2008 Woodie Awards
Newspapers have to re-invent themselves
Issue date: 5/15/08 Section: Opinion
The future of the newspaper is probably the most talked about topic in the newsroom today.
Some are predicting the end is near for print newspapers.
With more of the younger audience relying on the Internet and with newspapers facing declining advertising revenue every year, the future seems bleak.
A reporter must be able to write for print as well as online in an effort to keep up with the times.
However, the online edition will not replace the newspaper, so don't bury them yet.
When I look at a newspaper like the Downtown and Grunion Gazette on its news rack with nothing on the front page that makes me want to pick it up, the photo usually has no human element and is just plain boring.
However, I still pick it up. Why? Because it's portable and gives me something to read while I wait in a line or sit outside having coffee.
There is the physical feel of the paper and the freedom to have complete selective control on how I scan and in what order I choose the material that I want to read.
Furthermore, the ease and convenience of carrying a physical paper around is something the Internet cannot duplicate.
When a paper like the Long Beach Press-Telegram has several technical problems leading to missing pages and content and can't get the score in from the previous night's game in the morning edition, it doesn't help the condition or view of the industry as a whole.
Having a dynamic photo on the front is a sure way to sell more papers.
I can't tell you how many papers I have bought just because the top photo peeked my curiosity and I wanted to take a closer look.
The credibility of a newspaper is a hard-fought battle in which a paper must always win.
When errors occur, the paper goes to great lengths to correct them and do its best to not repeat them again.
The reputation of a paper takes decades to achieve. However, when reading online, there are no such guarantees.
Lately, there has been more focused coverage of the local scene.
Keeping stories from jumping to a backpage causing the reader to have to navigate through the paper, are areas that I have noticed increasing improvement on in the last few years.
Though I'm not sure what the answer is, firing and laying off journalists is not the answer. It's time to re-invent the newspaper.
Some are predicting the end is near for print newspapers.
With more of the younger audience relying on the Internet and with newspapers facing declining advertising revenue every year, the future seems bleak.
A reporter must be able to write for print as well as online in an effort to keep up with the times.
However, the online edition will not replace the newspaper, so don't bury them yet.
When I look at a newspaper like the Downtown and Grunion Gazette on its news rack with nothing on the front page that makes me want to pick it up, the photo usually has no human element and is just plain boring.
However, I still pick it up. Why? Because it's portable and gives me something to read while I wait in a line or sit outside having coffee.
There is the physical feel of the paper and the freedom to have complete selective control on how I scan and in what order I choose the material that I want to read.
Furthermore, the ease and convenience of carrying a physical paper around is something the Internet cannot duplicate.
When a paper like the Long Beach Press-Telegram has several technical problems leading to missing pages and content and can't get the score in from the previous night's game in the morning edition, it doesn't help the condition or view of the industry as a whole.
Having a dynamic photo on the front is a sure way to sell more papers.
I can't tell you how many papers I have bought just because the top photo peeked my curiosity and I wanted to take a closer look.
The credibility of a newspaper is a hard-fought battle in which a paper must always win.
When errors occur, the paper goes to great lengths to correct them and do its best to not repeat them again.
The reputation of a paper takes decades to achieve. However, when reading online, there are no such guarantees.
Lately, there has been more focused coverage of the local scene.
Keeping stories from jumping to a backpage causing the reader to have to navigate through the paper, are areas that I have noticed increasing improvement on in the last few years.
Though I'm not sure what the answer is, firing and laying off journalists is not the answer. It's time to re-invent the newspaper.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 4
Bob Litchliter
posted 5/23/08 @ 3:08 PM PST
I will allways read the print form of a paper. I lost my sight reading online.
Janette Johnson
posted 5/24/08 @ 5:51 PM PST
I really enjoyed the opinion piece on "re-inventing" the newspaper. It was well thought out, creative and well written. Cheers.
Lemonade Diet
posted 7/26/08 @ 6:35 PM PST
Many things will be changing with the digital age. There are still papers that are not online. The metro paper is designed to give public transportation riders something to read and it is free. (Continued…)
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