Results matching “not so bad bet”

This week, Editor & Publisher announced its 8th annual, "10 That Do It Right," a top ten not for the top ten best newspapers, but for ten who are doing exceptionally well in one particular aspect - from marketing to online video, investigative journalism to interactive features - "that merits consideration and maybe even emulation by their peers."

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The Journal Sentinel's top leadership is commited to maintianing their 10-person, investigative journalism team, huge for this economic climate.

Carlsbad (N.M.) Current-Argus

The Current-Argus recently implemented a new recruiting strategy for carriers -- recruit people who don't need the job (but will take it on to earn the extra $500-$700 a month). Not only did attrrition drop from almost 20% a month to nearly zero, but the paper is actually saving money.

Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch

The Times-Dispatch holds regular "Public Square" community discussions and have also hosted eight News Roundtables to hear criticism, observations, and recommendations about the paper's coverage. That's on top of the monthly Listening Tour, when Silvestri and other top executives and editors visit one of its 20 core communities to get to better know newsmakers and readers."

USA Today

USA Today's has created a social media site, "Cruise Log." "Everyone can be an author and distribute content easily, but USA Today adds the judgment and guidance that traditional journalists have always provided."

Las Vegas Review-Journal

The Las Vegas paper has launched hugely successful industry-specific job sites. Almost immediately the sites exceeded revenue projections by about 40%, earning about $40,000 a month. They paid for themselves in the first month, said Chelle Bize, the paper's recruitment advertising manager.

The Huntsville (Ala.) Times

Jon Busdeker and Chris Welch, two A&E writes for The Huntsville Times have developed a comedy routine, of sorts. The Wednesday webcast previews the Thursday addition and helps drive print sales.

"Busdeker and Welch perform parodies of Blue Man Group performances, wield mops as swords to preview movies, and exchange white-trash talking with actors from "The American Trailer Park Musical."

Portsmouth (N.H.) Herald

The Herald recently introduced The Daily Beachcomber, a free tabloid for the Hampton beach season. Hampton's beaches are a big market between the end of the school year and Labor Day. As many as 120,000 show up on a good day; the free paper has turned a 28% profit margin.

Chicago Journal.

"'It's a mix of hard news reporting, a little boosterism, some editorial leadership, some calling people out,' Dan Haley, the paper's founder explained. 'We're not apart from the community, we don't hold ourselves apart or above [it].'"

Haley founded the Journal to provide a voice and shape the identity of the inner-city community that was establishing itself in Chicago.

The Times, Ottawa, Ill.

"Starting a newspaper subscriber loyalty program is a no-brainer. Unfortunately, that's often as much brain power as many papers invest in creating and operating the program." The Times established a unique rewards program that actually works.

Santa Barbara (Calif.) Independent

When newsroom conflicts at the rival News-Press left the Santa Barbara community looking for a new news source, the Indepdendent stepped in. "Since the summer of 2006... the News-Press has slipped in daily circulation to 35,000, while the Independent's audited pickup every Thursday is 40,000."

Source: Editor & Publisher

With the rapid development of new media platforms, newspapers have been at the forefront of pushing through innovative and easily accessible products to satisfy their consumers thirst for twenty-four hour news. This is undoubtedly an exciting time for the newspaper industry, but how do reporters and editors on the ground feel about the changes happening in their industry?

Facts

The National Union of Journalists' survey on this issue in the UK makes stark reading: the introduction of new media has increased the workload for 75% of union members and 16% have received no training at all in new media. Reports have also emerged of journalists who routinely completed three print edition stories a day who are now being asked to provide three multi-media stories a day, with video footage and podcasts. One reporter said: "You would need to be an octopus to be able to do everything they want doing."

Positive Feedback

The survey results are worrying, however, I spoke to sub-editors and received positive feedback about the changes in the industry. Karl Smith, a sub-editor at the Daily Telegraph in the UK - a newspaper that has radically overhauled its newsroom in response to media innovations - who focuses on the print edition, told me that the change has increased dialogue between staff members and that he was comfortable with the changes.

Smith said: "Having the hub in the centre of the office makes the news conferences seem a lot less exclusive than if (as elsewhere) they're in a corner office. The web staff are right next to the print people as well - rather than off in a Siberian corner - making you permanently aware of the web product, even if you're not directly involved in it."

Andrew Higton, a sub-editor at the Daily Mirror in the UK, agreed with Smith's positive feedback. He said that the shift has involved a change in culture but that he has adapted well: he now thinks "print" and  "web" and keeps them quite separate.

Communication is key

I spoke to Mike Van Niekerk, Editor-In-Chief, Online, Fairfax Media in Australia about how he managed his team during the integration process. He spoke bluntly about the difficulties that the company faced in the early days, stating: "About eight years ago, when we introduced online video reporting at theage.com.au and wanted to piggyback on our print entertainment reporters interviewing movie celebrities there was a strong negative reaction. Print staff stopped work for a meeting to reject this approach, and any integration with online in the newsroom. One newsroom leader said, "If I had wanted to go into the TV business I would have joined a television station, not a newspaper"."

Reflecting on these times, Van Niekerk said: "It was entirely our fault for not introducing the changes through proper consultation and explanation, for dealing with the fears - some justified - and misunderstandings of our colleagues."

Lawrence Shaw, an NUJ representative dealing with new media, told me that how media companies are handling their staff through these changes is, "a real issue for the NUJ".  He said: "It is still unfortunate that in many places changes come from on-high with little consultation with staff..."

The lack of communication is not the only problem.

Drop in Standards

A drop in standards brought about by a rush to embrace the new technology is another concerning development at some media organisations. A local newspaper reporter in the North of England reports that he was given a camcorder, told to go into the office broom cupboard, drape some material behind him and simply read his article out straight to camera. Such reports indicate that some media organisations are perhaps missing the point. This new technology can make the news come alive, but it is pointless to use it unless it really contributes to the story.

Moving Forward

I asked Van Niekerk how Fairfax moved past their initial problems, he said: "The most important part of the process has been more effective communication, which is how it should have been from the beginning."

Fairfax Media also utilized the Unions as a method to communicate with their staff.  In 2007, "the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance began to take a fairly pro-active approach to understanding and dealing with the changes. The company's journalists as a whole are now more engaged and finding the rewards of new skills and new opportunities."

Van Niekerk said that it is an ongoing process and that they are still working on it, however, the lines of communication between the newsroom and Editors are now open.

Shaw argues that it is best to deal with staff concerns upfront rather than allowing bad working practices and resentment to set in.

It seems clear that just as there has been a synergy between online editions and print editions with newspapers, there needs to be a synergy between editors and their newsrooms. Communication and training are quite clearly the key, and if handled correctly, it allows the newsroom to focus on delivering the news.

Source: National Union of Journalists - Shaping the Future

Reetta Meriläinen, editor-in-chief of the Helsingin Sanomat in Helsinki, Finland, will discuss the paper's print and online hyperlocal strategies at the upcoming World Editors Forum in Gothenburg, Sweden, from June 1 to 4.

The Editors Weblog is carrying a few 'teaser' interviews featuring speakers of the upcoming Forum.

Meriläinen's presentation focuses on three essential aspects of hyperlocal news:

- hyperlocal is not only about geographic, but also mental proximity - covering issues that are close to readers' minds:
Newspapers "often think of hyperlocal as just a geographic term but it isn't just that," she said. Instead, "We are here to serve people and to try help them in their everyday life."
For example, if there's a problem with city traffic or issues about daycare, the Helsingin encourages people to voice their concerns and submit questions, such as "How to find daycare for my children." These questions are then forwarded to the mayor's office, daycare facilities, and any relevant policy group. The Helsingin also creates many forums to connect people around those issues.

- focus on hyperlocal news to build a community:
A soft news story with local focus can help build a strong community of readers, as was the case when the Helsingin wrote about Bubi, the owl that landed on the goalpost during a local football game - and stayed to watch the game.
Helsingin Sanomat's website features its own local service site, "Oma kaupunki," which means "my own city." This section of the site combines local and hyperlocal news, with reader services and forums. In effect, it's perfect for local search, both for news and as a local guide, according to Meriläinen. In the future, the Helsingin plans to open this platform to user-generated content.

- hyperlocal means moving from virtual encounters to real encounters:
Last summer, the Helsingin led a print and online campaign to restore the Kaisaniemi park in Helsinki, which was dangerous and badly kept. The paper encouraged people to find ideas for the park and submit them. It also organized events "to keep the park alive," including a fun fair, complete with stands, balloons, food and games, and a panel discussion about the issues. Whereas the paper expected between 1,000 and 2,000 people, a massive 5,000 showed up. This event helped to build a real relationship amongst the community, and the ideas that emerged during the whole campaign were sent to the municipal county. There are now plans for improvement of the park.

Reetta Meriläinen, editor-in-chief of the Helsingin Sanomat in Helsinki, Finland, will discuss in detail the paper's print and online hyperlocal strategies at the upcoming World Editors Forum in Gothenburg, Sweden, from June 1 to 4.

For its relaunch, the Editors Weblog is running a series of exclusive interviews with some top editors at leading newspapers around the world about the future of journalism. We kick off the series with Jim Brady, Executive Editor of Washingtonpost.com.

The list of upcoming interviews will be updated as they are published (click here to view all interviews in this series). Among the other titles that have been asked to participate in these interviews are:

- The New York Times - Jonathan Landman (US)
- Financial Times (UK)
- Guardian (UK)
- Washington Post - Jim Brady (US)
- Globe & Mail - Ed Greenspon (Canada)
- The Times (UK)
- The Economist (UK)
- Gazeta Wyborcza - Jaroslaw Kurski (Poland)
- Le Monde (France)
- Die Welt (Germany)
- The Hindustan Times - Pankaj Paul (India)
- Asahi Shimbun (Japan)
- JoongAng Ilbo (South Korea)
- The Age / Fairfax - Mike van Niekerk (Australia)
- The Nation - Pana Janviroj (Thailand)
- Punch (Nigeria)
- El Tiempo (Colombia)
- Clarin (Argentina)
- Gulf News - Abdul Hamid Ahmad (UAE)


"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?

To be honest, I don t think the company defines itself that way anymore. The Washington Post company made a statement about 3 months ago saying it was rebranding itself as a media and education company, since the Education division is now a bigger revenue-maker. Even within the newspaper division, which is still called 'newspaper', there is the website and the print product. There was another change last week to rename the company 'Washington Post Media'. WPNI and the print Washington Post are still separate subsidiaries within Washington Post Media.

- 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?

Statements that broad are bound to be wrong. The Washington Post will absolutely exist in 2012, as will other big newspapers like The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. I do think you're already seeing midsized and smaller papers deciding to go the Web-only route. If you look at current online revenues, all newspaper companies are still struggling to make money on the Web. But since the publishing costs online are microscopic compared to print, and with newsprint costs going up many newspapers are figuring they can save a lot of money by going online-only.

Again, such a broad statement is absolutely wrong. But there will be a lot of newspapers in the next 5 years that go web-only, in the US at least.

- 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?

I think it's part of the continuity. New forms of delivery come up and previously existing forms need to adapt to these changes. There are now new forms of journalism and storytelling through video, picture galleries, databases and more. It's just a different way to deliver information. But in the past print, TV and radio have all figured out how to adapt and reposition themselves when new channels have emerged. Digital neither compromises nor changes the standards for journalism.

- 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?

It's an opportunity. You can want to be a journalist to do the craft, but there is also an element of public trust in the mission. One of those two words is 'public'. We are in a position to allow the public in the process a little bit, so I don t see how that can be a bad thing. In some cases the interaction is a little nasty and confrontational, but I don't see how this interaction can be bad. All things have to be explored, and have to be collected. In the future, we will have both professionals and readers who can contribute to the newspaper. There is a distinction between both and it is important that the distinction remains, but engaging the audience is crucial to our success.

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

Two ways to answer that: if you look at how newspapers staff investigative journalism nowadays, there is lot to worry about. Investigative journalism is considered like a luxury they can't afford to have. The Post has an investigative unit and I can't see that going anytime soon. But, coming back to the previous question, if journalists allow readers, not to investigate for them, but to help them flag and acquire easily accessible information, it makes investigative journalism easier to do than it was fifteen years ago, when the journalists had to make dozens of phone calls and go down to the public library. The ability of readers to participate in collecting the sheer amount of information can help investigative journalism.

The key is matching enough journalists working to the readers to take advantage of all the information out there. Once we figure out the sticky question of revenue models for the web, hopefully there'll be a building back up of newsrooms, as well as for the investigative staff, that have suffered in past 5 years.

User comments are becoming more and more popular on online news sites. Even the NY Times is now allowing moderated comments on selected articles. However, do these comments have a place in controversial breaking news stories?

Le Monde’s print and online teams are non-integrated, and it’s only this year that the paper began mapping out a concrete plan to further collaboration – not integration. Yet this relative ‘belatedness’ doesn’t prevent Le Monde and LeMonde.fr from being considered by many as the French quality newspaper of record, and being second among national news sites for time spent and first for number of unique visitors. Why isn't Le Monde integrated? How does it keep both operations running smoothly? The Weblog interviewed Alexis Delcambre, editor of LeMonde.fr, and Philippe Le Coeur, who coordinates the relationship between print and online.

Africans need to help themselves to achieve transparent, comprehensive reporting, was the conclusion of “Reporting Africa for Africans and the world”, a debate at the 14th World Editors Forum today.

TimesofOman.com is the leading English-language news portal in Oman. The print newsroom counts 30 staffers, whereas the online version only counts three. The website, which was re-launched in November 2006, receives on average 80,000 views per day. Cariappa A A, web editor of Times of Oman, explains how such a small team can put up a quality website daily, through efficient time management and adapted content.

In this era of reader interactivity, user-generated content, self-regulated news and exponential bloggerism, everybody – including newspapers – seems to have fallen for the craze. So what about the negatives of this revolution?

‘The last issue of the New York Times’ was published by Italian daily La Stampa deputy editor Vittorio Sabadin on January 19. Two weeks later the book was sold out.

Sabadin retraces the history of the challenges that newspapers have faced in the last 30 years, and their responses. The author provides the reader with working solutions and with the reasons for their success. He comes to a conclusion that is rather surprising when worded by a journalist:  “It is not a tragedy if the printed newspaper dies; what needs to be saved and will last is good journalism”.

Editorsweblog brings you Sabadin’s most relevant insights.

Former Economist journalist and current Wired editor Chris Anderson has released his long awaited book about the new online economy entitled "The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More." The book's main theme is that mainstream hits will fade in importance while niche content gains through the choice that the Internet provides; exactly the reason why the long tail does not apply to newspapers.

Online newspaper advertising may be growing in leaps and bounds, but the present and future flow of ads to newspaper websites could be in jeopardy due to trends and technologies.

Bill Emmott, the outgoing editor of the weekly The Economist recently commented on the success of his newspaper suggesting that dailies had contributed significantly, but not in the way one would hope. Having helped to double the paper's circulation to over 1 million during his 13-year tenure, Emmott said that the tendency of daily papers to print more "entertainment" news while sacrificing hard facts and insightful editorials left the analytical Economist a niche for educated readers craving intelligent journalism. To see if others in the industry felt that newspapers were straying from their core function, The Editors Weblog asked several newspaper men and women to react to Emmott's comments:

 The Editors' Weblog has compiled a provisional list of the newspapers that have printed some or all of the cartoons since 30 September 2005, date of publication of 12 cartoons of the prophet Mohammed in Danish newspaper Jyllands Posten. Even provisional, this list is the most exhaustive on the internet, thanks to members of the World Editors Forum and to bloggers close to the EW.

The main conclusions are: