Mark Potts, author of the Recovering Journalist blog, recently wrote about the ten changes he thinks newspapers need to make to thrive. What follows is an edited transcript of his post:

What would you do if you ran a newspaper?

Somebody asked me that question recently, and it made me pull together some of the thoughts I've had recently about the problems that newspapers are having and what they might do to pull out of their current spiral. This is hardly a complete list, but here's a 10-point prescription for ailing newspapers:

1. Make the Web the primary product.
Stop pasting the newspaper onto a screen. Reorganize the newsroom so that its work appears online as quickly as possible. ... And embrace the technology: news Web sites should be full of Web 2.0 goodness like interactive maps, social networking tools, RSS feeds, distribution to mobile devices, etc. Use the medium to its fullest.

2. Local, local, LOCAL!
There are a zillion places to get national and international news, in real time. But newspapers are virtually the only source of truly local news. ... Local news is the last unique franchise that newspapers own, and too many newspapers don't seem to understand this. ... (Why do you think local community newspapers are thriving when big metro dailies are shedding circulation?)

3. If it's widely available elsewhere, don't waste time re-creating it.
Does every newspaper really need its own movie critic? A TV critic? ... Book reviews? Stories from Washington that the AP already has? ... the answer is unequivocably no. Those resources are just wastd.

4. Zero-base the news operation.
Pretend you're starting from scratch. Look at everything that's in the paper and ask tough questions about whether it's still necessary in an age when readers have multiple sources of news and information.

5. Get the readers involved.
As Dan Gillmor has elegantly argued, the audience knows more than news people do. Much more. Tap that knowledge by encouraging reader participation in as many ways as possible: contributing news and information about their communities, sending in photos and videos, commenting on everything. This can't be a token effort, and you absolutely cannot be scared or controlling about it: let the readers get involved at every opportunity. It will greatly improve the product and increase readership.

6. Lose the editorial page.
Unsigned editorials are a relic of a bygone era when newspaper barons exerted power in their community... Here's a thought: Replace it with reader opinions!

7. Expand the advertising base.
In any market, there are thousands of small advertisers that would never consider advertising in the big local newspaper. It's too expensive and covers too broad an area. But those advertisers want to reach the same people the newspaper does. Find a way to make this happen: more focused zoning, cheaper ads, ad rep pay structures that encourage selling to smaller advertisers. This is another area where community papers are running rings around big dailies.

8. Rethink the classifieds.
Craigslist, Monster.com and countless other news competitors have decimated the newspaper classifieds business. ... Anybody who's used craigslist knows how much more effective it is than paid newspaper classifieds. Look hard at your classifieds ... Yes, that may include shifting most of the classifieds online and giving them away for free, in order to keep the critical mass of classifieds that makes them useful.

9. Find new ways to serve advertisers.
What newspapers offer advertisers--display ads, classifieds--really hasn't changed much in a century. Look for ways to change that. Get into the Yellow Pages directory business online. Aggressively offer contextual advertising. Use idle newspaper delivery resources to help local businesses with their delivery needs. Use subscription lists to help businesses find customer leads. Explore interactive advertising forms that go way beyond boring banner ads. Offer data services to help businesses manage their inventories or sell things online. It's not enough to simply sell space in the paper or on the Web site. Help advertisers make their businesses more successful.

10. Take chances. Innovate. Be fearless about trying things--and killing things.
...A wise editor once said to me, there's virtually no history of research and development in the newspaper business, which is odd considering that covering the news is a daily act of research and development. Let's face it: The single biggest innovation in print newspaper journalism in the past decade or so is...Sudoku. Newspapers can and must do better than that to survive.

Source: Recovering Journalist

In the past three years, the Los Angeles Times has increased its blogs from 3 to 42 and according to the Times, they are seen as "an increasingly important way to report the news." In June, it added six more blogs.

Meredith Artley, Times executive editor of interactive, said that blogs are the "center of gravity" for original journalism on latimes.com. They "allow minute-by-minute reporting by staffers, as well as comments from readers", reported the Times blog, Readers' Representative Journal.

Although two blogs (Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Emerald City's Siel) were recently taken out, new ones are constantly added, like Countdown to Crawford, about the Bush administration's last few months, and the Olympic-focused Ticket to Beijing.

According to Artley, some blogs have become nearly as important as the newspaper section on the website, such as the newly launched Technology blog.

"Before the Technology blog, readers would come to www.latimes.com/technology and see a page dominated with links to our articles. Visitors to that page now see the blog, which is an up-to-date conversation, in addition to all the articles written for the website and the newspaper," Artley said.

The Times pointed out how important the reader responses may be, especially when it came to blogs, which is why it created the Comment Blog to receive readers' opinions.

The Times plans to add even more blogs in the next few months.

Source: Los Angeles Times

See also:

US: Greenslade to print journalists: Embrace the blog revolution
US: L.A. Times launches blog from column: "...Soon our blogs will be the backbone of the paper."

In an interview with Mario R. Garcia, Richard Curtis described USA Today's current use of color and white space as improved having a more "upscale" feel, compared to the color scheme of its launch 25 years ago.

He said that when the newspaper was launched in 1982, it used so much color in a somewhat reckless manner because it "could" - and because it seemed like a good marketing strategy.



Initially the fronts of the Money, Life and Sports sections were cyan, because the newspaper was printed in multiple location and it was hard to have print sites with identical color capabilities and press configurations.

Over twenty years ago, USA Today was a maximum 48 pages long, with 16 pages in color. Today it is 60 pages long with 20 pages in color.

To achieve this, the paper has adopted the "less ink" scheme, which Curtis said "meant less black but also less color and certainly less gratuitous color." The palette itself is more "subdued" than in the 1980's.

Curtis also pointed out that they seldom add color tints to boxed text and that they decreased the black horizontal rules.

Although this metamorphosis might have decreased the amount of "impulse buys" of the paper, it did give the paper a "more upscale appearance with a more serious approach to displaying the news."

USA Today remains the most-widely circulated daily newspaper in the US.

Source: garciamedia.com through IFRA Executive News Service

There is ongoing debate about the credibility of celebrity news and their utility, especially as some major news organizations recently upped their celebrity coverage (think of Associated Press and Britney Spears). At the Future of Journalism conference organized by the Guardian was brought forth the idea that "celebrity is a cultural currency that fulfils a role."

Understanding the way why celebrity news are of importance seems to be hard for some, especially when teamed with paparazzi photos and gossip. Meanwhile, others, like Popbitch Camilla Wright creator , accept it to be a "defining part of our culture that won't go away."

Mo Tkacik, feature editor of the "girly" Jezebel blog, showed disbelief over the way that photos of celebrities like Britney could be printed with ludicrous titles.

Like with 'hard' news, newspapers and web sites are facing the question of whether they should publish a celebrity article or not, keeping in mind that publishing it might get them more readers.

"The rule is we follow not who they are but what they have done. They shouldn't just appear because they are famous, but if they say something funny or interesting. It's a qualitative judgment," said Hugh Muir, the Guardian's diary writer.

Muir also added that she wished that people who read the Guardian would be "interested in the whole spectrum of life-not just politicians."

According to Wright, people are still interested in celebrity news but the format in which they are presented changes.

James Robinson, editor of Observer, mentioned Daily Mail's strategy of publishing articles online that are different from the print version. That site has brought a significant number of traffic through its celebrity photo gallery. Wright said some sites have "complex routes" to these galleries, which may discourage viewers.

Marina Hyde, the Guardian's columnist, thinks that "journalists have become lazy" and that the best stories are those that require "getting out and digging" and not solely going to events planned by publicists.

Readers are worried that their newspaper will feature more show business articles than issues like Darfur or China. The Guardian writes that even if "academics" read the paper, they "might be just as guilty of a sneaky five minutes" about the latest Brangelina update.

As Chicago Tribune's Tim McNulty recently said, "For features, I want reviews and criticism and real substance but also utility." Like Tkacik, most editors however, seem to share the view that "there's no utility" to celebrities.

In a world where newspapers are getting shorter, the question of celebrity news is conflict-ridden.

Source: The Guardian

According to award-winning newspaper designer Mario R. Garcia, fewer sections and decreased length may actually be an answer for weekday dailies - contradicting conventional editorial and reader wisdom.

Per Andersson-Ek, associate editor of the Göteborgs Posten, said that the paper's decision to shorten from a four-section to a three-section daily in 1994 proved to be successful, as readers reacted by saying it became a "more handy, structured and easily navigated newspaper, covering more of today´s topics and talk of the town".

Sam Zell, the chairman and chief executive of Tribune Co., declared that "500 pages of news" would be trimmed weekly from the company's dozen papers in order to have a paper divided "50-50 between news content and ads."

Such statements have in effect caused editors and readers to be concerned with the risks of decreased editorial quality. A Chicago Tribune reader  posted on the chicagotribune.com comment board that she was concerned that "reducing the size of the newspaper might mean eliminating news and favoring more stories about R. Kelly and less about Tibet or Darfur."

But according to Garcia, "talented editors" are required for the task of thinning newspapers. Timothy McNulty, Chicago Tribune's public editor, says that one of the most difficult tasks for journalists today is to be able to adapt to changes in economy without losing traditions.

"I am convinced the newspaper of the next ten years will have fewer pages, published in a more compact format, with much greater coordination between online/print offerings, a more substantial local coverage, and with a design that emphasizes good navigation, clear hierarchy and service," wrote Garcia.

Source: Garciamedia.com

The Times, a daily expansion of South Africa's weekly The Sunday Times, celebrated yesterday a successful first year. BizCommunity.com reports the paper has exceeded its expectations, cultivating a readership of 340,000, and increasing traffic to its website by 117 percent.

The Times' operation has been a bold one from the start. Its integrated newsroom, which merges digital and print operations, is still a developing model. The paper has also had to cope with a diminished online market due to South Africa's nascent Internet. Overcoming this adversity makes The Times' success all the more remarkable, says editor Ray Hartley.

"In our first year of operation, not only have we boldly catapulted the company into a new media era but also succeeded as a new South African daily newspaper where many others have failed," Hartley said.

Click here to check out Hartley's blog, which documents The Times' launch.

Source: BizCommunity.com through IFRA

Elin Olofsson, News Editor at the Swedish Östersund Posten told the audience at the 15th World Editors Forum about how hyperlocal websites with reader blogs are becoming a reality at the ÖP.

In May 2007, Östersund Posten started eight hyperlocal websites called The HeartProject. Apart from hyperlocal news, the paper launched 101 reader blogs which purpose was to increase the number of online visitors and make more room for hyperlocal stories.

Today, one year from the start of the Heartproject, weekly visitors at Östersund Postens local websites have increased by 60%. Olofsson explained how all bloggers write about everyday life, politics, schools, celebrities, etc. They also help to cover local topics. The paper does not pay their contributors and has established a set of rules about what their contributors can and can't write to avoid any racy content. Every week a "Blog story of the week" is published in the print newspaper.

The project has also been a success financially, helping to increase the interest of advertisers. Overall, "The heartproject has created enormous goodwill for our brand," said Olofsson.

More and more newspapers in the UK are attempting to produce live, blog-style coverage. Following the Liverpool Daily Post's blog coverage of its editorial processes, the Lancashire Evening Post streamed live video yesterday, for a feature story on the state of the UK's pub industry.

Featured prominently on the home page, the Post featured live video interviews with customers of The Black Horse pub in Friargate.

The newspaper used technology from live streaming service Qik and shot video footage on an N95 Nokia mobile phone.

Readers were able to submit questions live and add their comments.

For this experiment, three staffers were sent to the pub, including digital editor Martin Hamer, a features writer who produced a story for the print paper, and a journalist who oversaw the camera work.

In the newsroom, a moderator monitored posts and comments by users.

"If this goes well, we can show the rest of the industry that there is potential for live video in the near future," said Hamer.

"With a handful of people over a two hour period, we can produce something that is exciting, dynamic and innovative, but at the same time of great interest to the public."

Until now, newspaper digital editors have remained divided as to the future of live streamed video.

Source: journalism.co.uk

A very significant change at the Los Angeles Times, which will certainly be emulated at an increasing number of newspapers, as the Times has created a new integrated Visual Journalism department.

This move comes as part of the LA Times' print and online integration, as well as the physical integration of its Continuous News Desk and AM Copy Desk.

"Today, we are also creating a fully integrated department in editorial that will serve our site and our newspaper, combining our print photo, Web photo and video operations into one new department: Visual Journalism," said LA Times editor Russ Stanton in a memo to staff.

The combination of the video, print photography and Web photography departments will help the paper deliver multimedia packages more efficiently.

Source: LA Times blog

The twice-weekly Sonoma Index-Tribune in California is to convert to a "hybrid news medium" in the next six to 12 months, after launching an electronic edition in addition to its website.

According to its publisher, the move is motivated both by cost reduction and environmental concerns.

The community newspaper currently offers, in addition to its home-delivered print edition, a subscription e-edition, a paperless "SmartEdition" produced in partnership with NewspaperDirect (which also produces electronic editions for The Washington Post, The Daily Telegraph in the UK or Le Figaro in France).

"We already use recycled newsprint and soy-based ink and recycle every bit of waste we can," said Index-Tribune publisher Bill Lynch.

"We cut back on the number of sections and pages we print and deliver by more than 30%. But the most important change, the one that can really make a difference, is getting our readers to join us in the biggest green revolution in the history of newspapers -- going paperless."

The e-edition already offers a number of useful features, according to Editor&Publisher: subscribers can read their newspapers from PCs and Macs, smart phones and iPhones. Suscribers will have access to up to 90 days worth of previous issues, can listen to news stories thanks to an audio function, and use an "add to my blog" function to reproduce content on their own outlets.

"NewspaperDirect's SmartEdition is loaded with features that will make this transition easier. But we know it will take time for many of our subscribers to get used to it," Lynch added. "The other part of the hybrid model is our Web site, which we will continue to improve as well."

Source: Editor & Publisher through IFRA Executive News Service

Today, The Liverpool Daily Post is giving its online readers a unique chance to peek into the paper's editorial process.

The Post will be running a live blog throughout the whole day, until next morning's edition goes the presses.

Thanks to technology from Bambuser and Qik, the Post's journalists will stream video of themselves via their mobile phones, as they conduct interviews or work in the office.

The day's main editorial conference was also streamed online.

Readers of the live blog can submit ideas for stories and questions for journalists, about editorial decisions, design and more, both for the print and online editions.

"The success of the live blog during our local election coverage proved that our readers enjoy being a part of the newsgathering process, asking questions and sharing information," said Mark Thomas, Liverpool Daily Post editor.

"Now we want to take this a stage further and invite people to get involved in the production of their newspaper."

Congratulations to the Post for this innovative way of engaging the audience in the news process and behind the scenes.

Go take a look!

Source: journalism.co.uk

The New York Post has been slowly shrinking in the past two weeks, reducing from a height of 34 cm. to 30 cm. The smaller paper now appears almost square.

However, the size change has not been implemented with all published copies, and the smaller Posts were only available in certain locations, according to Editor & Publisher.

"Just like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, the NY Post will be making the size of the daily paper slightly smaller effective tomorrow," spokeswoman Suzanne Halpin said in a statement to the New York Times' City Beat blog on April 21.

Although Halpin did not touch on the reason for the reduction, an expert on the field said that such a reduction can save a publication millions of dollars on printing costs, reports Le Monde.

Sources: Editor & Publisher, Le Monde

In this section, John Zogby, CEO of Zogby International, and G