Comments on: Is the downfall of newspapers really just a rebirth of journalism?

By: Michael Josefowicz

Michael Josefowicz — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 19:39:08 +0000

Pat-

Have you ever considered that weekly newspapers might be able to replace textbooks in High School ed? it’s generally agreed that textbooks are broken. The schools need to save money. Putting the news in historical or big picture context could make a difference.

Think “My Weekly Reader” on steroids . . .with a wiki for letting the students write and respond.

Plus Textbooks have significant budgets. Plus ads could be done for non profit and government programs.

By: Links « O Lago | The Lake

Links « O Lago | The Lake — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 08:41:13 +0000

[...] Is the downfall of newspapers really just a rebirth of journalism? [...]

By: Derek Willis

Derek Willis — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 03:03:30 +0000

I don’t follow how the Post in particular among large papers would produce a much better Sunday print product if it didn’t publish during the week and focused more resources to its online operation. Wouldn’t the people who previously spent more time on the print product be spending more on Web stuff? If so, how would that lead to a better print product if the size of the staff remains relatively stable (or decreases)? Also, you don’t seem to know the condition of the overlap between the Post’s print and online readership locally. As Sonya says, being vague is easy. If you’re gonna use the Post as an example, let’s have some facts to back things up, please.

Oh, and this is tidy: “If older readers came onto the Web en masse, newspapers would no longer have to cater to two distinct audiences.” Given their history and habits, isn’t it far more likely that older newspaper readers would migrate to other print products or to television before they’d go to the Web?

By: Jack Lail

Jack Lail — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 11:23:01 +0000

Yes, the economics of running the business have seemingly kicked in at the 11th hour to force the hand of change. It’s change or die time!

By: pat

pat — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:35:29 +0000

@Sonya,

I think it makes the most sense to start with weeklies and make them daily operations online, rather than take a daily and make it into a weekly in print.

That’s what my Knight News Challenge grant proposal is all about: http://garage.newschallenge.org/projects/chagrin-valley-news

I want to help weekly newspapers (and other small publications) transition to a model where they publish content daily online, while still maintaing a print product. Part of this strategy, however, would be to eliminate some of the content that no longer makes sense in print. The print edition should be for bigger, more over-arching issues. Anything that is really time sensitive should be left for online.

By: Sonya Smith

Sonya Smith — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:25:29 +0000

I agree that this is an exciting time for journalism. Still, your post only focuses on large goals and wagging of the finger at old journalism folks clinging to print products. I’d like to read more of your ideas on what exactly a new journalism company should look and act like. I can read about vague next-journalism ideas any day, but I think many journalists and people interested in media would be interested if you elaborated on your idea of a web-first production with a once-a-week print product.

By: I care about the message, not the medium | The Journalism Iconoclast

I care about the message, not the medium | The Journalism Iconoclast — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 00:21:01 +0000

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By: ¿La caída del papel podría mejorar el periodismo? « Inter.dot

¿La caída del papel podría mejorar el periodismo? « Inter.dot — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 23:35:52 +0000

[...] poco sobre la crisis económica, la crisis de los diarios de papel y las posibilidades en la web, Patrick se despacha con un poco de optimismo: And while I will lament and mourn the loss of newspapers [...]

By: Please don’t shoot the messengers « Ink-Drained Kvetch

Please don’t shoot the messengers « Ink-Drained Kvetch — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 21:14:53 +0000

[...] there a silver lining for the profession? A young journalist says there can be: “Imagine a future in which the only thing holding back news organizations was our [...]

By: Please don’t shoot the messenger « Ink-Drained Kvetch

Please don’t shoot the messenger « Ink-Drained Kvetch — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 21:14:13 +0000

[...] there a silver lining for the profession? A young journalist says there can be: “Imagine a future in which the only thing holding back news organizations was our [...]