The printer’s flag is deepest CMYK

Over the centuries print has been credited (or blamed) with causing the Reformation, of being behind a spate of revolutions in nineteenth century Europe, a printer (one Benjamin Franklin) was the brains behind the American Revolution and helping the cause of Irish Independence. Print was, among its other attributes, dangerous and printers, by virtue of being able to read and having material to read, were at the forefront of many revolutionary movements. It’s hard to think of print in that way today. If anything print has become the safe channel, reinforcing societal norms instead of challenging them. Digital, because of its untamed nature, is the dangerous choice.

For as much as digital enables swift almost friction-free dissemination of news and other information, this speed means that truth often gets pushed aside in the race to be first, as if that is the only criterion to judge and value what you hear. All network media channels have been poisoned in this way. What began with rumour spreading on Facebook has also infected LinkedIn which should be apart from name calling and the peddling of blatant falsehoods and false rumours. For what? 

Amid this revolutionary foment where it is difficult to to distinguish fact from fib, right from rumour and truth for tripe, print’s new role is as important as those from earlier centuries. In the culture wars and the swirl of misinformation, print is a lighthouse beaming out truth. Well not always. But because of the cost of print and distribution and the framework of regulations around print publishing, print is better at being truthful. It is better too at digging beneath the surface, the noise and the distractions of trolls, to explain the whys and the hows behind the headlines. If this is about delivering the real truth to the people, then print’s role is just as revolutionary now as 250 years ago.