Comments on: Vague truisms will save newspapers http://bloggasm.com/vague-truisms-will-save-newspapers Thu, 10 Mar 2011 02:39:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.4 By: Nick Salzmann http://bloggasm.com/vague-truisms-will-save-newspapers/comment-page-1#comment-83435 Nick Salzmann Sun, 10 May 2009 17:01:34 +0000 http://bloggasm.com/?p=2559#comment-83435 Sherwood Anderson, who wrote Winesburg Ohio, published a small-town newspaper later in his career (I believe he had retired from fiction at the time) and focused the editorial on local community events at a time that a lot of large city newspapers were nationalizing. He found a lot of success in the local niche. I believe he even made up a number of stories, but people loved it. I don't think what we're seeing now in the "digital age" is anything different. If you open up a paper newspaper today you'll probably find most of the articles aren't even original but were lifted from the Associated Press. Online it's worse: everyone is trying to imitate television news by offering videos that barely skim the surface of the story and which are chock full of ads. If newspapers want to survive, they'll need to get back to their local roots. Sherwood Anderson, who wrote Winesburg Ohio, published a small-town newspaper later in his career (I believe he had retired from fiction at the time) and focused the editorial on local community events at a time that a lot of large city newspapers were nationalizing. He found a lot of success in the local niche. I believe he even made up a number of stories, but people loved it.

I don’t think what we’re seeing now in the “digital age” is anything different. If you open up a paper newspaper today you’ll probably find most of the articles aren’t even original but were lifted from the Associated Press. Online it’s worse: everyone is trying to imitate television news by offering videos that barely skim the surface of the story and which are chock full of ads. If newspapers want to survive, they’ll need to get back to their local roots.

]]> By: Rowan http://bloggasm.com/vague-truisms-will-save-newspapers/comment-page-1#comment-83434 Rowan Sun, 10 May 2009 16:13:24 +0000 http://bloggasm.com/?p=2559#comment-83434 I have to agree with Jared. I get really tired of articles which have no actual details. I love a juicy indepth well researched article that is published over multiple days. Snippets, i.e. headline news, just doesn't cut it. Something else I have noticed is that those newspapers which have an online presence tend to use copy/paste from article to article. It doesn't matter if it is an original article or one sourced from the wires. I have to agree with Jared. I get really tired of articles which have no actual details. I love a juicy indepth well researched article that is published over multiple days.

Snippets, i.e. headline news, just doesn’t cut it.

Something else I have noticed is that those newspapers which have an online presence tend to use copy/paste from article to article. It doesn’t matter if it is an original article or one sourced from the wires.

]]> By: Jared O'Toole http://bloggasm.com/vague-truisms-will-save-newspapers/comment-page-1#comment-83423 Jared O'Toole Sat, 09 May 2009 21:30:40 +0000 http://bloggasm.com/?p=2559#comment-83423 Newspapers used to be about delivering news but now they’re about delivering information. So true. Now our news comes via real time on the social web. Newspapers need to deepen these stories and reveal the in-depth content for people. Newspapers used to be about delivering news but now they’re about delivering information. So true. Now our news comes via real time on the social web. Newspapers need to deepen these stories and reveal the in-depth content for people.

]]> By: Brent Finnegan http://bloggasm.com/vague-truisms-will-save-newspapers/comment-page-1#comment-83392 Brent Finnegan Fri, 08 May 2009 14:31:47 +0000 http://bloggasm.com/?p=2559#comment-83392 Agreed. It is getting to be overkill (and more than a little obvious). However, when you live in a one-newspaper town like I do, it still has value. It's the sort of thing I wish I could get the editors to read and adopt. The local paper here has recently blocked their reporters from social media site access and refuses to step into the 21st Century. Agreed. It is getting to be overkill (and more than a little obvious).

However, when you live in a one-newspaper town like I do, it still has value. It’s the sort of thing I wish I could get the editors to read and adopt. The local paper here has recently blocked their reporters from social media site access and refuses to step into the 21st Century.

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