Referring to the notion that "checkbook journalism" rules in Britain, the New York Times ponders whether or not "Fleet Street's freewheeling past has prepared British newspapers better than others for the anything-goes ethos of the web." According to the article written by Eric Pfanner, today's newspaper reporting in Britain is reminiscent of an old-school Fleet Street; the editorial decisions they make and the risks they take, while "not always pretty", help to explain why British newspapers are more successful at scoring scoops despite the fact that word tends to travel quicker online than on paper.

A series of exposés about members of parliaments' expense accounts, followed by the News of the World phone-hacking scandal, were cited as the recent developments that have highlighted the nature of Fleet Street reporting, and led Pfanner to wonder whether British newspapers have been more prepared for the web than their US counterparts. In the United States, bloggers from the Huffington Post, TMZ and The Drudge Report consistently beat traditional sources on breaking news first. For instance, TMZ was the first news source to report on the death of pop legend Michael Jackson less than 20 minutes after the exact time of his death.

UK papers seem to be less concerned with the questionable ethics of paying for stories, especially if it is in the public's best interest. Sure, it doesn't hurt if such stories also proves to boost circulation, as seen in the MPs' expenses account reports which sent papers flying off newsstands. And bloggers are sometimes allies rather than rivals: Pfanner mentions British newspapers' "symbiotic relationship" with bloggers which helps papers to keep a command on the big headlines. It is rumored that some bloggers have sold scoops to papers instead of breaking them themselves. As there are fewer big blogs like HuffPo or Drudge Report in the UK than in the US, it makes sense for a blogger to contact a newspaper to get good coverage for a big story.

This is not always for cash, however. For example, when Conservative blogger Paul Staines unearthed Prime Minister Gordon Brown's emails from an aide to set up a new blog that would belittle the Conservative opposition party, he relayed the message to News Corp. papers, News of the World and The Sunday Times with no monetary reward, he said. In this case, Staines' motivation for spreading the word to the mainstream media was likely to be political. After all, if his motives appeared to be fueled solely by monetary gain, how credible would he look? And clearly, although Staines' blog is of considerable significance to the Conservative crowd, word spreading via The Sunday Times and News of the World would have a greater impact by reaching a larger and more diverse readership, and improve Staines' reputation.

In a time in which newspapers are battling it out with blogs for readers and are tearfully shedding advertisers, the absence of certain staid editorial practices more akin to the US slow-jo world might account for why Tim Luckhurst, journalism professor at the University of Kent and former editor of The Scotsman points out that British journalism has always had more of a resemblance to blogs. Perhaps there is rhyme and reason in the old adage, "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" as print is on its way to becoming a secondary source of news and information.

Source: New York Times