Results matching “print and online news”

FollowTheMedia.com's Philip Stone suggests that it media outlets may benefit from holding back web content either by waiting until after it is published or broadcast in traditional media or making people pay for "the really 'good' stuff". In response, The Guardian's Roy Greenslade thinks that Stone has "fallen into the that trap of seeing journalism only in business terms", assuming that unless news get advertising revenue and make a profit, there is no "commercial sense" to diffuse them.

 

Philip M. Stone confronts a problem in his column for FollowTheMedia.com, the problem of the additional digital revenue earned from news web sites not covering the analog dollars lost by print products. Stone considers a solution: he advocates running additional web sites that have nothing to do with news but that can attract the real masses and hopefully new advertisers - such as social networking sites for the local community? This is what Mecom are doing.

David Montgomery, Mecom executive chairman, is convinced that newspaper companies need to make more than just the price of a newspaper from its readers.

"We are launching new websites at a rate of one a week," Montgomery said as his company announced disappointing results for the first half of the year. "A single copy of a newspaper per customer is no longer adequate. We have got to provide media in as many different forms as possible"

Source: FollowtheMedia.com

As more UK newspapers get rid of sub-editors for print and online editions, the status of subs as a "luxury" is being debated. The Diary of a Wordsmith blog wrote that not only do subs correct typos and punctuation mistakes in an article, but that they are important legal assets.

"Quite apart from the problems arising when you try to edit your own work, many journalists do not write great English (and rely on the subs desk to do rewrites) and most do not have the comprehensive understanding of media law that subs do, but have only a limited working knowledge of libel law," wrote Wordsmith.

"As news becomes collaborative, editors will need to assemble networks from among staff and the public; that makes them community organisers. I also believe editors should play educator, helping to improve the work of the network," wrote Jeff Jarvis in his BuzzMachine blog.

Source: The Guardian, Diary of a Wordsmith, BuzzMachine

The biennial Pew Research Center has revealed in its report that Yahoo, MSN and CNN are the three most popular web news destinations.

Traditional media brands are still favoured, including the New Yorker, The Atlantic and the BBC, the Pew survey of 3,600 adults found. But only 47% watch TV news on an average day.

Users gave many of the leading mainstream media websites low credibility ratings. Only 6% said the Huffington Post was very highly credible and just 13% said the same of Google News, which aggregates news from mainstream news organisations.

The report presents a picture of a steady decline in the US newspaper industry, with the percentage of Americans who regularly read print titles falling from 58% in 1993 to 34% in 2008.

"For more than a decade, the audiences for most traditional news sources have steadily declined, as the number of people getting news online has surged," said the Pew report.

15% of Americans have a smart phone, such as an iPhone or a Blackberry. More than a third of the owners of these devices (37%) say they get news from their phones.

The report highlights the changing news audiences, describing 13% of the US public as "net newsers" - web users under 35 who read more political blogs than watch national news coverage, rely heavily on web-based news during the day and are interested in technology and technology news.

Net newsers are generally wealthy and 80% are graduates, making them a highly desirable demographic for advertisers.

The research also found that the proportion of young people in the US getting no daily news has increased from 25% in 1998 to 34%, with only 10% of people using social networking sites for their news.

Source: Guardian.co.uk and Pew Research Center

Even though the Internet is becoming increasingly popular as a news source as Americans move away from print newspapers, television is still the most popular news media.

Younger people prefer to get their news online whereas older people consult traditional news sources such as TV and papers, according to data from the Pew Research Center.

There is "a sizable group of more engaged, sophisticated and well-off people that uses both traditional and online sources to get its news" and that accounts for 23% of respondents who spend the most time with news, reported the European Journalism Centre (EJC).

Nearly half of those surveyed rely heavily on TV, being the "oldest" with an average age of 52 and "least affluent", with 43% of the group being unemployed, reported the EJC.

The group that is most dependent on online news outlets is the youngest, with an average age of 35, and the least numerous, accounting for 13% of respondents.

Source: European Journalism Centre

A memo sent to the staff at the Philadelphia Inquirer explained that the paper should try to cover as much breaking news online as possible, especially if the content is something that readers can get elsewhere or "that benefits from the strengths of the Web", reported Poynter.org.

"Our goal is to publish our content in our products in a thoughtful way. Use our powerful Web site for its reach, immediacy, ability to connect readers with each other and ability to build deep packages," read the memo.

The paper's managing editor recently announced a new policy whereby articles are not to be published online before they have been published in print, a move that some called "backward".

The memo pointed out that the stories that should be put online include:

-Plenty of breaking news
-Competitive stories that other media outlets may be reporting on
-Stories/reviews that may help plan readers' weekends, such as movie or theatre reviews
-Reviews of events that may "end too late for the print editions", e.g. films, concerts, sports

The memo also mentioned that content that should appear simultaneously online and in print is:

-Columns that readers enjoy even if they may not contain breaking news
-Exclusive stories
-Feature stories that don't have a competitive need to be published online first

Source: Poynter Romenesko

See also:

US: Philadelphia Inquirer managing editor takes "backward step"?
US: Response to Philadelphia Inquirer's new online policy

UK newspapers The Express & Star and Shropshire Star launched mobile editions of their sites, with the focus being put on news and sports content.  The mobile site will be updated throughout the day so as to provide breaking news stories.

MNA Digital, the publisher's online division, and Wapple, a mobile technology company based in Bromsgrove, developed the sites. According to MNA, the mobile versions are meant to "complement the existing print and online products".

The sites support images and text, and readers are allowed to comment on articles, reported Journalism.co.uk.

"Print customers are used to being able to take their MNA newspaper anywhere, now the digital audience can access content on the move," said David Ratcliffe, MNA's head of digital, to explain the popularity of MNA sites.

The Express & Star site had 380,000 unique users and 6.6 million pageviews in June. Meanwhile, the Shropshire Star attained 120,000 unique users and 2 million pageviews.

Source: Journalism.co.uk

According to photographer Maggie Steber, former director of photography at The Miami Herald, the problem with newspapers, especially in the US, is that photojournalists think in a manner that is "formatted and formulaic", which may not correspond to today's world. The answer may be to use strong imagery to help newspapers that may be struggling.

"We live in a visual culture, audiences are sophisticated, and images can be more complicated, less traditional. Photography has changed, progressed, explored. Newspaper photography has not kept pace. Evocative, telling, forceful images can help prolong the life of newspapers, both print and online," said Steber.

She mentioned that numerous papers use photos that are "banal" and "repetitive", encouraging photojournalists to be "brave" and "smart".
 
She pointed out that agreement between designers, art directors and photographers is important and that brainstorming involving the photographer or photo editor should be a habitual newsroom activity.

Source: Garcia Media through IFRA Executive News Service
 

Singapore newspaper The Straits Times (ST) revealed its print and digital makeover last Friday. The revamped print version features some changes in fonts and colors as well as an increased amount of top news on the front page. The redesigned website features a division of www.straitstimes.com into a paid service ST Digital and the free ST Breaking News.   

This week, the print edition will change the days that the sections "Digital Life", "Mind Your Body" and "Urban" are printed to Wednesday, Thursday and Friday respectively.

Like the US paper the Philadephia Inquirer, the ST is putting more focus on covering breaking news online. ST Breaking News will include breaking news coverage and news blogs, and the readers would have the ability to comment and interact with the reporters. The paid subscription service ST Digital will provide users with e-papers.

ST also announced the launch of the ST Razor TV, a free interactive online TV feature that offers live news programs, video on demand and a space for users to interact and communicate.

The paper plans to raise circulation until the end of August by providing 10,000 additional copies daily to unsubscribed households and coffeeshops.

Source: Publicitas

See also:
Singapore: The Straits Times should focus on "sponge" readers
US: Philadelphia Inquirer managng editor takes "backward" step?
US: Response to Philadelphia Inquirer's new online policy

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"?

The long-standing journalism magazine, Press Gazette, will no longer publish weekly. The 43 year-old magazine is going monthly from 28 August.

Press Gazette and Guardian.co.uk report that Wilmington Group, Press Gazette's owner, will be formally announcing the change later in the day.

Breaking news will appear on the website and the new magazine will contain interviews and features.

The option of going exclusively online has been rejected for the moment. Wilmington Group is keen to ensure the future of the British Press Awards, the main money spinner for the title, by maintaining a year round presence in print and online.

Management have entered a consultation period with Press Gazette staff.

Source: Press Gazette and Guardian.co.uk

An interesting and growing market has opened up for newspapers with online editions in Africa: the expat reader looking for news about home from a familiar news source. The print version of newspapers remains paramount in Africa in terms of readership and revenue, but newspaper organizations are waking up to this new medium's potential.

When Kenya's Daily Nation launched its website a decade ago, it had a clear vision. The country's leading newspaper recognised that the 1.8 million Kenyans living abroad had little access to news from home, and that an online edition would have mass appeal to the increasing number of ex-pats who hungered for news. This is something that editors and publishers across Africa should bare in mind: the International Labour Organisation estimates there are some 7.1 million Africans living outside their home country. The number is rising rapidly and by 2025 could climb to one in ten, the IOM predicts.

The Editors Weblog spoke with the Daily Nation's managing editor of special projects, Macharia Gaitho, about his newspapers online edition and he said: "We wanted to extend the paper's audience beyond Kenya's geographic borders to deepen the paper's voice and authority, while also offering a service to the growing Kenyan diaspora." The website was launched formally in October 1998 with a dedicated team, following trials the previous year just before the Kenyan general election.

This service goes back to the very foundation of what newspapers are all about, they are not only providing a news service, they are also serving their communities, even the members of it who have moved away.

The fact that the online edition is very reflective of the print edition is a pull to the expat community who will immediately have the emotional response of recognition and thus feel "familiar" with the web version from their first visit, this familiarity will likely encourage return visitors. As one of the most trusted news organization on the African continent, it would already be a first port of call for expats looking for news from home, but with its easily navigable site, clear graphics, photographs, video footage and with a style that echoes the print version, they have cleverly tapped into the expat market.

Gaitho, who describes the Daily Nation website as the "recognized go-to place online for news on Kenya" said it was important that the web edition reflected the "Nation's look and feel."

The Daily Nation site has recently undergone a revamp and the new-look site achieved 50,000 unique visitors daily in its first week after the launch. The previous version averaged 80,000 unique visitors daily. Explaining this disparity in visitors, Gaitho said: "Because of faster download speeds and improved features, we project the new one will surpass 80k".
 
However, some news organisations in Kenya have been slow to see the potential of this new market and only have a web version as a nod to this evolving technology without fully engaging with the medium. Dr George Ogola at the University of Lancashire says that in Kenya, "The element of interactivity, the very essence of 'experiencing' news online remains unexploited." He believes that news organisations need to recognise that with the advent of online news, the relationship between the reader and the newspaper has been altered.

The appeal of ex-pat readers is therefore another attraction for African newspapers to consider when they lead the charge to online editions, not only for editors looking to boost their news organizations readership and to keep their media house relevant, but also to appeal to advertisers such as Western Union who wish to reach the expat audience. It is as a result now mandatory for any newspaper in Africa to have an online edition.

The Editors Weblog spoke to the Directeur de Publications at Le Jour in Cameroon, Haman Mana, about his thoughts on this issue. Recently launched newspaper Le Jour is a particularly interesting case, as they chose to launch the print and online version at the same time on the 17 September 2007. This decision underscores how online media is growing in importance in Africa, even though print still creates more revenue and attracts a larger readership. When I asked Mana about his thinking behind this decision, he said bluntly, "It is inconceivable for any Cameroonian newspaper that wants to be taken seriously not to have an online edition."



Mana agreed with Gaitho on how it is important that the online edition mirror the newspaper, saying, "The design was an important step for us, because we wanted to keep the spirit of the print edition." Mana reports that a significant portion of Le Jour's online readership is also made up of the Cameroon disapora. He also highlighted how having an online edition is simply good publicity for a newspapers brand, he said the web version has opened up a world of markets to Le Jour and, "it permits us to have a global presence and visibility."

It is therefore clear that the expat reader opens up a whole new market of readers and revenue to Africa's newspapers. For those organisations that are reticent about connecting with the web, they need to be aware they are ignoring a growing market waiting to be exploited. The African web news market is already jostling with competitors, so if they do not leap now, they could miss out completely.

Sources: AllAfrica.com, Business Daily, International Labour Organisation, Daily Nation, Le Jour

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