Their responses:

• The industry must rethink the power structure.  Most newspaper businesses are still controlled by the editors on the print side, who do not necessarily understand new media.  These old-school editors are still deeply ingrained in the print mindset and are reluctant to branch out into new media.  One respondent commented that "Allowing print-side editors who have been damagingly slow to the new media dance to continue to run the show and call all the shots makes about as much sense as continuing to keep the operations (print and online) separate."
• Online thinking can be applied to all spokes in the wheel, not just newspapers’ websites.  Workers believe that in order to fully integrate the new media branches of the industry, they must have some input in other areas.  Outing proposes that papers start by allowing brainstorming sessions between new media and other sectors.
• Programming staff should be doubled or tripled.  Papers are skimping in the crucial domain of programming.  As a result, overstretched programmers have trouble completing their routine tasks, let alone advancing online features.  “We have dozens of very cool things that we could be doing that are just sitting in a long waiting line,” griped one employee.
• There is doubt among the ranks that for-pay exclusive content à la Times Select is an effective strategy.  Outing concurs, stating that “There's simply too much available, so easily and free, for it to make sense for most news companies to charge for most of their content.”
• The industry is ignoring important research such as that of the Readership Institute that could facilitate the transition into new media.  In short, papers are making mistakes that can be avoided with a bit of scrutiny.

Outing’s anonymous polling methods unearthed some serious and potentially valuable criticism of the industry.  The main complaints boil down to a continued unwillingness on the part of newspapers to admit the rapid flux toward new media.  Those with clout would do well to take notice.

Source: Editor and Publisher