Jeff Mahoney: Newspapers and My Hamilton

Our Guest speaker this morning was the Hamilton Spectator columnist Jeff Mahoney. 

Jeff spoke of the changing nature of newspapers, due largely to the influence of social media and the internet. 

He discussed the challenges all newspapers face with the disconnect between the printed page and internet websites. Of all the students that Jeff currently teaches, virtually none of them read the printed newspaper but rely on the internet for their source of information. 

Advertising revenue, the life blood of newspapers, continues to be the major source of income for newspapers, however the advertising done on the internet does not generate any revenue. 

The cost of producing a larger newspaper increases the cost, while the space of the internet is of course unlimited. 

Jeff said that Hamilton is going through change, just like the newspaper business. He is a firm believer that words allow people to see pain, joy and look into the future. 

Our world will always need words, no matter what form they might turn into. IMHO

The written word is still powerful, opens our eyes and can change people.