“The Paper” by Aaron Matthews.

In recent years, newspaper companies have been going through a drastic decline due to the fact that people are more interested in tabloids than “hard news.” With all the tabloid magazines out there, it is difficult to resist from reading about celebrities and what new marriage occurred the night before. “US” magazine, “People” magazine and many others tabloid oriented magazines manage to grab people’s attention with the glimpse of an eye. After reading about Britney Spears on the front cover of a newspaper, Aaron Matthews stated, “That was news and it was kind of depressing.” With Anna Nicole Smith on the cover of every nation-wide newspaper for months, it is difficult to set the standards for the news that really counts.

Tabloid sales have been on the increase as newspaper sales have been on the decline. With “The New York Times” reporting of a 3.5 percent cut and “The Boston Globe” reporting a 6.7 percent cut, as stated in a New York Times article, it is safe to say that tabloids are getting the best of it. “I’m all for entertainment, I’m into all that stuff just as much as the next person,” said Matthews, but how far can it go? Matthews did not fail to mention that although he does have a love for sports and celebrity news, he said, “Newspapers should be fulfilling their obligation to be a watchdog. The more they report about Anna Nicole Smith, the less I know about news that matters.” So what news really matters? Matthews shared that he would rather read about schools that his children are attending and politics than about the next marriage Britney Spears is in. The news that really matters is the news that affects you in everyday life.


Matthews managed to show the stress journalists have to go through in his documentary “The Paper.” He pointed out that his influence to make such a documentary came along with the amazement he was having with news these days. This documentary about students writing for “The Daily Collegian” in Pennsylvania State University shows how difficult it is to make a decision on what articles should be published. In a specific scene, two characters decided it would be a good idea to add a relationship column to the newspaper. By adding a relationship column, they are trying to attract a younger audience, similar to the tabloid’s incentive. If college newspapers have reached a point in which politics, fires and deaths are not enough; this effect will begin to show on nationwide newspapers as well. Where can one draw the line and decide what news is worth printing?

“Less news is devoted to things that actually affect your life” said Matthews. On the recent covers of magazines, there were pictures of Jennifer Aniston and her “war” with Angelina Jolie. How much does this really matter? Although it may be entertaining, these people are just like everyone else; so what affect does this news really have on people. Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama are running for presidency; that is news that will affect us, terrorists attack in a school in Israel; that is news that affects us. “I want news divisions to cover news” said Matthews. Matthews, similar to many other people would like to see people buying newspapers instead of magazines, reading about politics instead of the Oscars and caring about their economy; because at the end of the day, those are the things that really matter.