The document discusses the future of news and outlines seven potential opportunities, or "Cs", for news organizations going forward. It begins with an overview of how the internet has disrupted the news industry's business model by destroying monopolies on distribution and shifting advertising dollars. It then outlines the seven Cs: Content, Characters, Customization, Curation, Collaboration, Commerce, and Community. For each C, it provides examples of how news organizations can leverage them, such as creating immersive stories, developing journalist brands, tailoring content to users, and partnering with advertisers to create sponsored content. The document argues these seven areas show promise for the future of news.
Pitching to Journalists: the good, the bad and the uglyRichard O'Donnell
This White Paper asks journalists from across the media spectrum, as well as senior PR professionals, what makes for a well-delivered PR pitch to the press, whether it’s by email or (if you’re really brave) by phone.
Delving into their own experiences, both good and bad, journalists and PRs offer a mix of dos and don’ts when PRs pitch to the press and look to building strong relationships with the media in 2016.
On episode 193 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast, Neil chatted with Jamie Mottram, President of BreakingT.
What follows is a collection of snippets from the podcast. To hear the full interview and more, check out the podcast on all podcast platforms and at www.dsmsports.net
The document provides guidance on how to plan a community engagement plan for modern brands. It discusses starting with fundamental questions around objectives, stakeholders, and goals. It emphasizes the importance of research and discovery to understand target audiences. Specifically, it recommends conducting a listening audit to understand existing conversations, but also the interests, activities, and shared content of brand advocates and detractors to identify how the brand can be most relevant. The overall message is that community plans should align business needs, creative vision, and what consumers want in order to be successful.
Liam conducted market research to inform the design of his new newspaper. He surveyed mostly male teenagers and found they preferred reading about local crime and sports. Respondents also indicated a preference for a weekly paper that uses a conventional black and white color scheme and both formal and informal writing styles. Most said they would pay 45p for the newspaper and want more photographs and stories about local events and entertainment over national news.
This document discusses ways that newspapers can improve and reinvent their print products in 2016. It provides ideas to better market print products by highlighting the valuable demographics of print readers and the engaging nature of print. It also suggests taking a hard look at what print products already provide value to readers and communicating this more effectively. The document advocates writing headlines that will appeal more to readers rather than following outdated rules. Overall it encourages newspapers to believe in print and find new ways to bring life to print products through changes to how they are produced and marketed.
This document discusses using the URL shortening service TinyURL.com to secretly share files online. It explains how TinyURL will redirect any input as a URL, even nonsensical or binary strings. The document then demonstrates a process for copying the binary contents of an image file, pasting it as the input on TinyURL, and receiving a shortened URL. This URL can then be shared with others, who can retrieve the original image file by visiting the URL. In summary, the document shows how to covertly store and share files by abusing TinyURL's lack of input validation.
This document summarizes the prologue of a book about the author's experiences in new media. It describes attending a party for internet entrepreneurs where a 21-year-old named Alex Tew, who became a millionaire through his website The Million Dollar Homepage, was celebrated. The author notes key differences between traditional and new media - in new media, trends change quickly so success must be capitalized on immediately rather than building long-term stability. Though the author has been involved in new media, he feels like an outsider among the entrepreneurs. The prologue ends with the group leaving the party to continue the night at a cheaper student bar.
My recent presentation on building magazine audiences in this data-driven era was showcased in the latest edition of The New Single Copy.
I discuss the concept of collaborative industry data, dynamic third party data, predictive modeling and using data to target hyper-niche audience segments.
____________________________________________
Published with John Harrington's permission, co-founder and editor of The New Single Copy.
Since 1996, The New Single Copy has been the publishing industry's leading source of news, data, and information about publications, the retail marketplace, and the changes brought on by digital delivery technology.
Subscribe to The New Single Copy:
http://www.nscopy.com/pages/nsc.asp
Pitching to Journalists: the good, the bad and the uglyRichard O'Donnell
This White Paper asks journalists from across the media spectrum, as well as senior PR professionals, what makes for a well-delivered PR pitch to the press, whether it’s by email or (if you’re really brave) by phone.
Delving into their own experiences, both good and bad, journalists and PRs offer a mix of dos and don’ts when PRs pitch to the press and look to building strong relationships with the media in 2016.
On episode 193 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast, Neil chatted with Jamie Mottram, President of BreakingT.
What follows is a collection of snippets from the podcast. To hear the full interview and more, check out the podcast on all podcast platforms and at www.dsmsports.net
The document provides guidance on how to plan a community engagement plan for modern brands. It discusses starting with fundamental questions around objectives, stakeholders, and goals. It emphasizes the importance of research and discovery to understand target audiences. Specifically, it recommends conducting a listening audit to understand existing conversations, but also the interests, activities, and shared content of brand advocates and detractors to identify how the brand can be most relevant. The overall message is that community plans should align business needs, creative vision, and what consumers want in order to be successful.
Liam conducted market research to inform the design of his new newspaper. He surveyed mostly male teenagers and found they preferred reading about local crime and sports. Respondents also indicated a preference for a weekly paper that uses a conventional black and white color scheme and both formal and informal writing styles. Most said they would pay 45p for the newspaper and want more photographs and stories about local events and entertainment over national news.
This document discusses ways that newspapers can improve and reinvent their print products in 2016. It provides ideas to better market print products by highlighting the valuable demographics of print readers and the engaging nature of print. It also suggests taking a hard look at what print products already provide value to readers and communicating this more effectively. The document advocates writing headlines that will appeal more to readers rather than following outdated rules. Overall it encourages newspapers to believe in print and find new ways to bring life to print products through changes to how they are produced and marketed.
This document discusses using the URL shortening service TinyURL.com to secretly share files online. It explains how TinyURL will redirect any input as a URL, even nonsensical or binary strings. The document then demonstrates a process for copying the binary contents of an image file, pasting it as the input on TinyURL, and receiving a shortened URL. This URL can then be shared with others, who can retrieve the original image file by visiting the URL. In summary, the document shows how to covertly store and share files by abusing TinyURL's lack of input validation.
This document summarizes the prologue of a book about the author's experiences in new media. It describes attending a party for internet entrepreneurs where a 21-year-old named Alex Tew, who became a millionaire through his website The Million Dollar Homepage, was celebrated. The author notes key differences between traditional and new media - in new media, trends change quickly so success must be capitalized on immediately rather than building long-term stability. Though the author has been involved in new media, he feels like an outsider among the entrepreneurs. The prologue ends with the group leaving the party to continue the night at a cheaper student bar.
My recent presentation on building magazine audiences in this data-driven era was showcased in the latest edition of The New Single Copy.
I discuss the concept of collaborative industry data, dynamic third party data, predictive modeling and using data to target hyper-niche audience segments.
____________________________________________
Published with John Harrington's permission, co-founder and editor of The New Single Copy.
Since 1996, The New Single Copy has been the publishing industry's leading source of news, data, and information about publications, the retail marketplace, and the changes brought on by digital delivery technology.
Subscribe to The New Single Copy:
http://www.nscopy.com/pages/nsc.asp
While the Internet provides a large source of information, newspapers are still more accessible to many people due to the cost and technological requirements of accessing the Internet. Newspapers have also become a daily habit and ritual for many people who enjoy reading them with coffee or doing puzzles. While the Internet offers a wide range of news sources, many websites are low quality or sensationalized, whereas newspapers are written by professionals who provide in-depth and critical analysis of issues. Therefore, newspapers remain a cheap and enjoyable option for mass media, and are unlikely to disappear despite the rise of the Internet.
The document discusses the past, present and future of print media such as newspapers and magazines. It describes the differences between broadsheet and tabloid newspapers, and how newspapers have struggled with declining circulation and revenue as well as increased competition from the internet. It also outlines the history and types of magazines, and how magazines have adapted over time to focus more on niche audiences and ideas rather than general readership. The principles of journalism are discussed, as well as how both newspapers and magazines have tried to stay relevant in the modern media landscape.
The document discusses the past, present and future of print media such as newspapers and magazines. It describes the differences between broadsheet and tabloid newspapers, and how newspapers have struggled with declining circulation and revenue as well as increased competition from the internet. It also discusses the history and types of magazines, and how magazines have evolved to focus on niche audiences instead of general readership. The principles of journalism are outlined, and it questions whether for-profit media can truly adhere to those principles of serving the public and acting as a watchdog.
The document discusses 11 key points about changes in the media landscape: 1) Newspaper readership has been declining for decades; 2) Newspaper readership skews older while online readership skews younger; 3) New online media like Google and Yahoo have seen much faster revenue growth than traditional media companies. The document examines how these trends are impacting newspapers and the future of journalism.
The document discusses the future of newsagencies and lessons that can be learned from businesses that have adapted successfully to change. It notes that newsagencies will need to embrace flexibility, entrepreneurship, and actively pursuing new categories and revenue streams. Newsagents who are growing their businesses look outside their industry for ideas, hire smart people, and take responsibility for their own business plans rather than relying only on suppliers. The future belongs to newsagents who act like entrepreneurs and adapt to changes in technology and consumer behavior.
The document discusses how the main character Randy Bragg in Pat Frank's novel "Alas Babylon" is a carefree man who has never struggled, but receives a hint that resources will soon run out and he will be on the verge of dying, forcing him to prepare for the worst. The summary asks the reader to think about what it would be like to have no resources left and be facing death, a situation the characters in the novel experience when nuclear war breaks out.
The Thread Summit Keynote Speaker Shawn Amos, Founder & CEO (Freshwire) "Cont...Anne M. McCarthy
Shawn Amos is a seasoned curator of content. He has lived through the trends of the last 20+ years, and approaches content is a whole new way - with mindfulness...
The document discusses challenges facing libraries and newspapers in a digital age where online information and advertising are replacing print. It notes newspapers are losing ad revenue as ads move online, and generating online ad revenue at the scale needed is difficult. Magazines are also struggling as print ads decline. The document argues libraries and newspapers need to embrace new opportunities online to remain relevant, such as collaborating with writers and building accessible information spaces. Outsourcing non-essential functions and focusing on core values like access to information and preserving records could help libraries adapt.
1) The document discusses how newspaper and magazine publishers are well positioned to succeed in the digital era due to their strong brands and ability to leverage new technologies.
2) It argues that publishers have the necessary brand recognition and local focus to deliver valued news and content across multiple platforms. With new tools, they can better engage audiences and measure their success.
3) The document urges publishers to experiment digitally through small trials rather than major overhauls, and to leverage their brands by bundling and upselling different content and services to advertisers. This will help publishers transition away from doom-filled predictions and thrive in new media.
This document provides a summary of an interview with John Hedderich, who works at Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey. Some key points:
- Hedderich discusses how the skills and technologies developed at Picatinny for weapon systems can also help with disaster response and managing crowds in emergencies.
- He notes that Picatinny employs a diverse range of scientists, engineers, and technicians and that their work involves areas like energetics, explosives and ballistics.
- When asked why someone would want to work at Picatinny, Hedderich cites opportunities to contribute to national security and help keep soldiers and citizens safe.
The document provides instructions on how to request an assignment writing service from HelpWriting.net. It outlines a 5 step process: 1) Create an account with a password and email. 2) Complete a 10 minute order form providing instructions, sources, and deadline. 3) Writers will bid on the request and the client can choose a writer. 4) The client will receive the paper and can request revisions if needed. 5) HelpWriting.net guarantees original, high-quality content and refunds are offered if work is plagiarized.
Storytelling is an important skill for leaders to convey meaning and inspire people quickly. While there is pressure for leaders to address many issues rapidly, taking the time to tell short, impactful stories can help stakeholders understand why goals are important. An effective leadership story draws on real experiences, is emotionally relevant, shows passion, illustrates struggles and obstacles, uses vivid examples, and teaches an important lesson - all within two minutes. Leaders can improve by practicing concise storytelling and getting feedback on the stories' impacts and lessons conveyed. Telling stories faster with practice helps leaders engage audiences amid competing priorities.
This presentation is all about money. Well, more specifically, the ways that publishers and independent bloggers can combine a sharp focus on serving their market, with the latest ad models, to start making a profit from their internet news operations. The hyperlocal news model is one that certainly appeals to journalists in this market, since they are flooded with national and international news by a government that is attempting to distract the people from the wretched mismanagement and corruption occurring right under their noses...
Application Essay Help. Best Application Essay Help RigMonica Waters
The document discusses application essay help services provided by HelpWriting.net. It outlines a 5-step process for users: 1) Create an account; 2) Complete an order form with instructions and deadline; 3) Review bids from writers and choose one; 4) Review the completed paper and authorize payment; 5) Request revisions until satisfied. The service aims to provide original, high-quality content and offers refunds for plagiarized work.
The document discusses several factors that shape news reporting, including newsworthiness criteria like relevance, conflict, human interest, and impact. It also discusses how media ownership can influence news through the priorities and biases of owners. The CEO of Philadelphia Media Holdings owns several local newspapers, and while he pledged editorial independence, there are concerns his views could still indirectly shape coverage. The document argues that business pressures from declining revenues and fewer advertisers have hurt quality journalism by forcing cuts to staff and coverage.
Metanomics is a weekly Web-based show on the serious uses of virtual worlds. This transcript is from a past show.
For this and other videos, visit us at http://metanomics.net.
13062024_First India Newspaper Jaipur.pdfFIRST INDIA
Find Latest India News and Breaking News these days from India on Politics, Business, Entertainment, Technology, Sports, Lifestyle and Coronavirus News in India and the world over that you can't miss. For real time update Visit our social media handle. Read First India NewsPaper in your morning replace. Visit First India.
CLICK:- https://firstindia.co.in/
#First_India_NewsPaper
Here is Gabe Whitley's response to my defamation lawsuit for him calling me a rapist and perjurer in court documents.
You have to read it to believe it, but after you read it, you won't believe it. And I included eight examples of defamatory statements/
Youngest c m in India- Pema Khandu BiographyVoterMood
Pema Khandu, born on August 21, 1979, is an Indian politician and the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh. He is the son of former Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Dorjee Khandu. Pema Khandu assumed office as the Chief Minister in July 2016, making him one of the youngest Chief Ministers in India at that time.
More Related Content
Similar to The Future of News and the Seven Cs: Kerry Powell at TedX Edmonton 2013
While the Internet provides a large source of information, newspapers are still more accessible to many people due to the cost and technological requirements of accessing the Internet. Newspapers have also become a daily habit and ritual for many people who enjoy reading them with coffee or doing puzzles. While the Internet offers a wide range of news sources, many websites are low quality or sensationalized, whereas newspapers are written by professionals who provide in-depth and critical analysis of issues. Therefore, newspapers remain a cheap and enjoyable option for mass media, and are unlikely to disappear despite the rise of the Internet.
The document discusses the past, present and future of print media such as newspapers and magazines. It describes the differences between broadsheet and tabloid newspapers, and how newspapers have struggled with declining circulation and revenue as well as increased competition from the internet. It also outlines the history and types of magazines, and how magazines have adapted over time to focus more on niche audiences and ideas rather than general readership. The principles of journalism are discussed, as well as how both newspapers and magazines have tried to stay relevant in the modern media landscape.
The document discusses the past, present and future of print media such as newspapers and magazines. It describes the differences between broadsheet and tabloid newspapers, and how newspapers have struggled with declining circulation and revenue as well as increased competition from the internet. It also discusses the history and types of magazines, and how magazines have evolved to focus on niche audiences instead of general readership. The principles of journalism are outlined, and it questions whether for-profit media can truly adhere to those principles of serving the public and acting as a watchdog.
The document discusses 11 key points about changes in the media landscape: 1) Newspaper readership has been declining for decades; 2) Newspaper readership skews older while online readership skews younger; 3) New online media like Google and Yahoo have seen much faster revenue growth than traditional media companies. The document examines how these trends are impacting newspapers and the future of journalism.
The document discusses the future of newsagencies and lessons that can be learned from businesses that have adapted successfully to change. It notes that newsagencies will need to embrace flexibility, entrepreneurship, and actively pursuing new categories and revenue streams. Newsagents who are growing their businesses look outside their industry for ideas, hire smart people, and take responsibility for their own business plans rather than relying only on suppliers. The future belongs to newsagents who act like entrepreneurs and adapt to changes in technology and consumer behavior.
The document discusses how the main character Randy Bragg in Pat Frank's novel "Alas Babylon" is a carefree man who has never struggled, but receives a hint that resources will soon run out and he will be on the verge of dying, forcing him to prepare for the worst. The summary asks the reader to think about what it would be like to have no resources left and be facing death, a situation the characters in the novel experience when nuclear war breaks out.
The Thread Summit Keynote Speaker Shawn Amos, Founder & CEO (Freshwire) "Cont...Anne M. McCarthy
Shawn Amos is a seasoned curator of content. He has lived through the trends of the last 20+ years, and approaches content is a whole new way - with mindfulness...
The document discusses challenges facing libraries and newspapers in a digital age where online information and advertising are replacing print. It notes newspapers are losing ad revenue as ads move online, and generating online ad revenue at the scale needed is difficult. Magazines are also struggling as print ads decline. The document argues libraries and newspapers need to embrace new opportunities online to remain relevant, such as collaborating with writers and building accessible information spaces. Outsourcing non-essential functions and focusing on core values like access to information and preserving records could help libraries adapt.
1) The document discusses how newspaper and magazine publishers are well positioned to succeed in the digital era due to their strong brands and ability to leverage new technologies.
2) It argues that publishers have the necessary brand recognition and local focus to deliver valued news and content across multiple platforms. With new tools, they can better engage audiences and measure their success.
3) The document urges publishers to experiment digitally through small trials rather than major overhauls, and to leverage their brands by bundling and upselling different content and services to advertisers. This will help publishers transition away from doom-filled predictions and thrive in new media.
This document provides a summary of an interview with John Hedderich, who works at Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey. Some key points:
- Hedderich discusses how the skills and technologies developed at Picatinny for weapon systems can also help with disaster response and managing crowds in emergencies.
- He notes that Picatinny employs a diverse range of scientists, engineers, and technicians and that their work involves areas like energetics, explosives and ballistics.
- When asked why someone would want to work at Picatinny, Hedderich cites opportunities to contribute to national security and help keep soldiers and citizens safe.
The document provides instructions on how to request an assignment writing service from HelpWriting.net. It outlines a 5 step process: 1) Create an account with a password and email. 2) Complete a 10 minute order form providing instructions, sources, and deadline. 3) Writers will bid on the request and the client can choose a writer. 4) The client will receive the paper and can request revisions if needed. 5) HelpWriting.net guarantees original, high-quality content and refunds are offered if work is plagiarized.
Storytelling is an important skill for leaders to convey meaning and inspire people quickly. While there is pressure for leaders to address many issues rapidly, taking the time to tell short, impactful stories can help stakeholders understand why goals are important. An effective leadership story draws on real experiences, is emotionally relevant, shows passion, illustrates struggles and obstacles, uses vivid examples, and teaches an important lesson - all within two minutes. Leaders can improve by practicing concise storytelling and getting feedback on the stories' impacts and lessons conveyed. Telling stories faster with practice helps leaders engage audiences amid competing priorities.
This presentation is all about money. Well, more specifically, the ways that publishers and independent bloggers can combine a sharp focus on serving their market, with the latest ad models, to start making a profit from their internet news operations. The hyperlocal news model is one that certainly appeals to journalists in this market, since they are flooded with national and international news by a government that is attempting to distract the people from the wretched mismanagement and corruption occurring right under their noses...
Application Essay Help. Best Application Essay Help RigMonica Waters
The document discusses application essay help services provided by HelpWriting.net. It outlines a 5-step process for users: 1) Create an account; 2) Complete an order form with instructions and deadline; 3) Review bids from writers and choose one; 4) Review the completed paper and authorize payment; 5) Request revisions until satisfied. The service aims to provide original, high-quality content and offers refunds for plagiarized work.
The document discusses several factors that shape news reporting, including newsworthiness criteria like relevance, conflict, human interest, and impact. It also discusses how media ownership can influence news through the priorities and biases of owners. The CEO of Philadelphia Media Holdings owns several local newspapers, and while he pledged editorial independence, there are concerns his views could still indirectly shape coverage. The document argues that business pressures from declining revenues and fewer advertisers have hurt quality journalism by forcing cuts to staff and coverage.
Metanomics is a weekly Web-based show on the serious uses of virtual worlds. This transcript is from a past show.
For this and other videos, visit us at http://metanomics.net.
Similar to The Future of News and the Seven Cs: Kerry Powell at TedX Edmonton 2013 (18)
13062024_First India Newspaper Jaipur.pdfFIRST INDIA
Find Latest India News and Breaking News these days from India on Politics, Business, Entertainment, Technology, Sports, Lifestyle and Coronavirus News in India and the world over that you can't miss. For real time update Visit our social media handle. Read First India NewsPaper in your morning replace. Visit First India.
CLICK:- https://firstindia.co.in/
#First_India_NewsPaper
Here is Gabe Whitley's response to my defamation lawsuit for him calling me a rapist and perjurer in court documents.
You have to read it to believe it, but after you read it, you won't believe it. And I included eight examples of defamatory statements/
Youngest c m in India- Pema Khandu BiographyVoterMood
Pema Khandu, born on August 21, 1979, is an Indian politician and the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh. He is the son of former Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Dorjee Khandu. Pema Khandu assumed office as the Chief Minister in July 2016, making him one of the youngest Chief Ministers in India at that time.
Essential Tools for Modern PR Business .pptxPragencyuk
Discover the essential tools and strategies for modern PR business success. Learn how to craft compelling news releases, leverage press release sites and news wires, stay updated with PR news, and integrate effective PR practices to enhance your brand's visibility and credibility. Elevate your PR efforts with our comprehensive guide.
Howard Fineman, Veteran Political Journalist and TV Pundit, Dies at 75
The Future of News and the Seven Cs: Kerry Powell at TedX Edmonton 2013
1. The Future of News and the Seven Cs
Intro
I hate to disappoint you,especially right off the top, but I don’t know what the future of
news is. So, if that’s what you came for, you can skip this one. Go have a coffee or get
some fresh air before the next speaker.
But I know news has a future. Of course it does. It’s human nature to want to know
what’s going on and to share it with others – we like to “talk shit.” That’s how gossip
queenLainey Lui puts it.
I also know that people who work in the news industry are trying – we’re trying, and with
some desperation, to figure out our future. We’re testing a bunch of different
possibilities, hoping we’ll find a way to make enough money so we can keep working in
this amazing business.
Because news might want to be free, but news writers, editors, developers? No, thanks.
Speaking of free, let’s get the paywall out of the way, shall we? Last month, Postmedia,
the company that owns the Journal and several other large news organizations in
Canada, extended the paywall that was already in place at the Montreal Gazette and
the Vancouver Sun and Province to the rest of its papers. Now, you get 10 free articles
a monthon our website and apps before you’re asked to pay.
Reaction has been varied. And to those who have so far signed up, I want to thank you
from the bottom of my mortgage.
Do I think paywalls are the future of news? No. But they might be one of the
possibilities. And today, I’d like to talk to you about some other ones I think show real
promise. I call them the seven Cs. Mostly because I like wordplay, and especially
alliteration. But also because I read somewhere that putting a number in your headline
is a great way to get people to click on it.
The past
But before we get to the future, let’s take a quick trip back to the past, to the good old
days of newspapers.
2. And let’s use the
Edmonton Journal as
an example,
because, well, I know
it best. I’ve been
working there for
nearly 20 years.
Back in the day, the
Journal was the only
game in town. If you
wanted to know what
was going on in
Edmonton, you took
the Journal.
And if you were in business, that’s where you advertised. It was the best way to reach
the biggest audience. Until the Edmonton Sun came along in 1978, we had no real
competition.
3. That’s pretty much how it was when I came to the Journal in 1993 as a summer intern. I
joined a staff of almost 800 – 180 of them in the newsroom. Here’s what it looked like:
That’s me, in the
middle, the one
with the bowl cut.
Back then, we had
two reporters at
the courthouse,
three reporters
and a columnist at
City Hall, and
even more staff at
the Legislature.
Every desk in the
newsroom was
full.
The rise of the internet
I remember thinking the internet would be a boon for our business, and it has been in
many ways. It has made us better reporters, expanded our reach and given us amazing
storytelling tools like Twitter andStorify, not to mention all the cats.
Butthe internetalso destroyed our monopoly on distribution. Now, we can all be
publishers. Get a free Wordpress theme and you’re on your way. And when a service or
commodity isn’t scarce, it’s a lot harder to make money off of it.
This affected advertising, of course, our main source of revenue. With the rise of
Craigslist and similar services, the profitable classified business was completely eroded.
Print advertising dollars have become digital dimes and now, mobile pennies. What the
Journal makes on mobile advertising couldn’t keep a hipster in horn-rims.
I don’t have the Canadian figures, but the U.S. newspaper industry has lost more than
$40 billion in ad revenue in the past decade. And where did it go? Online, of
course.Google’s ad revenues are now more than twice what the industry pulls in.
4. I don’t know how much less the Journal makes now, compared to the good old days.
But here’s what I do know: Fewer than 300 people work there now. And when we shut
down our Eastgate plant this summer and shift printing to the St. Albert Gazette’s new
press, we’ll be under 200. And I expect that number will shrink even more. Employers,
please keep my name on file.
Not a business
But wait! I’mnot asking for sympathy. I’m just offering some context for the challenges
the news business is facing. Before, we didn’t have to operate like a business. We
journalists didn’t have to concern ourselves with advertising, that dirty, money-making
side. In fact, there was a strict separation of church and state: with very few exceptions,
the folks in advertising didn’t talk to the news staff and vice versa. To do so was viewed
almost as collusion. It was a threat to journalistic integrity.
Back then, we knew how many papers were sold every day but we had no way of
measuring which stories were actually read.So, we could convince ourselves that we
knew best what stories readers wanted. We went by our guts. And we thought they
served us pretty well.
In its heyday, the Journal newspaper was read by more than 400,000 people a week.
Now, even with a zillion other information sources to choose from, the Journalreaches
more than 600,000 people a week via the newspaper or on their computers, tablets and,
5. increasingly, their phones. In fact, monthly traffic to our mobile site surpassed traffic to
our desktop site for the first time this year.
The move to mobile
And what surprised many of us is that mobile users aren’t just checking the weather or
traffic, the latest headlines or scores. They’re also reading the in-depth stuff:
investigative reporting and lengthy features.
Jana Pruden’s brilliant story for the Journal, Fear onthe Family Farm, about a man who
killed his abusive father after years of torment, was relatively popular on our standard or
desktop site. But on the mobile site, it was the most viewed content item across the
entire Postmedia network during that period, with 577,000pageviews. Visitors spent
more time on it – a collective 3.1 million seconds or 861 hours – than on any other story,
video or gallery on Postmedia mobile sites.
And why wouldn’t we
read long, sometimes
complicated news stories
on our phones – even
those of us who grew up
with newspapers?
They’re our go-to
devices, our favourites,
sometimes our only way
to access the Net. And
those little screens?Have
you noticed how they’re
the same width as a
newspaper column?
I think great journalism like Fear on the Family Farmis still a solid bet for the future of
news. It’s one of the seven Cs I’ll put my money on: Content.
Content
Content, as Bill Gates and others have famously said, is king. But I don’t think the best
answer for publishers is to serve up more content. We all have stacks of books and
magazines, downloaded ebooks and PVR’d TV series that we haven’t had time to read
or watch. We need kickass content, content worth paying for.
6. Have you seen the New York Times’ Snow Fallor the Guardian’s Firestorm? Both told
fascinating stories with words, video and audio in an immersive, almost cinematic way
online. They’re beautiful and I hope to see and make more like them. But let’s be
realistic: how many newsrooms have resources like the New York Times, which put
several staff and several months’ work into the making of Snow Fall?
And here’s a sobering fact: You know Nate Silver, the American statistician who
developed a system to forecast the performance of Major League Baseball players then
turned to politics, where he correctly predicted the winner of 49 out of 50 states in the
2008 U.S. election and all 50 in the last election? His blog, FiveThirtyEight, has brought
in more traffic in a single day to the NYT.com than Snow Fall has in the since it debuted
in December.
So while content may be king, characters can dethrone it. That’s the second C:
Characters.
Characters
Writers like Silver, or, if you’ll permit me,like the Journal’s Paula Simons – writers with
strong, unique voices, who produce staggering amounts of content, who never rest –
they’re gold. Journalism schools, instead of stripping their students’ writing of
personality and opinion, should be teaching them how to recognize and cultivate their
perspective, how to write with conviction AND accuracy.
Newsrooms, too, must support and encourage writers to build their personal brands. It
looks good on us. It’s their passion and their personal take on topics that attractreaders
and keep them coming back.
It really plays into the culture of recommendation that has grown up with social media: If
my friend likes it, it must be good. Or sometimes: If Paula Simons likes it, it must be
bad. Either way, readers are engaged, and that’s good for business.
That’s why I would argue that the traditional unsigned newspaper editorial has had its
day. Again, it’s impossible to say how many of them are read in the newspaper, but
online, they attract a tiny fraction of the audience who flock to opinion that has a name
attached, often engaging in lively debate via social media or commenting. We just can’t
afford them anymore. They’re a quaint vanity from our past.
But that’s just my opinion,like everything I’ll say today. Which is a useful segway into
another C…
7. Customization
Increasingly, news publishers are thinking about customization. They’re trying to figure
out how they can collect, curate and deliver news in a way that suits different devices
and their users.
Let me give you an example: Let’s say there’s a big snowstorm. In the morning, the
storymight play out moment-by-moment on social and mobile, as commuters cope with
slow traffic and slippery roads. They could check in through the day on the website and
read about the worst accidents. That evening, they might flip through the best photos of
the day on a tablet. And in the next day’s paper, they can dig into the city’s snowclearing policy.
Then there’s customization of content based on the user’s location or other factors such
as weather – and we’re only just beginning to explore these tools. If you’re near the
Alberta Gallery of Art, you may get an alert on your phone asking if you’d like to read
Fish Griwkowsky’s story about The Piano exhibit. If you’re in an LRT station, you could
be prompted to participate in a poll about the best route for the southeast leg. If it’s
sunny, you might see ads for sandals or a coupon for an iced coffee or milkshake.
8. We can also make it possible for users to customize their own news experience – using
apps like Zite or tools like the Globe & Mail’s Dashboard.
If there’s a dark side to user customization tools, it’s that they make it even easier to
close our eyes and ears to anything that challenges our opinions. And they diminish
serendipity, which has always been one of the great pleasures of news: those
unexpected stories that surprise, delight or provoke.
OK, let’s get to C number 4…
Curation
None of us have enough time, really, to find and filter the most relevant and reliable
news; to cut through the shit that litters the internet; to distill meaning from So.
Much.Noise.
That’s curation and it’s one of the jobs the news media can do – the best ones already
are. “Do what you do best and link to the rest.” That’s the advice the media
commentator Jeff Jarvis first issued to publishers in 2007; link to the best sources of
information, professional or no; to the best commentary on blogs, social media and in
other publications.
There’s a great, recent example of curation on Gigaom. Just a few hours after Glenn
Greenwald’s story about NSA surveillance broke in the Guardian, the Canadian
journalist Mathew Ingram started systematically tracking the developments. Ingram isn’t
doing original reporting, but he’s adding value by pulling together the best of the
reporting and commentary that is being done. He’s like a one-man wiki. And by doing
this, he’s made himself and Gigaoma reliable authority.
At the Journal and many other mainstream media outlets, the software we use to write
and distribute content online makes linking out a lot more difficult than it should be. But I
think newsroom culture – protective and proud – is a bigger barrier.
More linking out will mean we don’t do as much original reporting, the journalist’s ideal.
And when we do, we need to make sure it adds value, by providing context or analysis,
or by creating a forum for conversation.
And the best conversations involve collaboration.
9. Collaboration
Collaboration can be internal,between reporters or across large news organizations.A
good example is the PANDA project, developed by some journalist developers in the
U.S. It’s a Google Drive-like database where you can store, search and clean up
datasets, without having to be a data wizard like my friend Lucas Timmons, who
introduced PANDA to the Journal last year, with the support of Editor-in-chief Lucinda
Chodan. Lucas put all the data on donations to provincial political parties in our Panda,
which made it possible to quickly search for individuals or corporations to see whether
they donated to more than one party, and how much. Imagine if all our reporters, or all
Postmedia reporters, stored the data they collect in one Panda, so an archive would
build up over time. We could search across multiple datasets and see patterns and
connections that might not otherwise ever be revealed.
Collaboration can also be external, such as when news organizations publish content
from contributors who are not on staff. Sometimes, this is a way to compensate for staff
cuts that have reduced coverage of some topics or geographic areas. Or it can be a
way to serve up expertise that doesn’t exist on staff, such as the Guardian’s remarkable
stable of science blogs.Or look at Capital Ideas, a network based at the Journal for
Edmonton business owners and entrepreneurs to share advice.
External collaboration has been harder for major news organizations, who have been
known to think that indie news sites or writers or developers aren’tquite good enough.
They worry that an association with non-professional journalists might dilute their brand.
Or they want to avoid sending readers off their own sites.
I don’t like to say it, but it’s often ourjournalistic hubris that has kept us from embracing
the audience and revenue opportunities that collaboration could provide.
Hubris has also been a roadblock tocommerce.
Commerce
For the past five years or so, a new competitor to the traditional advertising model of the
news business has been gaining ground. Many media types dismiss it with the same
irritated, disdainful air as they did online classified ads a decade ago – and we know
where that got us.
Sponsored content, sometimes called native advertising, is content that is created by or
in concert with an advertiser. Often, it’s presented in a way that makes it look almost like
regular editorial. The theory is that users are more likely to click on something if it
doesn’t look like an ad.
10. Sponsored content tends to command rates two to four times greater than banner ads,
so everybody’s trying it – New York Times, BuzzFeed, Forbes, the Globe & Mail, you
name it.
There’s no question that sponsored content is a threat to the news business. The best
of it will draw even more eyes away from traditional news. And if we trick readers into
clicking or blur the line between editorial and advertising too much, we won’t be able to
maintain their trust.
But it also presentsan opportunity. Brands have a problem that publishers can help
solve: They need content but they aren’t experts at creating it.We are.
Why not repurpose or repackage the content we’ve already created for use by
advertisers on their websites? Or why not work more closely with advertising clients to
create appealing, engaging content that also serves their ends – not in hard news, but
in topic areas that have traditionally been given feature treatment, rather than critical or
investigative.
The Journal did this with Taste Alberta, when we partnered with the Alberta Livestock
and Meat Agency to produce a series about food that is grown, produced and
processed in the province. Over the past three years, we’ve written dozens of stories
about great Alberta farmers, chefs, restaurants and businesses, and contributed to the
vibrant conversation around local food.More recently, we worked with the Alberta
Emerald Foundation to bring readers stories about the province’s leading environmental
stewards.
We could even take commerce a step further – and this would be a big stretch for big
media. We could do what Lucy Yeomans recommends and make it possible for readers
to instantly buy the products we write about.
Yeomans is thelongtime magazine editor who left Harper’s Bazaar to work for the
fashion e-tailerNet-a-Porter. There’s a place for great stories and entertainment in
publishing, she says, but if you’re also presenting the user with products, they ought to
be “shoppable.”
And why not? When a story initiates a sale, publishers can and should profit. It’s a way
that we can be useful to our readers and clients and support our own and other local
businesses.
11. I think the key to success with sponsored content and other adventures in commerce is
clear labelling and disclosure of the commercial relationships behind some content. We
can’t afford to damage our credibility with consumers.
You heard that, didn’t you? It’s another C, my last:
Credibility
The news media’s credibility rests on our providing fair, accurate and relevant content
and on admitting and correcting our mistakes. But I think it also rests on our reflection of
and our participation in our community.
Legacy media survive on the relationships we have built with our audiences. For the
Journal, that goes back more than 100 years.Together, we have cried in sympathy…
14. …and triumphs.
We’re part of your past, your present and, I hope, your future.
We will fail if, after all we’ve shared, we’re too proud to change, to adapt to this tough,
new business reality. We will fail if we make you feel like nothing more than a paying
customer.
Our success is in continuing and extendingour commitment to Edmonton. It’s in
presenting local news, but more than that, it’s in engaging people to participate in that
news.
We’re not just a megaphone; we’re a microphone. And we need to listen.
-30-