Despite all the knocks newspapers take these days … Americans apparently still have a nostalgia for the static, unrefreshable front page.
“There is an enormous public interest in front pages,” said Paul Sparrow, senior vice president for broadcasting at the Newseum in Washington… “Web sites are constantly changing, and that’s good. However, it does not capture a moment in time like a front page does. It’s one reason I think newspapers are never going to completely disappear. I’m not making a value judgment. I’m not saying it’s better or worse. But front pages are a snapshot in time that have a historical relevance and a permanence that’s lacking in our electronic age.”
Interesting note in this article that traffic at the Newseum’s front page image collection online jumps five fold on dates of major significance.