viewpoints, enhanced cognition (the more the mind is exercised, the stronger and more flexible it becomes), and more.

So, in spite of all the odds against the newspaper as a medium of mass communication, it continues to compete favourably with other media of mass communication because of its unique advantages. Therefore, conscious effort needs to be made at ensuring that the newspaper continues to be well produced to reflect its enduring advantages.

Daniel Ighakpe

Lagos.

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