Results matching “newspapers dont”

Mike Leary, Philadephia Inquirer's managing editor, announced last week that the paper would be publishing certain stories online only after they have been published in print, apart from breaking news stories.

Even though the new policy provoked some criticism from Steve Outing and Jeff Jarvis, it is meant to be a strategic leap towards formulating "complementary differentiation between the roles of the print and online operations", according to Poynter.org's Amy Gahran.

Differentiating between print and online operations may be the key to helping papers that are in financial trouble. One of the strengths of print may be feature stories, whereas the Web's immediacy allows for a possibly better environment for breaking news coverage.

The move may be seen as restricting bloggers by limiting the stories they may work on, so as not to publish content that is in progress for the print edition.

However, Chris Krewson, the paper's executive editor for online/news mentioned that it is blogging that is the "easiest" method for breaking news coverage. In fact, he pointed out that there was a 700% increase in traffic on Philly.com blogs.

"There's no quicker way to break news than on a blog, and no better way for us to leverage our staffing advantage over other local media. In addition, beat reporters with blogs say the process has helped them cultivate and nurture sources," said Krewson.

Gahran wrote that eventhough it would be "nice" to have news organizations reporting on breaking news, enterprise and feature stories as well as interacting with the community, financial difficulties may not permit that.

Source: Poynter Romenesko

See also:
US: Philadelphia Inquirer managing editor takes "backward step"?

In a memo to his staff Mike Leary, Philadelphia Inquirer's managing editor, announced that the paper would now publish "signature investigative reporting, enterprise, trend stories, news features, and reviews" online only after they have been published in print, but that the paper wouldn't stop publishing immediate breaking news online.

Bloggers may be the ones who have to adapt the most to the new policy, since they may work on content that may "end up as subjects of stories or columns in print first", according to the memo.

"What's long held back the newspaper industry and gotten it in the current mess has been holding back online innovation that might impact the legacy product (print)," said Steve Outing in his blog, after calling the new policy "backward".

In his BuzzMachine blog, Jeff Jarvis criticized the editor's memo, saying that "even the slowest" in the "dying" newspaper industry would not do something like this.

"They know that the Internet is the present and the future and the paper is the past. Protecting the past is no strategy for the future," said Jarvis.

On the other hand, citizen journalist Bill Dennis said, "By offering for free what their would-be competitors would have to offer for a fee, newspapers' free Web sites are an anti-competitive act."

Source: Poynter Romenesko, BuzzMachine, SteveOuting.com

Publishing 2.O's Scott Karp argued in his article "What Newspapers Still Don't Understand About The Web", that online newspaper formats are inhibiting viewers' ability to find the news they want.

His article outlined a simple test that he had completed to support his argument. While a storm hit the Washington area, Karp searched The Washington Post's homepage for information about the storm. But editors, Karp argues, did not find the story worthy of a prominent position on the homepage. Instead Karp found an article about the storm on a list of most viewed articles in the corner of the homepage. Still, the article failed to give Karp the information he sought.

He then decided to use Google. His search included the Washington power service provider called Dominion Power, who had posted maps and information Karp deemed more practical.

He decided to try the Washington Post again only this time he searched further than the homepage. Finally, in the weather section, he found everything his Google search had given him but more: real-time radars, warnings and updates, and even a link back Dominion Power's website.

Karp essentially contends that online newspapers are flawed because they are structured like traditional print newspapers. Online news sites expect users to think and do as they would with the morning paper. Google's design, Karp feels, offers users various websites whose content relates to the specificity of the search. This format appeals to Karp so much that he believes online newspapers should be "just a search box and a list of blogs."
This conclusion is extreme, although it could contribute to the premise behind future newspaper website designs.

What Karp did learn from his experience is that the Washington Post's website is actually an innovative, dual-website; one aimed at national and international readers, the other at local readers. The website reads users' IP addresses and sends users in the Washington area to local site. All users have the option of customizing their experience, making either the national or local version their preferred Washington Post homepage.  

Mark Evans of b5media offered his ideas on why newspapers journalists’ blogging won’t work due to a general lack of passion on the writers’ end.

The recent American Press Institute study “Newspaper Next” had some pressing news for the newspaper industry: local information should be an immediate priority. The fact is, countless regional papers have dragged their feet when it comes to developing vibrant local hubs.  With the threat of larger players hinging in on local markets, are papers too late to develop their sites?

Although market shares of free newspapers are growing in almost every newspaper market, the impact on paid circulation is yet unclear.