friend recently e-mailed me the comments of her journalism professor in response to questions about the future of newspapers, especially with the news of Knight Ridder being for sale.
Is the end of newspapers near?
The professor said she thinks the future of newspapers may lie in the smaller community newspapers, which provide news that folks can't get anywhere else — and news they can trust.
My friend, who is also a newspaper reporter, said this, "I'd never thought of it in terms of trust, but that's really what it is. That, and accessibility (i.e. being able to get in touch with the local paper to pitch a story and then see it in print the next day), the interplay and the fact that the community knows who's behind the scenes. That it's not some Wizard of Oz type of thing where they don't know who's behind the curtain."
I like that, of course. What do you think?
1 comment:
I certainly hope it is true, for your sake! I do like to get the paper at home, if only nowadays for the ads which need to be clipped now and then. I do not feel any reason to pay for a full price subscription when all of the news content is on the WWW, but I still subscribe to the paper whenever I am offered a discounted price.
I grew up in San Jose reading the SJ Mercury. My family had a subscription for as long as I can recall. I currently subscribe to two papers, and I look at the Merc, sfgate, and the Tracy Press and others on the WWW regularly. I suppose I will continue doing both.
I do think that papers would benefit by offering subscribers exclusive, expanded content on the WWW. How about the police log we discussed recently? Maybe the PD would allow the entire log to be posted daily for subscribers. Additional photos of happenings around town would be another idea; people love to see photos of people they know in the paper and on the WWW. Also information that TP is already gathering that cannot make it into print due to space or other constraints could be put on the Web.
FROM CHERI: I love your ideas, Jim.
Posted by: Jim Freeman at November 16, 2005 12:36 PM
Cheri, don’t forget the comfort factor.
I also read two or three papers on the Web each day, but the Web will never replace the comfort of a turned newsprint page.
Each weekend I find immense comfort snuggling up with my Sunday New York Times. Each Sunday morning, at least one hour is dedicated to reading each section front to back, with the only interruption being a sip of my freshly brewed Peet’s French Roast.
Somehow reading the NYT online just doesn’t give me the same sense of relaxation or feeling of being informed.
Perhaps I’m easily distracted by the occasion “pop-up” instant message that requires an immediate response. Or I’ll see the little icon on my tool bar reminding me that I have 22 unread emails. Or just maybe, I’ve spent way to much time staring at the 17-inch screen over the past few days.
I also experienced that same sense of comfort from turning the pages of my hometown newspaper for nearly 20 years. My mom used to send me two weeks' worth of newspapers, and I’d spend an hour or two each week reading club notes, classifieds and accidents reports. It was my voyeuristic peek into the lives of the people I once knew and loved. Now, I read it online, but it doesn’t bring the same sense of satisfaction.
No, I believe that technology will serve as our source for immediate news and as a resource for more information, but it will never take the place of the traditional newspaper. Let us not forget that the technology has existed for nearly five years to read novels on-line, on your PDF or even on your computer, but you still see folks reading their tattered paperbacks on the airplanes or in the park.
Technology has its place, but there’s nothing like the touch of newsprint. - JE
Posted by: JE at November 16, 2005 06:31 PM
You are a very talented and skilled writer. I had a great time reading your comments.
Posted by: Eric Freeman at November 24, 2005 09:55 PM
Cheri
Perhaps the most important part of your Blog on this topic is contained in the second paragraph.
"The professor said she thinks the future of newspapers may lie in the smaller community newspapers, which provide news that folks can't get anywhere else — and news they can trust."
This, without a doubt, is absolutely true. Both for the fact the readers can't get the local news anywhere else but even more importantly, it's news that they can trust.
As a word of caution to all local news papers; it takes years to gain public trust and seconds to loose it. In our volatile financial times, particularly relational to newspapers in competition with the Internet, it is very important for savvy editors and writers to understand this very basic premise.
I also wish, at this time, to thank you personally for running this Blog to facilitate discussions that cannot be logistically accommodated by the print of a newspaper.
Your willingness to take on this arduous task is a testimony to your feelings as an honest and truthful journalist.
Posted by: Dave Hardesty at November 30, 2005 08:23 AM
Yes, I would like to see Sudoku and Kakuro in the Tracy Press. Don't know if it would be daily, but that would be the best way to go
Posted by: Gene Wohler at December 15, 2005 08:46 AM
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