Former Financial Times journalist Tom Foremski has, on his site Silicon Valley Watcher , come up with 25 ideas on how newspapers might be able to survive and become innovative media businesses.
They include: Focus on original content (no press release re-writes); hyper-local news coverage; making sure journalists get out of the office and are part of the community; teaching citizen journalists to be great journalists; publishing the best bloggers; offering different ways for readers to pay; creating a search site for local resources and businesses; hosting websites for community groups; giving readers a role in the ownership of the newspaper.
There are also lots of useful links to other articles looking at ideas of helping newspapers survive.
Story via the Newspaper Project.
Showing posts with label Newspaper Project. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Newspaper Project. Show all posts
Friday, February 20, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Internet is 'riffing on the journalism of others' says New York Times executive editor
Newspaper Project, the new group launched by US print executives whose aim is to promote newspapers and counter the doom surrounding the industry, is running the response of New York Times executive editor Bill Keller to various NYT readers' emails in which he argues quality journalism has a bright future.
He claims the internet "contains countless voices riffing on the journalism of others but not so many that do serious reporting" and suggests the future will remain a mix of print and online.
Keller says: "There is a diminishing supply of quality journalism, and a growing demand. By quality journalism I mean the kind that involves experienced reporters going places, bearing witness, digging into records, developing sources, checking and double-checking, backed by editors who try to enforce high standards.
"I mean journalism that, however imperfect, labors hard to be trustworthy, to supply you with the information you need to be an engaged citizen. The supply of this kind of journalism is declining because it is hard, expensive, sometimes dangerous work.
"The traditional practitioners of this craft — mainly newspapers — have been downsizing or declaring bankruptcy. The wonderful florescence of communication ignited by the Internet contains countless voices riffing on the journalism of others but not so many that do serious reporting of their own. Hence the dwindling supply.
"The best evidence of the soaring demand is the phenomenal traffic to the Web sites that do dependable news reporting — nearly 20 million unique monthly visitors to the site you are currently reading, and that number excludes the burgeoning international audience. The law of supply and demand suggests that the market will find a way to make the demand pay for the supply."
His conclusion is: "My expectation (and I remind you of the disclaimers regarding my business acumen) is that for the foreseeable future our business will continue to be a mix of print and online journalism, with the growth online offsetting the (gradual, we hope) decline of print."
You can read the emails to Bill Keller and his response here
He claims the internet "contains countless voices riffing on the journalism of others but not so many that do serious reporting" and suggests the future will remain a mix of print and online.
Keller says: "There is a diminishing supply of quality journalism, and a growing demand. By quality journalism I mean the kind that involves experienced reporters going places, bearing witness, digging into records, developing sources, checking and double-checking, backed by editors who try to enforce high standards.
"I mean journalism that, however imperfect, labors hard to be trustworthy, to supply you with the information you need to be an engaged citizen. The supply of this kind of journalism is declining because it is hard, expensive, sometimes dangerous work.
"The traditional practitioners of this craft — mainly newspapers — have been downsizing or declaring bankruptcy. The wonderful florescence of communication ignited by the Internet contains countless voices riffing on the journalism of others but not so many that do serious reporting of their own. Hence the dwindling supply.
"The best evidence of the soaring demand is the phenomenal traffic to the Web sites that do dependable news reporting — nearly 20 million unique monthly visitors to the site you are currently reading, and that number excludes the burgeoning international audience. The law of supply and demand suggests that the market will find a way to make the demand pay for the supply."
His conclusion is: "My expectation (and I remind you of the disclaimers regarding my business acumen) is that for the foreseeable future our business will continue to be a mix of print and online journalism, with the growth online offsetting the (gradual, we hope) decline of print."
You can read the emails to Bill Keller and his response here
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Newspapers not dead: US execs fight back
A group of newspaper executives in the US have decided to fight back against the "doom and gloom" views on the future of the press and to stress its continuing importance to the public, to the marketplace and to democracy, Editor & Publisher reports.
The name of their campaign is the “Newspaper Project”which has its own website - http://www.newspaperproject.org/ – that will feature stories and commentary about the value of newspapers and how they can survive the tough economic times.
Today the group has launched a series of print and online ads telling how American newspapers and their web sites daily reach 100 million people, more than watched Sunday’s Super Bowl.
The group's Donna Barrett, president of the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association, said:“Newspapers are very much alive and growing when you consider the print and online audience together. And they talk to far more people than their radio, television and Internet competitors.
"Newspapers have earned the public’s trust because they employ professional journalists to verify news for truth, accuracy and context, and they are usually the first source of local news.”
The name of their campaign is the “Newspaper Project”which has its own website - http://www.newspaperproject.org/ – that will feature stories and commentary about the value of newspapers and how they can survive the tough economic times.
Today the group has launched a series of print and online ads telling how American newspapers and their web sites daily reach 100 million people, more than watched Sunday’s Super Bowl.
The group's Donna Barrett, president of the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association, said:“Newspapers are very much alive and growing when you consider the print and online audience together. And they talk to far more people than their radio, television and Internet competitors.
"Newspapers have earned the public’s trust because they employ professional journalists to verify news for truth, accuracy and context, and they are usually the first source of local news.”
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