Why Newspapers are in Trouble?

Here are some thoughts on why newspapers are in trouble-everywhere.

They have no problem laying off people and eliminating jobs to protect profits-while soundly condemning other corporations that do the same.

They are the only business that believes "the customer is never right" if a subscriber complains about something. Subscribers are told they don't understand "the big picture", if told anything at all.

They blame everyone, and everything, for shrinking circulation-except their content, which basically never changes. Think about it. If the headline is "Bulldogs", "Gun Control", "Bush" or "Obama", you already know the content, and do not need to waste time reading the story.

created by CharlieA-Z on Jul 02, 2008 at 01:33:38 pm Comments: 19

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Newspaper circulation is declining nationally because there are now so many other news sources. Print is slow. The immediate "as it's happening reporting" scoops print. This leaves newpapers to report the in depth detailed stuff that many readers are, unfortunately, just too lazy to read.

Newspaper circulation is declining locally for the reasons above plus a lack of trust by the reader that the reporting is comprehensive, objective and complete. As long as the Block name appears as Editor there will be mistrust. Almost everyone in the Toledo area can tell a story about how an event was reported where important factual details were omitted which changed the conclusions a reasonable reader would reach. There are nearly as many accounts of stories, worthy of reporting, that never made the paper at all.

posted by holland on Jul 02, 2008 at 01:52:52 pm #

Beginning at least ten years ago, newspapers did not react quick enough to the different methods consumers used to absorb information.

Newspapers have relied too much on revenue from classified ads. The newspaper industry loves to blame its troubles on Craigslist.

June 2007 blog posting titled 10 obvious things about the future of newspapers you need to get through your head :

2. It's not Craig's fault. Newspaper classifieds suck and they have for years. Either develop simple database applications with photos and maps to let your users actually find what they're looking for, or partner with a good third-party vertical who can. Anything less is a waste of your time.

March 2008 : Newspaper industry experiences worst drop in advertising revenue in more than 50 years :

According to new data released by the Newspaper Association of America, total print advertising revenue in 2007 plunged 9.4% to $42 billion compared to 2006 -- the most severe percent decline since the association started measuring advertising expenditures in 1950. The NAA reported that online revenue now represents 7.5% of total newspaper ad revenue in 2007 compared to 5.7% in 2006. That growth could not stave off the losses in the print however. National print advertising revenue dropped 6.7% to $7 billion last year. Retail slipped 5% to $21 billion. Classified plunged 16.5% to $14.1 billion.

posted by jr on Jul 02, 2008 at 01:55:04 pm #

posted by jr on Jul 02, 2008 at 02:13:14 pm #

Here's a Google maps mashup showing Buyouts and layoffs in the newspaper industry for 2008.

An interesting blog to read is Recovering Journalist. It's maintained by one of the founders of hyperlocal citizen journalism Web site Backfence, which died last year.

June 2008 - The Mother of All Web Strategies
June 2008 - NewspapeRx, Revisited
June 2008 - Death of Almost 1,000 Cuts
June 2008 - Looking for the Hyperlocal Magic Bullet
February 2008 - Living La Vida Local

February 2008 Zogby poll :

Two thirds of Americans - 67% - believe traditional journalism is out of touch with what Americans want from their news, a new We Media/Zogby Interactive poll shows.

The survey also found that while most Americans (70%) think journalism is important to the quality of life in their communities, two thirds (64%) are dissatisfied with the quality of journalism in their communities.

Meanwhile, the online survey documented the shift away from traditional sources of news, such as newspapers and TV, to the Internet - most dramatically among so-called digital natives - people under 30 years old.

Nearly half of respondents (48%) said their primary source of news and information is the Internet, an increase from 40% who said the same a year ago. Younger adults were most likely to name the Internet as their top source - 55% of those age 18 to 29 say they get most of their news and information online, compared to 35% of those age 65 and older. These oldest adults are the only age group to favor a primary news source other than the Internet, with 38% of these seniors who said they get most of their news from television.

Overall, 29% said television is their main source of news, while fewer said they turn to radio (11%) and newspapers (10%) for most of their news and information. Just 7% of those age 18 to 29 said they get most of their news from newspapers, while more than twice as many (17%) of those age 65 and older list newspapers as their top source of news and information.

Web sites are regarded as a more important source of news and information than traditional media outlets - 86% of Americans said Web sites were an important source of news, with more than half (56%) who view these sites as very important. Most also view television (77%), radio (74%), and newspapers (70%) as important sources of news, although fewer than say the same about blogs (38%).

The Zogby Interactive survey of 1,979 adults nationwide was conducted Feb. 20-21, 2008, and carries a margin of error of +/- 2.2 percentage points.

Other sites about media I like to read :

posted by jr on Jul 02, 2008 at 02:47:41 pm #

I had never recognized the importance or power of the classifieds. Maybe because I never found them of much use for the reasons you outlined jr.

posted by holland on Jul 02, 2008 at 03:12:27 pm #

I still like mash potatoes, just not at every meal. Same with newspapers (yes, The Blade)...just not for all the news, and not for breaking stories or national content. The Blade is still great for local stories - especially business-related. The internet is theoretically free, immediate, and more diverse. And no pesky rubber bands to deal with.

posted by justareviewer on Jul 02, 2008 at 05:51:02 pm #

Isn't The Blade and most papers written at a 6th grade level? And what mentality?

I'd rather read something fresh and insightful... Journalists are too busy touting their own integrity and self-importance to actual contribute too much...

And newspapers are driven by advertising revenue....so all integrity generally follows it to the shitter.

posted by charlatan on Jul 03, 2008 at 02:52:38 am #

Newspapers joined the heavily corporatized monobloc of media in the 1990s. By offering nothing but supply-side product, the demand side slid around like an eel and eventually found other supplies (i.e. the Internet).

Newspapers can still regain their former market position by conducting themselves as REAL investigators of news. But their corporate overlords would never allow it. So newspapers are legacy media. Their print editions are effectively dead men walking, and their online presences can't carry the profit margins for obvious reasons.

That's the great weakness and strength of Capitalism right there. Alternatives will be found. But the market position trapped the lax news leadership. So a lot of economic energy will be spent adapting to the artificial situation that the news corporations allowed to happen. Waste, waste, waste.

posted by GuestZero on Jul 03, 2008 at 03:24:38 am #

Recent news about newspapers :

June 27, 2008 - 'Portland Press Herald,' 'Maine Sunday Telegram' Cut 36 Jobs, Close News Bureaus
June 30, 2008 - 'Plain Dealer' Cuts 32 Pages Per Week, Drops Four Sections
July 1, 2008 - Another Illinois Paper Cuts Monday Editions
July 1, 2008 - Monster Founder Sets Sights on Online Obits
July 2, 2008 - 'L.A. Times' Cuts 250 Jobs, 15% of Pages

posted by jr on Jul 03, 2008 at 09:40:08 am #

"Isn't The Blade and most papers written at a 6th grade level?"

I think news stories are traditionally written at a 5th or 6th grade level, op-eds and columns at a 9th grade level or higher, and the sports pages at a 4th grade level.

October 2007 : Simple writing

Cleveland Plain Dealer Internal Memo: Connie Schultz Writes At 5th Grade Level

Newspaper editors are worried about how to grab readers. And a Cleveland Plain Dealer internal memo from last week urges reporters to keep things simple. Plain English and short, uncomplicated sentences are best. It notes that Sen. Sherrod Brown's spouse, columnist Connie Schultz, has written at a level appropriate for fifth graders. Meanwhile, Washington bureau reporter Sabrina Eaton seems to be rebuked. The memo says she wrote about Dennis Kucinich at a level appropriate for high school seniors, or subscribers to The New York Times. Her "reading ease" score was low.

Excerpts from the PD memo:

The Writer's Group has been discussing Jack Hart's book, A Writer's Coach. This week we talked about the chapter on clarity. Hart points out that we can test the readability of our stories with the Flesch-Kincaid test, which is available in all Word programs. To get the Flesch-Kincaid test, click on tools, then spelling and grammar, then click on options and check "show readability scores". The Flesch-Kincaid test expresses scores in grade levels, based on sentence lengths, word lengths and active voice.

"Most writers with Flesch-Kincaid scores of 10 or less can engage a large, diverse audience," Hart writes. He says Pulitzer Prize winner Tom Hallman usually averages about grade 7. "Clear direct writing produces the lowest scorers," Hart writes.

Connie Schultz's Pulitzer finalist, Burden of Innocence, scored at the FIFTH-grade level. Burden had 4 percent passive sentences, 11.8 wps, 4.2 cpw and a reading ease score of 78, the highest of any I tested. Andy's Last Secret, a national award winner from Joanna Connors, also scored at the 6th-grade level with only 1 percent passive sentences.

Web-based readability and style checker

posted by jr on Jul 03, 2008 at 09:50:37 am #

What's next? They write stuff as a text message?

posted by holland on Jul 03, 2008 at 12:33:21 pm #

I prefer the TVs newsies warm smiling glow and 10 second blurb not putting anything into context or perspective.

I wanna write the promo copy for them:
"Unquestioning, uncritical, uninformative... (insert TV stations copycat news program title here)!" said with gargled authority
------------------

I can understand writing in a way to be understood, but the content is still atrocious and uninformative. What's the size disparity between advertising and actual content and advertising disguised as content? I bet the paper is 70% ads when you factor that in.

I'm always pleasantly surprised when a newspaper article is researched and critical to raise an eyebrow. More rare than a product that works as advertised.

posted by charlatan on Jul 03, 2008 at 01:56:02 pm #

Or, as is the case with the Wall Street Journal, a paper could be purchased by an obscenely wealthy publishing magnet aka Rupert Murdock. I cancelled my 20yr+ subscription yesterday. It was becoming increasingly clear that the content of the paper could no longer be trusted. End of an era and a once great newspaper.

posted by holland on Jul 03, 2008 at 02:10:43 pm #

The Blade needs to tell us what's really going on but now they're too politically correct and don't have guts to tell the truth.
see this? http://www.meforum.org/article/1861

posted by tunnelton on Jul 03, 2008 at 03:55:32 pm #

All newspapers today are a fast dying breed. There is no content in a paper that cant be seen on at least 2 different tv stations at almost any time of day. 24 hour news has crushed the newspaper, lack of real investigative reporting will finish them.
The only thing that has kept them from closing has been the local reporting that you just cant get from a 24 hour news channel. As far as most media it has been biased one way or the other depending on who owns or controls them. Long gone is anything resembling journalistic integrity, as long it bleeds, causes controversy or tries to take a bite out of someone with inuendo or rumor, that story will make it into print or on air. Ever see any apologies for anything they have gotten wrong about someone they dont like? Its ok to print in large letters or lead with the story that slams someone but when it comes to a retraction it done quietly on page 7 or as a little blip at the end of the show.

posted by Linecrosser on Jul 04, 2008 at 08:56:47 pm #

July 5, 2008 - As it stands: Outsourcing newspapers is offensive :

I almost got sick recently when I heard that a Pulitzer Prize-winning daily newspaper, The Orange County Register, was outsourcing copy editing, and even page design for one of their community newspapers - to India!

July 7, 2008 - 'Times-Picayune' Cuts Most Mississippi Circulation

July 8, 2008 - 'Chicago Trib' to Cut 80 Positions from Newsroom

July 8, 2008 - Copyediting? Ship the Work Out to India :

In a squat, gray building in Noida, a leading outsourcing destination 15 miles from New Delhi, is the headquarters of Mindworks Global Media. Mindworks isn't a new publication. It's a company to which media groups in Asia, Europe, and the U.S. - including the Miami Herald and South China Morning Post - outsource work that journalists and copyeditors usually do.

posted by jr on Jul 09, 2008 at 07:57:43 pm #

The newsstand price of the daily Toledo Blade jumped 50 percent from 50 to 75 cents. I believe the newsstand price for the Sunday Blade has remained the same, thus far. I'm not sure if the subscription price increased.

posted by jr on Jul 14, 2008 at 11:00:40 am #

July 16, 2008 - More Than 80% of Top 30 Online Newspapers Report Rise in June Uniques :

The summer doldrums are not slowing down the number of unique visitors to newspaper Web sites. For June, more than 80% of online newspapers in the top 30 recorded increases in monthly unique audience numbers compared to the same month a year ago. New York's Daily News Online jumped 109% year-over-year in June to 3.8 million uniques. Advance Newspapers' MLive.com, a one-stop shop for its Michigan properties, rose 80% to 1.5 million uniques. Newsday advanced 73% to 3.0 million uniques. Monthly uniques at Village Voice Media was up 70% to 2.2 million.

posted by jr on Jul 16, 2008 at 07:35:44 pm #