This is perhaps one of the most important findings of the Newsroom Barometer: all the talk about newspapers and news executives being scared of new media, citizen journalism and user-generated content was misplaced.

What best describes your view of free newspapers and their place in your market?

Instead of fearing the competition of citizen journalism, the vast majority of editors welcome it (79%, see question 2). Perhaps more significantly, only 5% of respondents view new media journalism as a threat. More editors than not now consider free papers as ‘real’ newspapers, as part of the transition towards the audience’s changing habits.

Respondents from large newspapers (200k+ circulation) were much less concerned about free papers as a threat (21%), compared to those from smaller papers (<200k: 32%). Large newspapers simply have the resources to fight off free paper competition, or even produce their own version.
Although the free paper model emerged in Norway and Sweden, respondents from Western Europe, which have a long tradition of paid-for dailies, were more likely to view free papers as a threat, 42%, while other world regions welcomed the emergence of freesheets.

What best describes your view of online / new media journalism and its role in your community?

Respondents overwhelmingly viewed online and new media as a welcome addition – 79%, but those with important web traffic (200k+) were much more likely to consider new media welcome – 87% - since much of their audience and revenue is and will be generated by new media, through their online edition.

Papers with no website or smaller web traffic (<200k) were understandably less welcoming of new media, respectively 65% and 77%, because they have less vested interest in new media, and have maybe even suffered from the emergence of alternative news sources.
Surprisingly, respondents from North America, usually portrayed as the biggest proponent of new media, only welcomed new media 71% of the time, as opposed to Western Europe at 85%.

Because of the possibility to interact with readers online, it has been said that: "News is no longer a lecture, it is a conversation" (Dan Gillmor). How do you view the effects of this phenomenon on quality journalism?

As for user-generated content and reader interactivity, the public perception seemed to believe that newspapers were including these features just to play into readers’ new demands, but were secretly lamenting the negative effect these forms would have on journalistic quality. Again, not at all: 74% of respondents (see question 3) think that this evolving relationship with readers and users would be positive for journalistic quality.

Whereas one might think the age of respondents would drastically affect their response, the answers were relatively similar. As expected, respondents younger than 51 were more enthusiastic about the news-as-conversation concept - 76% - but older respondents also approved this vision 70% of the time. A good indication that newspaper editors and executives are open to journalism’s interactive evolution, notwithstanding of their age.
Interestingly, North America and Western Europe, where the news-conversation concept truly emerged, have arguably a more ‘factual-is-professional’ model of quality journalism, since they were less prone to view conversation as positive for quality journalism (respectively 67% and 73%). Asia and South America, emerging markets, had a positive view at 77% and 88% respectively.

In conclusion, newspapers are currently embracing the new media revolution and novel forms of journalism, as editors and news executives open to the idea of free papers, citizen journalism and news as a conversation.


For the full Newsroom Barometer results and commentary plus the complete, analytical guide to the monumental transformations taking place in the newspaper industry, please consult the print or PDF version of Trends in Newsrooms 2007 (http://www.trends-in-newsrooms.org/home.php), released 27th March 2007. From free papers to e-papers, citizen journalism to social media and integrated newsrooms to Internet aggregators, it has everything you need to know to direct your paper towards a multimedia future.

Read part 1 – Nobody has killed the newspaper
Read part 2 - How editors view emerging forms of journalism (free papers, citizen journalism, online journalism and more)
Read part 3 – How editors view their newspaper in 10 years
Read part 4 – Newsroom priorities, threats to editorial independence
Read part 5 – Who participated in the Newsroom Barometer?
Read part 6 – Newsroom Barometer: analysis by John Zogby and comment by Jeff Jarvis