Al-Jazirah newspaper

WHAT will be the scenario like if all our print newspapers completely disappear? This is not a hypothetical question nor is it a figment of imagination. It may soon be a reality.

Can our newspapers disappear from the newsstands? The answer is a Big Yes. It is quite possible. It is rather expected if there was no miracle to save some of them at least.

The complete disappearance of daily newspapers is going to be one of the historic events in some countries under the current circumstances. The daily newspapers may lose their market due to accumulated reasons and may finally lead to their complete closure.

Allow me now to tackle the issue from a sociological perspective as the stoppage of the functioning of one aspect of society will adversely reflect on its other aspects. This will, however, be difficult to recognize in ordinary circumstances.

Here are some of the possible repercussions from the folding of all or most of the daily newspapers:

* The disappearance of the print media will mean the disappearance of the voice of the government, which will not be able in such a case to reach out to all segments of society. Even with the presence of official organs such as the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the publication and distribution of news remain the responsibility of the newspapers, not news agencies, which cannot disseminate the information to millions of individuals. With the disappearance of the government's voice, major national events will also go off air. The newspapers used to commemorate national events and write extensively about them.

* The disappearance of the print media will mean the disappearance of the people's voice as well. The newspapers represent the citizen and give him or her a platform to express their aspirations and worries. The least that can be said here is that the newspapers are the pulse of the people.

* When the newspapers are gone, the role of the elite in society will also disappear with them. The hundreds of writers and columnists who work for each newspaper will be forced to leave the stage. These men and women who play an crucial role in shaping public opinion and creating awareness will be pushed to the margins of society because the newspapers are the channels through which they make their views known after studying and analyzing many issues pertinent to people's lives.

* The disappearance of the newspapers will virtually mean the disappearance of the entire media. The TV channels and radio stations can never be substitutes for print newspapers, which are foremost among mass media tools.

* The disappearance of newspapers will mean that social media tools will take over the media theater as the electronic media cannot substitute for the print media.

What is said above is a summary of a hypothetical situation that would emerge if print newspapers disappeared from the newsstands.

The are about 1.7 billion people around the world who still read printed news on a daily basis. This simply means that the habit of reading newspapers is here to stay.

However, our print media is staggering for many reasons. It has not moved forward because of the adverse economic situation from which all newspapers suffer without exception. Therefore supporting the print media is no longer an option but a necessity to keep the voices of the people heard.