Newspapers and books

I have vivid memories of getting the newspaper everyday. Then every weekend, then for the sake of those poor trees, my mom canceled it altogether. As a kid, my firs reaction was to jump to the funny pages, of course. As I got older, I got cynical like the rest of the teenagers out there who think they know everything they need to know about who's who and what's what. So I figured that the BS the nightly news was feeding me, was the same brand of BS that the newspapers fed people, but with a lot of pages, and a waste of paper.
Of course I wasn't aware of something like the partisan press, and I wasn't aware of much more that mightv'e made me a bit more appreciative of the sources of information we have nowadays, in one way or another. Though I do think that skepticism was a good thing when it came to the media, even if it was at an age where I really didn't have enough information to back up my beliefs.
The concept of partisan papers seems logical. Fair? maybe not. Informative? to an extent, but as we see nowadays, it is easy to lock onesself into a specific mindset and keep on that track indefinitely without so much as giving the other "side" a chance to inform us of their views, or facts. investigative journalism seems like the high point for journalism, with information to expose lies and injustices. Objectivity seems somewhat heartless. Sure, it might provide us with information, but in it's neutrality, it might just help to make people neutral and "ok" with what's going on instead of trying to give a message with it's writing. I suppose there is no perfect way to go about it, because either way, is anyone getting the WHOLE story without any hint of bias? I'm not sure where newspapers are heading, but I don't think that journalism is going anywhere, and as long as people know how to write, the written word will spread. As a fan of print in general, I hope it doesn't disappear, and doubt it will in entirety, although the only thing about print that bothers me is paper sources and how some sources cut down far too much forest (tree-hugger moment).
The invention of the kindle, the internet, e-book, and the ipad seem to have some sort of effect on printed books. And if not e-books, the internet (amazon) surely has an effect on book stores. I remember looking into e-books years ago, and after downloading a sample, I hated it. Of course, this was pre-ipad/and around the time ipods were gaining in popularity (though who wants to read a book on one of those?). Sitting there, in front of a computer, staring at the screen while reading was not a pleasurable experience. I'd rather sit there with a book, make some notes by hand, even if it means the page will never be the same. It's a disconnect from the era where every new form of technology that comes out seems to get closer and closer to having something that plugs in directly into our heads. People seem to be buying more books on amazon, even if book stores are getting less business. It's cheaper and provides us with an attitude-free way of getting what we want.
Of course, not all book stores are full of pompous jackasses that walk int he other direction,or give a crooked look if you actually dare to have a question for them. I walked into a book store with a friend a while ago during the Obama election (right before) and as we walk in, we are greeted and welcomed. There is a group of people discussing the debates and speeches, and laughing as McCain comes on to say his piece. There was a sharing fo ideas and an offer to help find what we're looking for without a sense of superiority or laziness. These are the people I empathize with. I hope these stores continue to get business. There is no way books in print will disappear anytime soon, but I could care less if stores like strand go bye-bye, even if they have a nice selection of books. Perhaps robot employees?