The journalist, author and professor of journalism, Marc Edge discusses his new book, Greatly Exaggerated: The Myth of the Death of Newspapers (New Star Books, 2014), with Joseph Planta.

Greatly Exaggerated: The Myth of the Death of Newspapers by Marc Edge (New Star Books, 2014). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Greatly Exaggerated

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, at TheCommentary.ca.

We’ve been led to believe that newspapers are dying, and that sooner rather than later, we won’t read newsprint any longer, that they’ll become obsolete. Granted that a lot of folks are reading their news off of screens and tablets, does that mean the newspaper takes on a new life in bandwidth on the internet? Marc Edge has written a new book: Greatly Exaggerated: The Myth of the Death of Newspapers. It’s a compelling case that he makes that newspapers are in fact adapting and thriving. He even suggests they’re not going anywhere. There’s a lot of insight and research in this book. The history of the newspaper is discussed, going back to the days of Pulitzer and Hearst, as well as more recent history with papers in North America, converging with other media outlets, some long-time names shutting down, and the economic realities of publications at the mercy of Wall Street. Marc Edge has been a reporter and editor with the Vancouver Province and Calgary Herald. He’s been a professor of journalism in Canada, the United States, Fiji, and Singapore. His previous books include Pacific Press, Red Line, Blue Line, Bottom Line, and Asper Nation, which he was on with back in 2008. He lives in Richmond, on a sailboat, but joins me in studio today. The website for more is at www.marcedge.com. The book is published by New Star Books. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Marc Edge; Dr. Edge, good morning.

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