How To Restore Journalism

Every since I have been taking journalism classes, rather it’s a simple intro class, to a more advanced magazine writing class, the theme has been the same: journalism is dying a slow death. Now you may think, what exactly do you mean when you say that journalism is dead? To be more specific, let’s just focus on the newspaper aspect of journalism. Let me give a few statistics so you can fully understand what I mean:

• Audit Bureau of Circulations show average weekday circulation fell 8.7 percent in the six months (from September 2009 – March 2010)
• Sunday circulation (of all newspapers in America) fell 6.5 percent (from September 2009 – March 2010)
• The San Francisco Chronicle's weekday circulation dropped nearly 23 percent from 2009 to 2010
• The Washington Post, average weekday circulation fell 13.1 percent to 578,482 and dropped 8.2 percent to 797,679 on Sundays.
• USA Today lost 13.6 percent of its circulation

Circulation

If you are not sure what circulation is, it’s simply the number of copies a newspaper distributes on an average day. Circulation is not always the same as copies sold since some newspapers are distributed without cost to the reader. Also, it is assumed that the actually readership stats (the amount of people who just read the paper) are higher than circulation stats (the amount of people who purchase the paper) since one paper is typically read by more than one person. For instance, Dad picks up the paper at the gas station. Mom reads the gossip columns, kids read the funnies, and grandpa checks out the sales on a tool kits.

Why journalism is dying

Now that we have the statistics out of the way, the question to ask now it why? Why are all of these newspapers failing? It’s actually a simple answer: technology. Technology has completely changed the way that people receive the news. How easy is it to get online and access your local news with the click of a button? Very! And how much does it cost you? Nothing! The internet, cell phones, even I-pods allow you to get news without having to leave your home.

Why the newspaper is important

News obviously can be obtained elsewhere, not just from the paper. The TV and radio also gives you reports. But what about the classified ads? A lot companies still use this section to post ads. What about the funnies that we all read as a child? Of course times are changing, but the newspaper is a classic component to American history. Online news is very convenient and fast, but it’s not always accurate. Not to mention that our older generation is not savvy like our “now” generation. While a lot of seniors are becoming more familiar with the internet and computers in general, a pretty high number of our parents and grandparents have no idea what a “browser” is.

What is replacing the newspaper?

The paper consists of a lot more than just hardcore news. Let’s revisit the topic of the classifieds again. Internet sites such as craigslist and ebay have pretty much taken over when it comes to selling. In the Ann Arbor news (a paper that is slowing failing) they have a section called spotlight, which gives the readers an outlook on local events. With social sites such as Facebook and Twitter, the newspaper can’t hold a candle. Events, parties and other social events are the sole reason some people create their account, since you can access thousands of people so easily. Even checking the weather in the paper has been replaced by I-phone and Blackberry apps, as well as the advice columns, games and sport updates.

How to bring the newspaper back

Many have attempted to restore the journalism economy, but none have successfully succeeded…yet. However, there are a few online publications that have already started using a pay model:

• Newspaper: Daily Gazette
City: Schenectady, New York
Average paid circulation: 44,242
Pricing plan: Online-only subscriptions are available for $2.95 a week; while print subscribers, who pay $3.00 a week for home delivery, can pay an additional penny each week to also get unlimited access to the website as well as to an electronic edition. Blogs, AP stories, TV schedules, photo galleries, and breaking news remain free.
When pay wall was introduced: August 2009, although the paper was already charging readers to access the electronic edition
Results: Website traffic has plummeted by 40 percent in the three weeks since the Gazette started charging for most of its online content, including obituaries, managing editor Judy Patrick tells us. But she says “online subscriptions are slowly building.” There are 670 online-only subscribers.

• Newspaper: Valley Morning Star
City: Harlingen, Texas
Average paid circulation: 23,294
Pricing plan: Online-only subscriptions are available for 75 cents a day, $3.95 a month, or $39.50 for the year. Daily print subscribers get free access to web content and also to an e-edition of the paper. Weekend subscribers have to pay an additional $3.16 per month for online access, while Sunday-only subscribers have to pay $3.56 a month. Event listings, obituaries, AP stories, video, blogs, and classifieds all remain free.
When pay wall was introduced: July 2009
Results: A representative did not respond to a request for comment, but since the Morning Star started charging for online content in mid-June, another Freedom Communications daily, the Lima News, has followed suit. Traffic to the Morning Star’s website was actually slightly up in July.

• Newspaper: Albuquerque Journal
City: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Average paid circulation: 101,810
Pay model: The Journal charges $110 a year (or $38.25 for three months) for full access to the paper’s website, along with an electronic edition of the paper. Readers can also pay $185 a year for a subscription to the print edition, the electronic edition and online access. Alternatively, they can pay $153 a year for home delivery and online access.
When pay wall was introduced: 2001
Results: Assistant Managing Editor Donn Friedman says that between 1,500 and 2,000 people pay extra each month for some sort of additional online access—a number that he says has “remained fairly consistent” over the past eight years. Each month, about 300 people who go to the site and then see a notice saying that they need either an online or print subscription to access online content sign up for some sort of subscription, he says. Paid daily circulation is down about 6 percent since the newspaper instituted the pay wall. Asked whether it has been a success, Friedman says, “We are still committed to the print retention model and the idea that our content has value.”
Comment: The rival Albuquerque Tribune was shut down last year, although the Journal still competes with the Santa Fe New Mexican, although it has a smaller staff.


These are just a few examples of papers using a pay model. They haven’t exactly reached The New York Times circulation of success, but it is a start.

Here are some other ideas to jumpstart the journalism economy (that are easier said than done, of course):
• Start buying the paper on your own! Every time you stop at a liquor store or gas station, find some loose change and grab a paper
• Encourage others around you to buy the paper as well
• Subscribe to an online publication, even if it’s just the Sunday paper