In past decades, newspapers played a central role in Malaysian households, fostering a widespread reading culture and serving as an essential link to the outside world. During the 1960s and 1970s, newspapers were commonly delivered by bicycle, with large bundles stacked and distributed as early as 6 a.m. The tradition evolved in the following decades, with news vendors using motorcycles to deliver stacks of newspapers, reflecting the importance of print media in daily life.

This reading culture was deeply ingrained, with families often sharing newspapers, as recalled by Thiagan Mathiaparanam, a retired teacher from Klang. He recounted beginning to read newspapers in primary school to follow the progress of national badminton players such as Datuk Tan Yee Khan, Datuk Ng Boon Bee, Datuk Tan Aik Huang, and Datuk Yew Cheng Hoe. The demand for newspapers was so high that younger family members had to wait their turn to access them.

However, the rise of mobile phones and online platforms has led to a shift from traditional newspaper reading to digital browsing. According to Thiagan, this transition has affected the depth and quality of reading, noting a decline in the proficiency of English among today’s internet users compared to previous generations. He observed that English today is often used primarily for communication, with less emphasis on grammar and pronunciation than in the 1960s and 1970s.

English remains a globally important language, and improving proficiency is seen as vital for younger generations in Malaysia. Thiagan advocates for encouraging youth to purchase newspapers regularly—at least twice a week—to foster a habit of reading and language development.

He also highlighted the government’s recent initiative of providing RM100 vouchers to students for book purchases as a positive step. To further support the revival of print media, he suggested expanding these vouchers to cover newspaper purchases, enabling greater accessibility to news across various disciplines such as philosophy, science, technology, and artificial intelligence. These sections often feature concise articles that can enhance readers' knowledge and critical thinking.

In addition, Thiagan proposed establishing a National or World Newspaper Day, aiming to recognize the historic and ongoing role newspapers have played in informing and shaping society. This observance could serve to remind the public, especially younger internet users, of the value newspapers have provided as a source of awareness and enlightenment throughout modern history.