Citizen journalism may yet save print
Few will be surprised to hear that the Bath Chronicle, at 247 years-old one of our longest established regional daily papers, blames ‘a fast changing multimedia world’ for going weekly. Old fashioned print is set to die off as we find far more exciting, cheaper and apparently more innovative ways to receive our news… or so we’re told.
But across the country on Teesside, Trinity Mirror is finding success with hyperlocal news delivered free and paid for with ultralocal advertising. The great technological innovation is that this new medium is printed on paper. (I don’t know why editorial is hyperlocal, while advertising is ultralocal, but reckon both should be ultra-.)
Each newspaper circulates within a single postal district and carries content from Teesside Gazette journalists and local bloggers, of whom 150 have been approved by the newspaper.
Says Teesside Gazette editor Darren Thwaites: ‘…the stuff we are getting in from the bloggers… has allowed us to… publish three weekly and three fortnightly [papers] in the most lucrative site areas.’
I suspect the reports of the death print journalism are well overstated. Paper remains a most flexible, convenient and cheap information technology. That news organisations have had trouble adapting is no great surprise, but this model could lead the way to a reconciliation of print and new media.
But how long before the Teesside Gazette’s 150 approved bloggers wonder why they’re not being paid or at least receiving a share of the advertising revenue their writing is bringing in for Trinity Mirror? I reckon about the same time journalists start losing their jobs as editors cut costs by giving bloggers more space.
Comments (One comment)
Fascinating post. This is a really promising development. My experience of regional press types is that they’re essentially foundering in the face of collapsing ad revs. This is the kind of really positive investment in local resources that’s going to save the medium…
Steve Bowbrick / September 5th, 2007, 4:11 pm / #
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