In this day and age of Newspaper mergers, layoffs, and buyout packages, we often hear how "irrelevant" Newspapers have become.

If that is truly the case, why did so many across this Nation line up to obtain a copy of their Newspaper the day Barack Obama was elected President? Long lines wrapped around buildings as people waited in the rain from the Chicago Sun-Times to the Los Angeles Times to get their hands on a little piece of history.

Why?  Because Newspapers have a long shelf life. They provide something to hold onto, both literally and figuratively. Let's face it, printing out an Online story from a website to place in your child's keepsakes, well, it doesn't quite have the nostalgia of newsprint.

I have long argued that, even in this Internet age, Newspapers do matter.  Otherwise, why would political candidates work so aggressively to garner Newspaper endorsements?  Why would the most successful major retailers in the U.S. still advertise in Newspapers? And why do so many of us in the industry still care about what gets printed "above the fold?" One needs to look no further than the sea of humanity wrapped around those buildings after Election Day.

Newspapers serve a valuable role in our society.  They serve as timekeepers, scorekeepers, and as keepsakes themselves. 

So, a word to doubters everywhere: let Newspapers have their day in the Sun.  And a word to Newspaper conglomerates everywhere: in this economy, for Pete's sake, lay off the layoffs.