Newspapers are always on the lookout for Tesla CEO Elon Musk's quotable line of the day. Elon Musk, the world's richest man to date, has always been in the spotlight. He is once again the talk of the town today as he discusses how simple printed newspapers are in the eye of his 16-year-old son.
Musk's Tweets Once Again Send Ripples
My son, Saxon, was amazed that so many paper newspapers are still produced every day.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 27, 2022
He said they probably just search the Internet & print it out. Yup, with rare exception, that is *actually* what they do haha.
According to Mashable, Elon Musk's reaction to his youngest child's opinion was very different. Elon Musk sparked a lot of discussion on Twitter when he described how his son Saxon was astounded by the volume of newspapers still being printed at the time, thinking it was no use since most of them just 'copy things online.' Musk wholeheartedly agreed to the proposition, even adding that such an event is extremely rare not to take place.
No, "searching the Internet" is not news reporting, and it's not what newspapers do. I'd encourage you to spend one day at a real newspaper. https://t.co/N7bObbkken
— Andrew Schnittker (@aschnitt53) September 28, 2022
As previously stated, the Starlink CEO's line of tweeting prompted rounds of online debate. People online, particularly those on Twitter, rose from their IP addresses to tell the car technology magnate that it is incorrect to believe most newspapers as phonies in comparison to online news media.
The waves of reply and quote tweets that Musk has triggered indicate that many people believe that online news outlets are the most beneficial for live and breaking journalism. Its dynamic feature makes it easily shareable, which can multiply its reach in seconds after publication.
This also explains why online publications are modern methods of consuming news because online news writers can write and publish news in real time. Furthermore, running a news agency online or in print necessitates news curation, editing, and a plethora of proofreading options.
I’m amazed that someone purported to be so smart is really not. JOURNALISTS don’t copy text from the internet (how would one even conglomerate that for publishing?). Journalists research a topic, interview people, and *fact check*. Journalists are published in NEWSpapers. https://t.co/JYzqIMsMDL
— Debi Jackson (@the_debijackson) September 28, 2022
Based on a Money Control article, some online commenters claimed that newspapers are no longer necessary since people can follow world events in real-time in the digital age. Following the billionaire's jab at the value of printed newspapers, there was a flurry of conversation on the microblogging site.
Also, according to forecasts published in 2021, digital-only subscriptions to local newspapers will overtake print subscriptions by 2027 at the latest, as reading habits continue to shift to digital platforms. Despite the fact that traditional newspapers are significantly less expensive than most news subscriptions available online, many people regard online media as a more convenient way to read the latest news.
People Point Out Newspapers Are Killing the Environment
Many tweets supporting Musk's claim are also making the rounds. People are pointing out that continuing to print traditional newspapers is harmful to the environment because it requires the use of paper, which is often made directly from trees. Furthermore, TheWorldCounts reports that paper accounts for more than 26% of all existing landfill waste.
According to the same statistics, global consumption of pulp and paper is expected to double between 2010 and 2060. Increased paper production will also put additional strain on the world's forests, which are already in peril - and only getting worse. Meanwhile, as per CleanFox, digital activity accounts for 2% of global CO2 emissions.
