E-Newspapers are newspapers which are published electronically. They can take the form of normal print publications published on the Internet; additional or complimentary content to print publications published on-line; or original publications published exclusively on the World Wide Web. Many news organizations require subscription to e-newspapers, just like regular print newspapers. E-newspapers run the gauntlet of newspapers, from serious hard news, to features, to arts and entertainment, to sports, and everything in between.
As a product and form of media, e-newspapers first emerged in the mid 1990s with the popularization of the internet. As more households gained access to the internet, people began to use the Web as a news source. With a demand for news media on-line, many organizations used this opportunity for additional subscriptions, an expanded readership, and more advertising revenue. E-Newspapers, like most websites, utilize all of the tools of the internet. With web addresses similar to the name of the paper, hypertext and hyperlinks to additional stories or sections, uploaded photographs, and links to classifieds, e-newspapers follow the format of most print newspapers.
Many large and small publications around the country, from national to local papers, compliment their paper products with an on-line version. These e-newspapers usually feature all of the stories featured in the paper, plus additional content that can be updated by the minute for breaking stories. This capability of e-newspapers allows the slow process of print to catch up to the speed of television and internet news broadcasts. Many e-newspapers for large publications require a subscription price to view inside of the paper, usually only a small fee, though some are still free of charge.
As the news media evolves into the 20th century, many news organizations have developed Web-only publications. These e-newspapers feature content only found on the internet, and have taken shape in many different venues of the medium. Joke papers have emerged to spoof real newspapers, specialty papers have emerged for a younger Internet audience to highlight entertainment news, sports, celebrities, and hundreds of small niches.
The advent of e-newspapers has allowed for the practice of “news snacking.” This new development of the internet age has provided viewers the opportunity to click from one story to another, one source to another, to gain a quick idea of big headlines and interesting stories. E-newspapers have also allowed for frequent commenting on site, and have given writers and reporters the opportunity to share their opinions in the form of adjacent web logs and personal sites.
