The question: What is black & white and read all over.

Okay. It’s an old joke in reverse, sort of Jeopardy style.

it’s sort of a segway into my subject matter, newspapers and how drastically they have changed in just a short time.

Throughout my youth, newspapers never appealed to me. Reading was not my strong suit, and broadsheets were particularly challenging. The oversized pages seemed designed to frustrate readers like myself. Despite having long arms, I struggled to manage the unwieldy sheets. My typical approach involved spreading the newspaper on the floor and scanning for interesting articles. Inevitably, I would encounter the dreaded “continued on page…” instruction, only to discover that the remaining text could have easily been accommodated on the previous page. These layout choices only reinforced my disinterest in newspaper reading.

They couldn’t deceive me. I quickly understood their strategy. The goal was to divert my attention from the main content to the page filled with advertisements. The publication’s revenue primarily came from advertising, not the actual articles. Regardless of their tactics, it added to the irritation of the oversized pages.

My brother shared insights into the unique reading culture of New Yorkers during their subway commutes. He explained the skillful art of newspaper folding, a technique that allows passengers to navigate cramped spaces while reading without inconveniencing fellow travelers. By the time they arrived at their destination, most subway riders had thoroughly consumed the day’s news, making them remarkably well-informed about current events.

In the digital age, journalism has undergone a profound transformation. Traditional print newspapers have evolved, migrating from physical pages to vibrant online platforms. Readers now consume news through smartphones, tablets, and digital devices, maintaining their reading habits while in transit. Despite the technological shift, the fundamental human tendency to remain absorbed in personal digital worlds persists, with commuters still largely disconnected from their immediate surroundings.

There is, however, one major difference that I wish were the same. Back then, in that day, they printed the truth. The quality of delivery is a great deal better, while the quality of the reporting has suffered horribly.