Rockin the Casbah
The shakeout has begun and it will only intensify as the pressure and tension rises. Staff reductions and buyouts at The New York Times, Philly papers, St. Louis and San Jose. Discussion about the sale and breakup of one of the historically great newspaper chains, Knight Ridder. Stagnant circulation numbers. Resignation of good editors who just can't take it any longer.
The challenge, which has been much of our focus this year, is to change, to innovate and to extend our journalism well beyond newsprint. A year ago, I wrote about creating a place where people could come for information, where they could engage with us and each other, where they could make good things happen for themselves and for the community. Our progress has been slower than I'd like, but it's been steady and we're moving forward.
From a Columbia Journalism Review editorial:
Take a look at the front page of your newspaper today. How many stories are on events that the average reader has already heard something about? The Metro section, is it riveting and creative? Or incremental and cramped? Does the paper have strong voices? Does it provide the kind of context that cuts through the fog of information? Does it have any fun? Does the photography speak volumes? Does the Web site offer more than digital newsprint? Can a reader get into the conversation? Do you want to read this newspaper?
We can't answer all those questions the way we want yet. And they aren't as easy to answer as some would suggest. (What's riveting for one is boring for another. What's old news for a computer user is new news for someone who is not as wired in. Emphasizing local news has been interpreted as "dumbing down" the paper by those who want us to repeat what's on the network news.)
Yet our direction is clear. We need stronger voices and more compelling content. We need a greater sense of joie de vivre and serendipity. We need to be tougher about keeping an eye on power. We must shine a spotlight rather than a flashlight into dark corners. Local will continue to grow, as will glocal.
Personally, I think it is an exciting, energizing time to be in journalism. The "depressing" news about newspapers lately might just be the kick in the pants that the industry needs, the final jolt to force us to grasp the importance of our journalism in our communities. Is it possible anyone in this industry doesn't understand that the walls are down? News monopoly is history. Publishing is wonderfully, positively democratic. That's not a bad thing for us. It's a good thing. If serving your community is the goal -- and I submit it is for the vast majority of journalists -- then the walls haven't been breached; the doors have been thrown open and fresh air is flooding in.
Now we must tell the stories that truly help citizens and communities be better. And we should provide the place to connect citizens with information, with us and with each other.
Steve Yelvington posts a comment that's telling: "... let's just imagine a newspaper as a product, one that was just invented today...
"It's a product you have to go and get in the rain, snow or wind and pull out of the hedge, the leaves or a coin-eating box on a dirty street corner. It's heavy. It's big. You're not interested in 90% of its content. And when you're done with it, you -- literally -- have to wash your hands and figure out how to properly dispose of the thing.
"Would you buy this new invention?
"Didn't think so."
That's not my view -- if you only care about 10 percent of what we do we deserve our fate -- but I hear it. The markets are changing. We can change with them -- we must to survive -- and serve citizens and democracy better at the same time.
Comments (2)
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Rags are in a tough place.
We get the News Journal at home, but I'm usually gone before it arrives. Often I pick up the N-R during lunch - I like reading something other than a computer screen as I munch on a sandwich - but noone else I know buys two a day.
However I tend to get my news riding to-fro (paid subscriber to NPR), with detailed followup from on-line. The C.S. Monitor is GREAT - and is my "home page" http://www.csmonitor.com/ -- and WorldNews http://wn.com/ links one to just about everyone and everything around the world.
... but I'm arguably ripping everyone off except the N-R and the News Journal.
Posted on November 5, 2005 4:11 PM
JDR, we appreciate the selectivity of your theft. :-)
Posted on November 6, 2005 11:28 AM