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June 09, 2008
Quotes of the Day
Sullivan on Curley, Loudoun; Thompson on the Right Questions
Some days it’s hard to choose one Quote of the Day for the Online Publishing Update when there are many that are interesting, humorous or poignant to choose from. Here are several that were up for consideration today:
Thompson: Asking the Right Question to Save Journalism
If what we want to ask is “How can we save serious, detailed, local investigative journalism?” then I suspect we can have a more focused and productive conversation if we actually asked that question. Ditto if the question is “How can we make sure the local school board meeting is covered?” When folks rightly say that there’s not going to be a one-size-fits-all answer to the problems plaguing journalism, it’s because we lack even a one-size-fits-all question. “How do we save The Newspaper?” certainly isn’t it.
Sullivan: ‘Innovation at Newspapers Won’t Succeed if the Organization Doesn’t Support It’
I don’t know a lot of the background on this but it’s a bummer that so many folks are taking one critical WSJ piece as a chance to kick Rob Curley and call into question everything he and the teams he’s created have brought to the craft of online journalism, data, multimedia and social, niche and hyperlocal websites.
If people would have actually rtfa*, instead of just the first 5 paragraphs then started foaming at the mouth for their chance to attack him, they’d see in multiple places that the WSJ discusses several internal challenges at the Washington Post that put a noose around LoudounExtra.com’s ability to gain an audience, integrate more community content and become a staple in the locals’ lives.
“Mr. Curley says whenever a big story breaks involving Loudoun County, the Post typically publishes it on Washingtonpost.com without a link to LoudounExtra. That deprives LoudounExtra of potential traffic. Nor does the Washingtonpost’s own dedicated Loudoun County page send visitors directly to its online sibling.”
This type of “us” vs. “them” in newsrooms has never lead to successful projects and from a marketing standpoint, this is pure suicide.
-- Will Sullivan in a blog post on Journerdism about LoudounExtra.com and the response to a recent Wall Street Journal article that called the project a “flop.” (*rtfa stands for "read the --- article")
Perez-Pena: Tribune Cuts May Lessen Original Reporting
Tribune executives did not address whether their new approach would mean heavier reliance on wire services like The Associated Press and Reuters. They were created specifically to allow newspapers to offer a far greater range of material, from far more places in the world, than their own staffs could possibly produce. But a newspaper dominated by wire articles would offer little that was original — and little temptation to a reader who could just as easily go to Google or Yahoo for news.
-- Richard Perez-Pena in a New York Times news analysis article on the planned cuts at Tribune Co. newspapers.
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