Newspapers are having a hard time of it. No-one under 60 bothers with the inky/papery stuff any more and just downloads news straight into the back of their face through Yahoo. That’s the subtext of a story on Wired (thanks to Sugarrae on Twitter for the link).
That might be an exaggeration, but it’s true that newspapers are fighting declining circulation in the face of competition from the internet. Aside from access to politicians and writing talent what can the papers do? I’ve only got time for a quickie before the weekend, but it’s a theme close to my heart so I’ll come back to it
- Stop recycling PR puff
So much of the “news” in newspapers is just PR bullshit. Bloggers like Ben Goldacre and Richard North have been exposing this stuff for years and still it keeps on coming. Factchecking seems to have died a death and for a lot of people raised on the openness of blogs and forums, where facts and research can be carried out and cited with ease and conversations develop in real time that help to establish a truth (so long as you’re open minded) - Stop criticishing the online world and embrace it
You can barely move for columnists in the dead trees slagging off blogs and online news sites. It’s like your dad dissing The Hats (or whatever terrible band the kids are listening to). How about acknowledging their importance and embracing it. It’ll make you look more relevant and alienate fewer potential readers. On a side note: when dishing out ‘blogging awards’ don’t just list the blogs of journalists. - Improve your websites
I don’t get it. You’ve been designing and delivering information for centuries, yet you can’t make your website not look like dogshit? Too many newspapers look amateurish and have . - Become a platform for issues
People care about things. Bloggers and forumers obsess over local causes, mistrials, misinformation in the public sphere in ways that deadline-pressured generalist journalists just can’t. Harness that power and bring it onside. Invite guest editorial from bloggers and integrate with your homepages to make it seem live to real people rather than just a media clique. They’ll get far more exposure than their blog would ever allow and love you for it.
I agree with 1, 2 and 4. As for 3, most newspaper websites are alright IMO. Except for the BBC website which I hate with a passion because it’s shit. But they’re not a newspaper, just propaganda paid for by our own taxes. Sort of like paying someone to take a wee on you.
Newspapers saying things like “Oh, look at these celebrities Twittering, what’s all that about” does look a bit sour-grapes. I mean, Twittering cuts out the middle man – you don’t need gossip columns if everyone’s friends with the celebrity in question. But then, I also think that the vast majority of the UK public – i.e. our parents – don’t use social media and never will. They like to have a proper newspaper in the morning, probably because when they get up they can have a leisurely breakfast and not have to roll into a car, into work etc. As long as they’re wielding financial power and buying newspapers they newspapers will do ok.
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