One of the great joys of vacation is the time to actually read the papers. Yes, those old-fashioned, un-hip, finger-dirtying newspapers. It is glorious to page through not one but two or even three before setting about in the day’s activities. Gone is the skim through the front section of The Wall Street Journal and the business section of The New York Times over gulps of coffee before launching into my accumulated e-mails. Replacing it is the ritual of starting with Dining In or Arts or some other section that would ordinarily be deemed “interesting but not essential.”

I have read about the American Cheese Society conference in Shelburne, VT, possible treasure recovered from what might be the wreckage of a pirate ship that sank off the coast of Wellfleet, and a salon in New York where I can get my shoes shined for free with my haircut (the cut, however, is $175 -- I think that my barber would cut my hair and buy me a new pair of shoes for that). I’ve discovered a best value champagne (Drappier Signature Brut NV, $27) for my next picnic. I’ve read in-depth coverage of how the Democratic presidential candidates are wooing big labor.

This languorous newspaper reading is an activity I looked forward to in my retirement until media pundits informed me that newspapers will soon be gone. They aren’t making enough money and aren’t attracting younger readers. If only I could retire now so that the papers and I could slide off into the sunset together.

While the diatribes in the media have focused on business models and the shift of advertising from off-line to on-line media, most have missed the true importance that newspapers play in our collective lives.

On-line media are faster and more immediate, but they are generally reporting on something someone else – often a newspaper – has already reported. They don’t have newsrooms, and reporters, and all of the other news gathering apparatus required to dig out and report an original story. No organization save an established newspaper like The Washington Post could have unearthed the horrible conditions at the Walter Reade Medical Center. It took reporters months to build that story and few, if any, Web sites or television stations will invest resources like that.

Second, context takes space and context is important. The mantra on-line is shorter, snappier, more “user-friendly.” News has become kibbles-and-bits. Compare that with the long, thoughtful stories filed by Linda Greenhouse in The New York Times each fall and spring when the Supreme Court first hears cases and then delivers its decisions. The decision is just one piece of the story. The reasoning behind it and the alliances that created the majority opinion, the nuances of the dissent -- all of these are equally important and you can only a seasoned reporter with space to write can deliver insightful pieces like this.

Finally, there is the serendipitous joy of finding a story that I never would have found on my own. I had no idea that there was an American Cheese Society or that it had a conference but it was a delight to read about. I learned new things and was stimulated to seek out some new cheeses. I would never have found this in my normal ramblings on the Web. Only because it was on the front page of the Food section of The Boston Globe did this particular window on the world get opened for me.

I write for both old media and new and next week I’ll be back in the fray. But for now, I am luxuriating in paper and ink, soaking in the beauty of old-fashioned newspapers.

HARVARD BUSINESS ONLINE RECOMMENDS:
Fairly Timeless Insights on How to Manage Your Time (HMU Article)
Where to Get Your News and Information: The Digital Disruption (Case Note)
Reading Disruption's Fine Print (Strategy & Innovation Article)
The Personal Side of Time: Mastering Work-Life Balance (HBS Press Chapter)