Extinct by 2017? Nah
My newspaper column
As you've certainly noticed by now, we have added some new features to the Sunday paper.
You also may have noticed the story we published two weeks ago that the newspaper was picketed by about 50 N.C. A&T students who didn't like what we had reported about the state university's recent audit.
You probably didn't notice an article at Entrepreneur.com in which newspapers are listed as facing extinction by 2017, joining record stores, pay phones and gay bars, among others.
I'm happy to tell you that's not going to happen, and the Sunday newspaper and the picketers are illustrations of why.
Much has been made nationally about the decline in the value of newspapers. Thanks to the Internet and broadband connections, media choices online and on cable television have exploded. People have access to more information than ever before.
Longtime readers of this column know that we consider that a good thing.
People gravitate to the source of news and information that fits their needs. For some it will be a printed newspaper delivered first thing in the morning. For others, it is the 6 o'clock news. A growing number of people get their news digitally, whether on the computer, on a Blackberry or on a cell phone.
As a company, the News & Record has tried to evolve with the changes in technology and audience. Our philosophy has been to go to where the people are and help them get the news how, when and where they want it.
Today's News & Record is an example of our evolution.
You told us how we could improve your Sunday paper, and we listened. You said you want more information you can to act on. We added more listings of interesting community events and more features to help make your life simpler, less expensive and more fun.
You told us to take you deeper inside the news, and we promise more enterprise stories that tell you something you don’t know about the people who live here and the news that matters.
The recent stories about the internal and state audits at A&T were ones that mattered. On Sept. 24, a crowd of A&T students picketed outside the newspaper building for an hour, protesting what they called bad press. They thought that our coverage of the audits was excessive, and they want us to write more "positive" stories about the university.
The audits found evidence of misused funds, poor internal controls and allegations of nepotism and poor oversight. The Guilford County district attorney has asked the SBI to investigate.
I'm not here to debate our coverage. Instead, I applaud the students who picketed. They got involved in the civic debate, and they felt passionate enough to undertake civil action. That's an important aspect of a robust community and a sign of a healthy democracy.
Plus, they obviously read newspapers, finding stories that impact their lives.
As Mark Twain may have said, reports of our death are greatly exaggerated.
We hope you enjoy today's paper, and we welcome your thoughts. Call us at 274-5476 or 373-7052.
Comments (5)
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You are right that your newspaper won't be extinct in 2017, it'll be much sooner. You can fine tune and tweak the appearance of the newspaper all that you like, but it's the content of what you publish that will determine your longevity. The snow job propaganda that you published today about the Wray matter and defense of RMA's professionalism is only going to hasten your demise. It should be obvious that the News-Record with its attempts to be a shill for Mitch Johnson is not working. It's only demonstrating your usual bias on matters. If you don't believe that most of the public feels this way, go to Ed Cone's blog to see what is being said. In a very long thread, you didn't have one supportive comment. Unfortunately for you, your newspaper has allowed itself to become part of this story, rather than just reporting on it. The next people that you will need to defend is yourself.
News-Record, RIP.
Posted on October 8, 2007 12:40 AM
I hope not, I like newspapers. I just wish they would be more fair and blanced.I have no doubt that most newspapers would rather support their agenda than print the truth.I pray this will change.
I would think falling sales would cure this, so far it has not.If I ran a newspaper, I would copy Fox News. If I ran K Mart, I would copy Wal Mart. I went to K Mart last night, never again. Customer Sevice is what it all about.
Posted on October 8, 2007 6:48 AM
Here is what I especially like about our local.
85,000 visitors in town, during a furniture market that High Point is fighting to keep, and what does the local headline read?
"Las Vegas market: We'll be the best"
I'm sure HP thanks you for that headline during furniture market. It was a great service to the community.
Posted on October 8, 2007 12:42 PM
Here is what I especially like about our local.
85,000 visitors in town, during a furniture market that High Point is fighting to keep, and what does the local headline read?
"Las Vegas market: We'll be the best"
I'm sure HP thanks you for that headline during furniture market. It was a great service to the community.
Posted on October 8, 2007 12:42 PM
"You can fine tune and tweak the appearance of the newspaper all that you like. ..." They will.
They think that's what journalism is. They think you, the reader, are dumb and will be lured in by "eye-catching design." I'm not making this up; I could produce dozens, if not hundreds, of ads that use this phrase to mean "luring readers."
Falling sales will cure nothing. Newspapers will keep trying the same failed approaches, then say: "Well, they SHOULD work." All the design-based blathering in the world won't halt the death of newspapers in their current form. Some of them will be long gone (at least as daily editions) by 2017.
Posted on October 9, 2007 6:50 PM