Media in the New Millennium

By John Metzger

Mass-market adoption of electronic media is a serious threat to print – but not deadly. Not everyone wants to read everything on a computer screen or mobile device, and not all newspapers, magazines and books are going the way of smoke signals, carrier pigeons and Morse code. Some will survive. But, which ones, and how?

Some newspapers are succeeding in small and mid-size markets by focusing like laser beams on local news, with well-written, in-depth journalistic coverage that readers can’t get anywhere else. Unfortunately and at their peril, some papers no longer dig deep into the many interesting stories lurking below the surface. These once well-respected media outlets have chosen instead to cut staff, report less local news, and publish mostly national wire copy, which can be found elsewhere easier, cheaper and faster.

The metro dailies with a good chance of survival have found and are dominating a niche. The San Jose Mercury News’ with its now nationally recognized coverage of the technology industry is a great example. Trade magazines and specialty publications are still popular and for the same reason. They are often carried around for weeks at a time in briefcases and backpacks, and read on buses, planes or trains, and when there’s no handy Internet connection. Their readers relish the in-depth, insightful articles that only seasoned industry insiders can deliver.

Blogs are great, too, but of the many thousands, few are produced by professionals who write with objectivity, consistency, style and journalistic integrity. Reporters used to be held above the fray of emotional, opinionated public chatter. But instead of differentiating their craft with the value propositions of objectivism, completeness and fact-checked accuracy, newspapers are firing their veteran journalists, overworking the few who remain, and hiring college interns. Cheaper, yes. But not better.

And speaking of cheap, many newspapers are making huge mistakes, not only in reverting to this amateur coverage, but in allowing un-monitored comments to pollute their readers’ experience in their online versions. Anonymous and callous commentary now accompanies just about every story, with one smart-ass trying to out-do the other at every turn. Newspapers never used to publish every letter to the editor, so why would they now?

Not every newspaper and magazine is going to make it. But some will survive. Those that have a prayer would do well to focus on editorial quality and focus, and less on panicked cost cutting. Maybe journalism needs to hire a PR firm.

Share on Facebook