Nobody gets their information from newspapers anymore. Right? Newspapers are dying and no one cares because everyone gets their information online. That is the conventional wisdom.
It is not the whole truth because many people do not get their information online. They either do not have access to the internet or they prefer newspapers.
Newspapers are accessible everywhere. Anyone who can read can find out what is important just by looking at the front page headlines. They do not need to spend more than a few cents to get informed.
People have been reading some form of newspaper since paper was invented. The Romans were organized enough to record the daily records of their Senate in the acta. Later in 1566, handwritten papers containing the news were circulated in Venice. During the Revolutionary War, newspapers were often read and passed around to friends and neighbors.
With the arrival of the penny press in 1833 and increasing literacy rates in the country during the 19th century, newspapers were the best way to get information.
Radio and later, television news reports loosen the grip newspapers had on disseminating information. The internet has caused a major revolution in the way news is distributed.
Until everyone has access to and uses the internet, the newspaper will remain the cheapest, easiest way for every literate person to get access to information.