There is so much talk about saving the old archaic form of newspapers and job cuts for journalists everywhere, but newspapers need to step up and adjust their business strategy to the modern times! Problems with every industry’s dinosaurs have been brought to the surface through the recession, proving that those companies or industries need to do some major restructuring or throw in the towel.
The traditional newspaper needs some major formatting, content & multi-media adjustments to fit the culture of today’s reader. In today’s fast-paced, multi-tasking, information-driven society newspapers can no longer get away with the traditional dimensions, long involved stories and lack of multi-media support. I know some of these improvements mean a departure from “true journalism” but journalists also need to embrace the future and find innovative ways of keeping true journalism alive while making money and keeping their job!
One example of a newspaper that is doing a good job balancing the journalism and adjusting to the marketplace is the Chicago Tribune. Their redesign, content audit and format changes fit the market and the profile of today’s reader. Readers can more easily take their paper with them and read on-the-go. In addition, they have shorter stories, tickers and social media updates in the main section and to quickly give readers an overview of the news. However, they still provide in-depth stories, offer a “full” Sunday edition and use their website to provide more information & links to readers who want more. So kudos to them and hopefully it will prove to be successful and provide a model for other papers to follow (quickly) before they go the way of the dinosaurs.
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