Everything has an end. Only… no, it doesn’t continue as usual anymore. At least on weekdays, the printed tab ends.
Paper is patient: stacks of taz newspapers in the editorial office on Rudi-Dutschke-Straße, May 2014 Photo: Karsten Tilker
They say paper is patient, and the good thing is that it is true. For example, if you are currently reading the weekly newsletter, but you don’t want to read it now, you can do it tomorrow. Or the day after tomorrow. Or someday. He is waiting for you here.
But most people, especially young people, are not as impatient with paper. They want to know what is happening in the world right away and what it means. So it’s no wonder that printed daily newspapers are selling less and less. My son used to ask me, “Dad, why do you make tomorrow’s paper? It just tells you what happened the day before.”
Well, I didn’t know what to say at the time. After all, my son’s argument was irrefutable. When Kamala Harris laughed off Donald Trump’s claim in a TV debate that immigrants eat American pets, a German print newspaper couldn’t even report it until the next day.
My son questioned the old business model that had earned him his allowance by asking legitimate questions. So I said that when I printed, many people got used to the printed content, wanted to print it that way, and probably would continue to pay for it. Well, I think he realized that I didn’t believe it. Taz is now giving him a clear answer when they announced that the daily print edition will be discontinued on weekends.
The Nuremberg evening paper also no longer exists.
Sometimes I can get depressed. I have loved newspapers since I could read. Since we didn’t have a TV, let alone a smartphone, the content seemed very interesting, fresh, and new to me. In the morning, I snatched the sports corner from my parents’ hands, and on the way to school, I snatched the desk on the street. Evening newspaper I stole from the silent seller, and now I can confess, because it was Nuremberg. Evening newspaper It didn’t last long. I was young, addicted to newspapers, and had no money. I was only reprimanded once for “reading the newspaper calmly during class” as a punishment. It ended up being a career preparation.
I feel very fortunate that my hobby has become my profession. Yes, it is difficult for me to say goodbye to the printed daily newspaper. However, an enlightening conversation with my son a few years ago helped me prepare for this moment. It is also reassuring that many people in taz who are much more business-minded than I am have started preparing much earlier.
There is no point in mourning the irreversible past. The fact that you can read taz digitally in the evening and that faster network operation requires quick wit has always been taz’s strength. If “Volkswagen employees are criticized”, a cool title like this would be much better the same day and maybe even get a “like” from my son. And the app also waits patiently for those who have time.
The only thing that is irreplaceable is toilet paper.
Yes, you can replace the paper. The half-life has been reduced anyway. The world moves too fast to write anything down. The traffic light coalition agreement became useless almost immediately when President Putin invaded Ukraine. The Green Party’s party program did not mention the supply of weapons to war zones, nor did it mention the attack on Gaza or Russian territory. The press release from Interior Secretary Nancy Faeser cannot be printed fast enough before the next tightening of the just-rejected asylum regulations is announced a little later.
Paper is hardly a help in keeping up with this. I always liked it, but now it is too expensive for daily use. The only thing that is irreplaceable is toilet paper. And of course, the weekly dance.
