Mark Briggs

Some observers have predicted that daily newspapers will soon become obsolete in a time when people can get all their news from the Internet. In the following viewpoint Mark Briggs, an editor for the Everett Herald, a newspaper serving the northwest region of the state of Washington, disputes this conclusion in an article written in 2001 when the Herald was celebrating its hundred-year anniversary. Briggs, looking ahead to the next century, argues that while technology will certainly transform how newspapers will be made and distributed, their basic mission—delivering news and advertising to the customers in the communities they serve—will not change. Newspapers will still prove to be indispensable, he concludes.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. How many newspapers does Briggs predict would be delivered daily in...