[Viewpoint] Can Journalism Become 'Hip'?

20s 3.0%, 30s 8.0%.

This is the response to the question in the Korea Press Foundation's media consumer survey asking whether respondents had read a paper newspaper in the past week. I was surprised twice. First, that such surveys are still being conducted, and second, that the MZ generation still reads paper newspapers more than expected. I also saw surprising news about paper newspapers in foreign media. The American outlet known for its scathing satirical news, The Onion, resumed print publication last month. This decision came 11 years after it achieved great success online and published its last paper issue in December 2013. Curious about the circumstances, I examined The Onion’s print edition.

Recently, The Onion wrote about Trump’s political use of his visit to Arlington National Cemetery: “I (Trump) have played at top golf courses like Augusta and Pebble Beach, but Arlington National Cemetery was the worst 18 holes I’ve ever played. My tee shot landed in the hazard called ‘Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.’” They also ‘commented’ that the reason Trump likes to round at his own golf course is that it has only one grave, and that grave belongs to his deceased ex-wife.

Founded in 1988, The Onion follows the traditional form of journalism but has secured many readers with fact-based, humorous satire articles. For example, it mocked pop star Taylor Swift for flying her private jet back to the U.S. during her world tour to watch her football player boyfriend’s game, saying, “Traffic in the area was paralyzed due to the private jet parked at a Beverly Hills luxury store.” When Obama was elected president, it ran a headline saying, “The worst job in America has been given to a Black man.”

The Onion introduced print media to MZ generation readers who are unfamiliar with paper newspapers by saying, “It’s good for wiping up what pets spill when eating or for wrapping trash to throw away.” Then it added, “But since there’s interesting content printed, read it once before throwing it away.” This borders on self-deprecating humor. The New York Times, a senior in the same industry with over 10 million online subscribers, wrote an encouraging article: “Just as LP records have become hip again, paper newspapers have been revived as an attractive medium.” The Onion announced that its subscriber count has exceeded four times its initial goal. Sixty percent of its readers are aged 18 to 33. The MZ generation has effectively revived paper newspapers.

I saw the British newspaper The Guardian report that “reading is sexy,” noting that the Z generation’s reading craze has led to record-high book sales. In Korea, a culture called ‘text hip’?a blend of ‘text’ and ‘hip’?is emerging as a hot trend among the Z generation.

There are words whose exact meaning I can never quite grasp. For me, ‘hip’ is one of them. It expresses a retro taste and a way to show one’s individuality, but it seems to apply only to certain age groups. The MZ generation thinks listening to music on LPs is hip, but for me, who has listened to music on LPs for over 40 years, it’s not hip. To them, people like me are simply ‘old-fashioned’ and out of touch with new trends. If this is the case with music appreciation, then reading and paper newspapers are even more so. I wonder if the Z generation folding newspapers or magazines into their back pockets looks hip. I’m curious.