There's a poignant moment on the future of comic strips in the documentary Stripped. As times and media change, Patrick McDonnell, creator of the strip Mutts, was asked whether comic strips were a dying form.
"People are going to want to read comics," he said. "I mean, words and pictures aren't going away. How do we get it to the public? I don't know and I don't worry about it."
The same is true of journalism. So long as people want information – and want the truth – there will be a place for those who work to disseminate it. At the same time, the way people consume news has changed.
For those who want to keep up with the news of the day, a print publication is insufficient, no matter how often it is published. For the day-to-day, people consume their news through other sources, with the internet quickly becoming the main medium. It's why we have FederalTimes.com, curated throughout the day with the news and analysis our readers need to stay informed.
While McDonnell might not be concerned about the future of comics, we at Federal Times are most certainly interested in how we deliver the news.
And in the Age of New Media, there is most certainly a place for print.
The first edition of the newly redesigned Federal Times hits newsstands and mailboxes this week. You'll notice a new look and format; and while our coverage areas haven't changed, the stories contained within those pages will be just as relevant in the days, weeks and months to come as they were the moment they rolled off the presses.
This is processed news, with stories and features that go deeper than the headline and dive into the facets of the news that ripple forward, impacting feds at all levels of government on day-two and beyond.
The new Federal Times supplements our daily coverage online, providing in-depth articles and analysis while remaining the standard of reporting on federal workforce and contracting for a new age of journalism.
Welcome to the new Federal Times.
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Aaron Boyd is an awarding-winning journalist currently serving as editor of Federal Times — a Washington, D.C. institution covering federal workforce and contracting for more than 50 years — and Fifth Domain — a news and information hub focused on cybersecurity and cyberwar from a civilian, military and international perspective.
