Online and newspaper influence
Andy Bechtel has an interesting post about a commenter on an N&O blog asking "Please report this in a normal article in the print version of the N&O also."
Andy observes: It's interesting that this reader sees a reporter's blog post this way -- as less significant, if not "abnormal." The request also indicates that the post would have greater weight on newsprint than on screen. It's somehow less serious in the blog format -- and of course, not as widely read as it would be in the print newspaper.
As producing print media becomes less profitable and reporting through blogs increases, readers can expect to see more news that appears only on the Web. Just when those posts will have the same impact as a story in the paper is unclear.
We have had similar requests, and I have talked with some about it. They didn't see the blog format as less relevant. Indeed, they loved the give and take. Instead, they simply wanted a different and wider audience to read the post (and discussion). They wanted to make sure the print newspaper's 200,000 or so readers were informed so that they might be inspired to effect change. Bear in mind, of course, that the posts they were interested in replicating in print are ones in which their views were affirmed. Or at least they thought the posts affirmed them.
We are a good ways from "just when those posts will have the same impact as a story in the paper." That is not to diminish the value or impact of bloggers -- I kind of like us -- but a reflection of how people use the paper and its built-in readership and how they use the Web, which is far more vast, diverse and fragmented. And, of course, it is still in its infancy and its users are still learning, adapting and growing.
Comments (6)
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Like it or not, the print edition of papers are seen by more eyes than the blogs.
I think what drives people crazy is the impression that papers don't focus on certain hard news as they should, and they find that blogs can satisfy that hunger. Online, we can ignore the stuff that drives us crazy, like the celebrity and sports worship pages in the paper.
Posted on July 10, 2008 10:11 AM
Just curious, how many unique individuals read the N&R online each day?
Posted on July 10, 2008 9:18 PM
This is off topic, but the "Contact Us" feature related to your new Web platform won't actually allow me to contact anyone.
Here's the message I was trying to submit:
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The pop-up that welcomes visitors to your new site has an error. "Effect" should be "affect."
I would also reconsider the phrase "benchmark and optimize." It's a bit jargony and sounds lifted straight from the notes of a marketing meeting. "Improve" or even "make it better" might be more the kind of straight talk your readers appreciate.
Thanks.
P.S. The "Captcha" feature is also screwed up. I've entered the correct code 10 times and it always says it's invalid. (The message telling me so is at the TOP of the screen, meaning I have to SCROLL UP to see what's wrong.)
I hope you didn't pay a lot for this new platform.
Posted on July 11, 2008 12:10 PM
Member, since many of our sites are on different publishing systems, most users get counted more than once as they go to our different sites. That’s one of the reasons we're moving to Drupal -- to get better analytics.
Lisa, your message has been sent to our Web folks. Thanks.
Posted on July 11, 2008 5:18 PM
I find it interesting that Mr. Bechtel forgot to mention that the person who posted that plea to the News & Observer to run the item in the print section, also pointed out that the article first ran in the Carolina Journal newspaper in Raleigh.
The reporter for the News & Observer who wrote the blog entry in the first place also had to link to the CJ because the N&O still hadn't run anything on it.
Perhaps the plea was more of a critique of his paper than Mr. Bechtel and the rest of his News & Observer staff realize. In other words, the blog commenter was asking them to acknowledge an important news item that already appeared in the print edition of a much smaller newspaper.
And the question remains -- why did a small Raleigh newspaper like the Carolina Journal report the the news that 64.1 percent of the families reviewed in Wake County for free or reduced school lunches had their privileges revoked because of fraud, but the News & Observer didn't?
I would think that is relevant information to publish both online and in print, but then I don't read the News & Observer print edition anymore (no one I know buys it anymore and their circulation is declining) because of their editorial policies. Perhaps if they ran more items of local interest they wouldn't have people begging for stories to be printed that deserve attention.
Posted on July 12, 2008 2:37 PM
CJ Reader,
I do not work for The News & Observer, though I have done so on two occasions, from 1992-1997 and from 2001-2005.
Posted on July 17, 2008 12:48 PM