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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 saturated online news market, newspapers are constantly competing to draw readers to their sites. One of the most effective ways for papers to attract readers is to show up in the top of Google's search rankings. Google engineer Matt Cutts has some simple tips to help sites climb the rankings.

1. Spotlight your search term

Cutts says that putting keywords on your website is imperative. Otherwise, your site will be buried in the rankings

2. Tag

According to Cutts, search results most often show the title and description tags. Good tags will increase your site's visibility.

3. Link back

When reputable sites link back to your site, you gain credibility, and Google bumps you up in its rankings. In fact, all link backs help, not just those from the powerhouses.

4. Blog

A blog enables you to link back to your own site. It also adds a personal level to your site, allowing for interaction between you and your readers.

5. Optimize free tools

Google offers several free tools that can give you a better idea of how to maximize your site's exposure.
 

Source: USA Today

An innovative approach to Olympic coverage is for newspapers to create a whole new site with interactive features. The Toronto Star has launched a new web site on thestar.com containing Web 2.0 tools (TOPS 2.0 platform, or Torstar Open Publishing System) that will cover the 2008 Beijing Summer Games, said a Media in Canada article.

The site will have editorial pieces, photos, videos, a searchable database, live streaming, a blog, a schedule, coverage of the qualifying games as well as stories on life in China. Users will be able to leave comments and export material to their own websites.

Eleven Star reporters will be in Beijing, including some "veteran Olympic correspondents" like Doug Smith and Dave Feschuk. Advertisement on star.com includes HNC's Wellers and The Bay, American Express and Chevrolet.

Other media outlets have taken a similar approach, such as NBC's Olympic coverage on nbcolympics.com.

Source: Media in Canada

Fox Interactive Media, a subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., has launched a social media weather site, Mashable.com's Paul Glazowski reports. FOX Weather Beta is intended to provide users with a comprehensive weather service, offering both global and hyperlocal weather news.

The site's main feature is a prominently displayed interactive map powered by Google Maps. The site also offers users social media tools, such as blogs, forums, and photo-sharing communities.

But will this new take on an old service stick? Glazowski says FOX Weather Beta may be fighting an "uphill battle."

"The site's community structure is somewhat generic and unappealing visually, and some parts...need extra attention," he said.

For a site aiming to reinvent 21st century weather services, FOX Weather Beta's impressive map service, Glazowski says, could be self-defeating, overshadowing the site's social media innovations.

"The map itself operates very well. So well, in fact, that you tend almost to ignore the rest," he said.

Source: Mashable.com through I Want Media

At the fourth session of the 15th World Editors Forum the question of how online editors view user participation in making news was partly answered thanks to a study. Two persons working on this study, called "Guarding open gates:How online editors view user participation in making news", were Steve Paulussen, Senior Researcher at Gent University, Belgium, and Jane B. Singer, Professor at the University of Central Lancashire, UK.

The study was based on analyzing five different news and publishing stages; the first stage being access and observation; second being selection or filtering; third being processing and editing; fourth being distribution and finally the fifth and last stage is that of interpretation.

For the study, editors of 15 newspaper online versions were interviewed. Perhaps the most obvious finding was that user participation tends to take place at the fifth and last stage, interpretation. The newsstory is already written, produced and published before the reader has a say, which usually happens through commenting and giving feedback below the article in a special comment field. The editors of all 15 online newspapers felt this was something necessary and positive.

What is worth pointing out about this kind of participation is that most comments posted did not revolve around hyper-local news but rather "big" news like the war in Iraq, the American election, the Israel-Palestine conflict etc.

As for the first stage, access and observation, editors believe users can contribute as a source, but not actually much more than before. They also thought that most of the news sent by users were "small news", stories from the margins.

The second stage, selection and filtering is the most controversial and journalistically territorial in a sense. From an editor and journalist's view, gatekeeping is still extremely important. It's definitely not the job of the user. Mr Paulussen quoted one of the editors as having said "Gatekeeping has become a dirty word, but it's still our job".

There was mixed answers about the third stage, processing and editing. Some websites like Le Figaro and El País have let users participate in this stage quite alot. El País lets readers publish their blogs and photos on their website and Le Figaro created a special site during the French municipality election where readers could discuss and rate their mayors.
Other websites have not embraced this to the same extent .

Users participating in distribution was quite common and not deemed as negative. Readers can use recommendation tools to rate or tag articles. This could be shown internally on the news site or externally on sites as digg.com.

For the second year, the Newsroom Barometer, a survey organized by Reuters and the World Editors Forum and conducted by Zogby International, was presented at the 15th World Editors Forum conference, being held this year in Göteborg, Sweden. The Barometer is an exclusive international survey designed to give insight into newsroom strategies.
The survey represents newspapers throughout the world including international, national, regional and local papers.

John Zogby, President of Zogby International, USA introduced the study. He announced that two of the most important results found in the survey was that newsrooms today need to train journalists to be multimedia oriented for the approaching dominance of integrated newsrooms.

When asked about the multimedia capabilities of their own newsrooms, 54% of survey respondents said that their newsroom is already integrated. Another 30% said that they will have an integrated newsroom within 5 years. But Zogby pointed out that there is no standard definition of what an integrated newsroom actually is, and that this is a discussion that must occur amongst media executives.

The biggest problem for printed newspapers is the declining readership of young people, especially in United States. Linked to this problem, many young people read their news on the Internet.
Despite the seemingly bad news, the survey shows that 85% of editors-in-chiefs around the world are very or somewhat optimistic about the future of newspapers.

George Brock, chairman and Editor, Saturday TImes, UK answered that today headlines repeat themself. "The challenge for us is the generation shift. Young people have new habits and they are not going to change," said Brock. "If we would deliver more depth it might raise their interest level. It's not only the content that needs to change but it's the way we deliver it as well. Chances are if you deliver on YouTube it will reach it's audience."
Brock also said that there is a new generation of adults that have adopted a new set of tools, and they are not going to change.

The general lesson from the session was that publishers have to develop and intergrate all media. Their job is not only finding the right media on which to tell the story but also finding the right media on which to find the audience.

Speaking at the 14 World Editor Forum, Gregory Piechota from the polish newspaper Gazetta Wyborcza  told the annual Young Reader Roundtable audience about how his paper, together with young readers, saved the river Respuda.

The polish government had decided to build a highway that would go through the river, something that Gazetta wanted to stop. At the same time they had to attract young readers. Gazetta asked readers to show the beauty of the river and publiched the pictures in the newspaper. They were also intewieving young people about their opinion. The next step was to do a free edition of Gazetta only with articles about the river and the environment around. The special edition was given out to young people at a rock music festival. The issue engaged many people and marches around the country started in 20 cities "We organised but people did it for themselves". Young people set a camp in the valley and Gazetta published stories about the river. With help from Gazetta and young readers the river was saved. Gregory Piechotas advice to engage young readers is to look for an issue that is interesting for all generations and give them ideas and tools. Catch them wherever you can!
 

Press freedom in China has relatively loosened in the aftermath of the deadly earthquake in Sichuan, but the government is still heavy handed in directing the coverage.

Taking advantage of their unprecedented access, journalists have been generating a continous stream of updates from the disaster site, using a variety of tools including Twitter (see image). Citizen journalists as well have been active generating news from the province.

"I think we can say right now that Chinese media is reporting the quake with an intensity previously unseen," said David Bandurski, a researcher at the University of Hong Kong's China Media Project.

The openness is particularly striking when compared to the non-coverage of the 1976 Tangshan earthquake, when China's press gave a short announcement that it had occurred and then fell silent.

However, according to AFP, China's journalists are by no means free from government interference. China's top propaganda director, Li Changchun, recently visited the major state-run media outlets "to deliver what appeared to be a stern reminder of the angles the press must take."

"The leadership's more open attitude toward reporting on the disaster so far is a very positive development. But it does not necessarily signal an epic shift in media policy," Bandurski said. Indeed, press repression in China has generally grown worse in the lead up to the Olympics.

Unlike Chinese journalists, foreign journalists have not reported any attempts to curb their coverage, representing what may be attempt to show a degree of openness in light of the Tibet protests.  

Sources: AFP, E-Media Tidbits 

The Editors Weblog is running a series of exclusive interviews about the future of journalism with top editors at leading newspapers around the world. Here is the latest installment with  Emily Bell, Editor-in-Chief of guardian.co.uk in the UK.

View all the interviews in this series here. (including The New York Times, Financial Times, Fairfax Media...)


Questions: "News, journalism, newspapers: same past, different futures?"

- How long do you think you will define your company as a newspaper company or a print company?

We're not doing that already. We changed our names last year from Guardian Newspapers Limited to Guardian News and Media, so we're moving away from defining ourselves as a newspaper company.
But we are still news. We are news-oriented, we are a news media company.

- At this year's World Economic Forum in Davos, a panel of futurists claimed that print newspapers wouldn't exist by 2014. To what extent do you agree with this?

I 100% disagree with that statement. 2014 is so close, of course there will still be print newspapers; it is ridiculous to suggest that. Will there be fewer print newspapers in 2014 in certain parts of Western Europe, the US, etc? Yes, most definitely.

But clearly the futurists in Davos haven't looked at newspaper markets in emerging economies like India, etc. where print products are proliferating. They are increasing faster, in basic circulation and number of titles, than they are declining in markets with more mature print readerships. It's a sweeping and very narrow generalization, which is wrong.

We will definitely have a printed product in 2014. If you said 2024 or 2034, who knows, I would say that's far too far away to guess, and it's possible not. Don't forget Arthur Sulzberger said: "I can conceive of a time when we will no longer produce the print paper." Whether he retracted it or not, it's clearly crossed his mind.

Alan Rusbridger, the editor-in-chief here, said he could foresee a time when we will be mainly a digital company and that we don't have a printed product. He actually said that the last printed presses that we bought would be the last ones that would ever be bought.

- In journalism's multi-centennial history, do you view the emergence of digital journalism as part of the continuity, or as a complete breakaway with previous forms of journalism?

It's a complete break. Not so much what happened with the advent of the Internet, but much more what's happened with various programming protocols since, what you would know as Web 2.0, which is the ability to allow the uploading of information by the local generation.

Flickr, blogs, etc. have completely changed the game, because it means all matter of information is exposed and is available to be manipulated, uploaded, reported on, etc. by a whole set of people who are no longer in control of a distribution bottleneck. Actually, what we were doing ten years ago was exploiting a Web publishing bottleneck, which was that we had the money to have the server space, the rack space, the designers - anybody can do that now.

That's completely different, it's not just another slight development of an existing cycle.

- Do you believe in the increasingly active role of the user in the news process, and is it a threat or an opportunity for professional journalists?

Yes, the participation of users in news is inevitable. It is growing and is welcomed. It is a massive opportunity for professional journalists to enhance what they do. The closer you are, the more authentic you are, and the more knowledgeable you can be, then the more purchase you have with the community that will come to you, tell you things and point to your work in certain areas.
I think if you don't have that, in the future as a journalist, you probably don't have much of a future.

'Threat' is a good thing. It's not so much a threat. Now you've got the news event itself, and an immediate set of breaking news competitors like wire services, the BBC, or SkyNews in the UK.
There's another band of capability roundup, people who are actually experts in the kind of events that are happening and who bring knowledge and insight and can communicate near the professionals - the professionals' job is (still) to communicate the stories and make them relevant and understandable. I don't think that's going away.

But what's happening is that there are now other people who can answer who might not be professional journalists - they might be professionals working in the world that you're writing about. It's Dan Gillmor's phrase, "There's always someone better placed in the story than yourself."
If I'm a media journalist writing about what's going on at the BBC... somebody who's inside the BBC, who's not part of their press operations, could be writing with more authenticity, because I can only ever have the view of the outsider.

However, the person who's inside the BBC might not really have the requisites and right perspective to be able to draw the conclusions that perhaps an outsider might have. So I think there's some kind of a blend of insights and knowledge which skillful and professional journalists ought to be able to meld together.

The threat is journalists not being good enough at that. I think it's entirely healthy that there are specialist bloggers who are pushing journalists to be better at what they do.

- Do you consider the Golden Age of investigative journalism is already past, or just beginning?

I think it's going through a difficult transitory period. The funding now available for people to concentrate for long periods of time on single subject stories, which may or may not come to fruition, has been greatly undermined by the restructuring of professional media.

When I see institutes in the US that are funded specially for investigative journalism, those things are slightly depressing. The idea that news media can't sustain expensive investigative journalism is disappointing.

But it's not all over, there's a vacuum at the moment around serious disclosure. There are not as many (investigative) stories gaining traction, but I think in the future the tools are all there. One of the things that electronic media does is make it harder to hold onto an exclusive, because bits and pieces of the story tend to emerge from all sorts of different sources (ie: the Enron story initially broken by a Time journalist).

Once bits of the story were out there, it gathers momentum much quicker than it used to. So the value of the investigative story, as in keeping it as a brand-defining element, becomes harder and therefore a lot of businesses tend to say, "It's hard for us to keep control of the story, it's even more expensive to dig out, therefore why don't we step down our investment in it."

But there are organizations like ourselves and others such as The New York Times that are absolutely committed to making sure that doesn't happen.

View the other interviews in the Future of Journalism series here.

Source: Emily Bell, editor-in-chief, guardian.co.uk

See yesterday's report on the "China earthquake: Twitter didn't 'beat' the media - it was quicker," which nuances the AFP's report. Here, colleague Robb Montgomery from Visual Editors gives his own vision:

The world had real-time news about China's massive earthquake as victims dashed out "twitter" text messages while it took place, in what was being touted Tuesday as micro-blogging outshining mainstream news.

That is the lead of Glenn Chapman's China Earthquake report for AFP.

Twitter is being used by more media groups both as a channel to distribute breaking news alerts as well as as a way to monitor fluid news events like disasters and elections.

Do you Twitter?

Twitter is a Web service that allows people to post short messages to update their friends about what they are doing - in 140 characters or less. Why would you want to do that? Twitter is geared for mobile and you can read updates and post with your mobile phone, your blog or via Web browser. You can also direct message friends, control your notifications on a friend-by-friend case and much more. To try it for a month is to know it.

Why does this matter?

IM is a method of communication that came from the underground, teenagers. Understand that a generation of teenagers have used their AIM "Away Messages" to update their buddies about what they were doing or where to meet next. Short message updates is a normal dialogue mode for this demo group and Twitter picks up on that behavior and makes the IM practice more practical, and powerful. We read stories now all the time about how younger people get their news from their friends. And when they do, they often get that news through status updates and the passing of Web links. I have dabbled with my Twitter account (Follow me!) over the last six months and have found it to be a useful way to connect with my global community of peers. For example, the most recent posts shown below are from my twitter stream (using a twitter widget that gives me the programming code to place into my post here)

 

Instant, means breaking, mobile means everywhere in the world.

Like AIM (Or any other Instant Message service) Twitter lets you update your 'AWAY MESAGE" or PRESENT STATUS" and invite your inner group of friend to "Follow" you anytime, anywhere. (You can share your micro reports either publicly or privately.) And when big news events happen, the local twitter community instantly become the eyes and ears on the scene. Some people predict Twitter will become the next Facebook phenom. It is fun and has real potential as a source as we start to get more journalists to understand the service and how people are using it. One thing that makes the service extra useful is that Twitter give you tools to put your tweets in your blog or any Web site.

Your blog or news site can post Tweets as well

You don't have to use the service to post micro thoughts as it was designed - you can have your blog feed into your Twitter stream as well. (I use Twitterfeed for this) And, if you wish, you can also get a widget that will show the updates from all the people and blogs who follow your Twitter feed. For example: Here are latest updates ( or "Tweets") from followers in the Visual Editors community.

 

 

Now, if you cruise that list of 'tweets' every now and then, you just might learn something or hear of a breaking news event ahead of everyone else.

So who wants to "Follow me?"