Like the ice sheets of Greenland, the American newspaper industry appears to be collapsing faster than the worst pessimists thought possible. Recently the Wall Street Journal ran a story in which Avista Capital Partners, the investment firm that has owned the Star Tribune since early March, conceded that its half-billion-dollar Minnesota toy is producing cash flow twenty percent below promised projections. And those projections were made less than a year ago.
Large chunks of the newspaper industry are calving off and doing a fast melt into the ocean of the internet. As profoundly bad as this is for newspapers (and other forms of the so-called traditional media), there is a growing belief that opportunities are being created for those who correctly guess what comes next.
Here in the Twin Cities there is a lot of just-below-the-surface chatter about the dawn of a comprehensive online newspaper. Most of it is idle and wishful. But the combination of high demand for reliable information, a deep pool of brand-name writing talent, and much lower production costs for a concept that would not involve millions of tons of newsprint, fleets of trucks, and vast expanses of office real estate has serious people thinking seriously that the time is right to offer an alternative to the pale shadow of print.
Assuming that these serious people have the necessary millions, the big question is “Which combination of the best attributes of modern news-gathering will best jump-start a revolution in hybrid media, blending newspapers, magazines, and video?” Since no one knows for sure what online readers will respond to best, there are a thousand half-baked theories diagramming the ideal new, all-electronic major metropolitan news service.
That said, here’s my list, more half-baked than most, of the must-have components:
A: Investigative reporting and analysis in the realms of business, government, and education—or wherever the story lies. Few types of journalism generate more impact than investigative reporting, and nearly every second-, third-, and fourth-tier newspaper has given up on it. It isn’t cost-effective, they reason. It requires too much staff time. Time is money.
But if you want to be a serious player, a bona fide force in your market, you have to risk that a team of two, maybe three, skilled investigative reporters will provide the gravitas and impact required to establish an online “brand.” Moreover, a handful of deeply sourced writers could, with their left hand, provide a steady stream of analysis based on stories reported superficially by television news and/or the remaining newspapers.
Simultaneously, it would be wise to develop a video component for these stories in order to expand their impact and inflict damage on the broadcast competition. But don’t be TV: Don’t select stories based on what plays well on camera.
B: Politics. As with investigative reporting, establish a solid base by covering the adult world of money and influence. Hire a handful of reporters—six wouldn’t be too many—to cover the legislature in session and to dog key government officials year round. One of the great benefits of online publishing is that these reporters would not be limited to fifteen inches of newsprint. Nor should they be yoked to treadworn conventions requiring that they choke back what experience and background tell them is really going down. If you can’t stomach blending reporting and analysis, separate them and run them side by side, or a click away. But remember that all readers are confronted with bewildering waves of spin. More than just who said what, they’re asking what in hell does all this mean? They will click in because they want the sharp-eyed, skeptical, fair-minded analysis provided by your reporters.
Again, there should be a video component, pieces featuring the reporter as story-teller. Don’t worry if the segments aren’t slick out of the box: In focus with decent sound will suffice.
C: Local. Cultivate or cut a deal with “citizen journalists” to file suburban and neighborhood reports.
D: Arts. Sports are over-covered as it is, and that band will still be playing as the S.S. Newspaper bounces off the iceberg and sinks beneath the waves. For mass appeal “toy department” coverage, go instead with the arts: heavy on local theater, music, dance, museum shows, fashion, film, and even television. Again, because you can, do something more sophisticated than cheerleading. Let critics write thoroughly and skeptically. Double-ditto all the obvious video connections.
E: Oh yeah, and media. This all-important topic probably should be one rung above investigative. Just don’t let it slide to “Z.”
Read Brian Lambert’s blog, at www.rakemag.com/media; email lambert@rakemag.com
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