Newspapers and Social Media
From LoveToKnow SocialNetworking
Although newspapers and social media were once in direct competition, within the past five years they have formed some interesting alliances. In many cases, this is a prime example of "if you can't beat them, join them." As more people use the World Wide Web as a source of news information, less people are subscribing to the paper version of the newspaper.
The Demise of the American Newspaper
If video killed the radio song, did the Internet kill the American newspaper? Many people believe that it did. After all, even if you need the newspaper for the classified sections, why shell out two dollars for the Sunday paper when you can visit CraigsList at no cost? Those in search of employment can visit the various job sites, which often use video and other forms of social media to describe the position.
In a New Yorker Magazine article, Eric Alterman discussed a speech given by Rupert Murdoch to the American Society of Newspaper Editors. Apparently, Murdoch told the society that the news and information can no longer be controlled by a few select editors, and that people were not only interested in what happened, but why it happened. Additionally, they wanted the opportunity to discuss and debate the news with a wider community of readers.
The writing was on the wall, as indicated by the recent demise of the Rocky Mountain News, which is one of America's oldest newspapers. Other newspapers looked for unconventional, albeit controversial ways to save money and keep their newspaper alive. For example, in May of 2007, James MacPherson, editor of the Pasadena Now newspaper, decided it would be prudent to fire some of his full time reporters and hire writers from India for $7.50 an article. While this form of cost cutting may be a way to keep a newspaper alive, to some it seemed like a form of artificial resuscitation. In contrast, people like Arianna Huffington decided that it was time for newspapers and social media to get married.
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post began as an aggregation of political news and juicy political gossip, as well as a compilation of blogs that were written by Ms. Huffington's rather large circle of friends. Rather than simply report the news, Arianna's team searches for interesting headlines, writes a commentary and then invites readers to join in the discussion.
The Examiner: A Case Study of Newspapers and Social Media
There was once a time when people associated The Examiner with Rupert Murdoch's San Francisco Examiner. However, in February of 2004, Philip Anschutz of Clarity Media purchased the company. As such, the Examiner is now an online publication with pages for just about every state. Local writers, known as Examiners, write about politics, arts, culture, health, dining and any number of other topics. Social media such as slide shows, photos and video are used, and each article gives the reader the option to make comments. Although the Examiner is no longer owned by Rupert Murdoch, it's interesting to note that it is in alignment with the speech he made to the American Society of Newspaper Editors. Given its local focus, the control of the Examiner's content is decentralized and the ability for users to make comments represents Murdoch's concept of a community of readers.
How Newspapers are Using Social Media
Many other newspaper editors have decided to get with the program and use social media to their advantage. For example, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post all use Twitter to post their headline feeds. Other newspapers, such as the Summit Daily in Colorado are taking advantage of local talent. Last year, they asked local photographers to take their best shots of the area. The winning photos were compiled in a coffee table book, and sold for $39.95. Other news publications are creating online branded communities, which allow groups of users to chat about topics of interest to them.
Social media need not be the shot in the arm to the news industry. If used correctly, it can be a shot of adrenaline.
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