Breaking News:

Print Media in Jeopardy

Issue 1- November 2011

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Table of Contents

A Letter From the Editor ………………… 3 The Harsh Reality …………………………… 4-5 A Profession in Trouble Facing the Facts …………………………….. 6-8 Statistics Making Fun of Fear ………………………… 9 Interview ……………………………………….. 10-11 Stephen J. Nesbitt- The Michigan Daily Sports Editor Spotlight: Digital Subscriptions………. 12-13 A Convergence Curriculum ……………. 14-15 What Can Be Done? ………………………… 16 Solutions Resources ………………………………………. 17

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A Letter From the Editor- Breaking news—the future of real, genuine breaking news may be in jeopardy. Newspapers around the country are closing up shop, media corporations are downsizing their print markets,

and journalists are finding themselves without a job and steady income. Who and what is the culprit?

The Internet. The line between professional journalism and amateur online news blogging is quickly being erased. In the face of new technology, professional journalists are losing their jobs and news corporations are losing a record amount of money. This magazine is my first step in taking a stand—giving journalists the credit they deserve and helping them take the profession back into their own hands.

Aspiring Journalist, Meaghan T. O’Connor

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A Harsh Reality

A transition to digital journalism poses several problems for professional journalists: corporate consolidation struggle to make a profit online adapting decline of news quality difficult task of bringing a community together

“Professional journalists are left very few options—adapt their writing style to what readers will enjoy, or face extreme

economic and professional instability” (O’Connor 1).

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A Harsh Reality “There used to be a time when most individuals read their daily headlines on local or national newspapers. Readers are now turning to online news media to better suit their fast-pace, technology-driven lives” (O’Connor 2).

“Now that modern-day consumers are constantly moving from one thing to the next, journalists must fit

everything they need to say into a small amount of space, while also presenting the information as sensational and interesting” (O’Connor 6).

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0  10  20  30  40  50  60  

Percent  (All  that  apply)  

What  discourages  you  from  purchasing  print  media?    

Facing the Facts In an online survey of my family and friends…

Every  Day  6%   A  Few  Times  per  

Week  4%  

A  Few  Times  per  Month  33%  Rarely  

42%  

Never  15%  

On  average,  how  frequently  do  you  pay  for  print  media  sources?  

Would  you  consider  print  media  your  primary  news  source?    Yes     26.6%    No       77.7%  

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0  

20  

40  

60  

80  

Yes   No  

Percent  

*such  as  an  online  edition  of  a  magazine  or  newspaper    

Would  you  pay  for  an  online  subscription  to  a  print  media  counter-­‐part?*  

Optimistic-­‐  There  will  

always  be  jobs  available.  

Pessimistic-­‐  Pretty  soon,  everything  will  move  online  and  print  

media  will  no  longer  exist.  

Indifferent-­‐  The  future  of  print  media  is  not  important  

to  me.  

Other  

What  do  you  consider  to  be  the  future  of  print  media?  

Do  you  view  online  versions  of  print  media  (such  as  online  periodicals,  magazines  websites,  or  media  apps)?    Yes     89.4%    No       11.7%  

Facing the Facts

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Facing the Facts speaking out…

Do you have any potential solutions for individuals looking toward a future in print media?

“I think these things are just moving in a new direction; many of the jobs in print journalism will still exist, they

will just be translated to new media or carry new job requirements.”

“Be the BEST in your particular area of expertise, and make your articles and their headings/titles interesting to read.”

“Make a huge deal about an article or mag that can be seen online. Allow others to

purchase it online and have it sent to their homes immediately as well.”

“SOCIAL MEDIA!”

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Making Fun of Fear

What will be left of print media after

online journalism drives it to the media

graveyard?

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Is it really a problem worth laughing about?

 I  sat  down  with  Stephen  J.  Nesbitt,  a  Michigan  Daily  Football  Writer/Sports  Editor  and  asked  him  a  few  questions  about  the  future  of  print  journalism-­‐  surprisingly;  he’s  still  plenty  optimistic. Q:  Has  The  Michigan  Daily  encountered  any  new  challenges  in  regards  to  maintaining  your  audience?      A:  We've  had  challenges,  in  a  certain  sense,  yes.  The  nature  of  media  is  always  changing,  but  never  more  so  than  today.  Everything  is  going  digital,  away  from  the  print  journalism  of  old,  and  we've  had  to  adapt  by  going  online  with  all  of  our  content.  We  still  run  a  five-­‐day  paper  like  we  have  since  the  early  1890s,  but  we've  added  online  as  a  completely  separate  entity.    Q:  Do  you  think  U-­‐M  students  still  like  to  read  print  newspapers?    A:  Interesting  question.  To  be  honest,  I'm  not  sure.  I  enjoy  reading  it,  but  even  I  tend  to  read  most  everything  online.  There's  something  very  special  to  see  your  words  or  anyone  else's  in  print  —  something  tangible,  credible  —  but  it's  simply  not  as  convenient  as  the  online  outlet.  We  know  that  our  print  editions  are  picked  up  every  day,  although  our  numbers  aren't  quite  as  large  as  other  universities  like  Michigan  State.  But  as  far  as  what  goes  beyond  merely  glancing  over  the  front  page,  I'm  not  sure.  It's  up  to  us  to  make  sure  we  package  our  pages  in  such  a  way  that  it's  an  experience  you  simply  can't  get  online  and  makes  you  crave  the  print  edition  of  the  Michigan  Daily.            

Interview Stephen J. Nesbitt

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 Q:  What  do  you  consider  the  most  important  aspect  of  your  print  edition?    A:  Sort  of  got  ahead  of  myself  there,  but  I  think  it's  the  all-­‐encompassing,  well-­‐rounded  coverage  that  we  can  give  the  reader.  As  a  newspaper  staff,  we  can  package  together  six  different  staffs  —  news,  sports,  arts,  opinion,  design  and  photo  —  into  one  print  paper  that  you  can  hold  in  your  hands.  You  don't  have  to  go  clicking  all  over  different  links  to  find  your  banner  headline  news,  opinions,  sports  articles—they're  connected  with  the  best  work  from  photographers.  It's  that  package  deal  that  we  can  give  readers  that  makes  it  different  than  what  we  do  online.    

 Q:  You  already  have  an  interactive  news  website—  is  this  medium  more  popular  than  your  print  edition?    A:  I  can't  say  this  with  100-­‐percent  certainty,  but  I  would  say  it  is.  That's  

mainly  because  we  aren't  a  nationwide  paper,  you  can't  pick  up  the  print  edition  of  our  paper  if  you're  not  on  campus.  Even  if  you're  in  town,  you  have  to  step  into  a  campus  building  to  grab  a  paper.  With  online  we  can  have  alums  across  the  world  access  our  daily  coverage  on  their  time.  That  not  only  gives  us  a  wider  sphere  of  influence,  but  it  also  gains  us  credibility,  popularity  and  exposure  to  professional  newspapers.      Q:  Do  you  have  any  thoughts  or  concerns  about  print  media  or  jobs  in  print  media  that  you  would  like  to  share?    A:  I  can't  emphasize  enough  how  much  of  a  thrill  it  is  to  see  your  article  —  something  you've  poured  over  and  created  —  be  found  across  campus  in  the  print  edition  of  our  paper.  It  might  sound  cheesy,  but  you  really  do  get  a  rush.  That  definitely  is  not  duplicated  with  stories  online;  it  almost  feels  too  easy.  At  the  same  time,  we  know  that  everything  is  going  toward  online  journalism.  That's  why  we're  so  active  on  Twitter,  Facebook  and  our  own  web  site.  Amazingly  enough,  this  job  at  the  Michigan  Daily  can  get  us  jobs  straight  out  of  college.  Good  jobs.  Without  a  journalism  school  at  Michigan,  you'd  think  that  impossible.  But  in  the  last  two  years  we've  sent  writers  from  the  sports  section  alone  to  NBC,  USA  Today,  the  Bloomington  Herald-­‐Times,  ESPN,  The  Wolverine  and  beyond.    

Interview Stephen J. Nesbitt continued…

If you’d like to read more, please visit

http://www.michigandaily.com 11

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Spotlight Digital Subscriptions

“This week marks a significant transition for The New York Times as we introduce digital subscriptions. It’s an important step that we hope you will see as an investment in The Times, one that will strengthen our ability to provide high-quality journalism to readers around the world and on any platform. The change will primarily affect those who are heavy consumers of the content on our site and on mobile applications” (Sulzberger, 2011). 13

NY Times “Letter to Our Readers About Digital Subscriptions”

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Spotlight Digital Subscriptions

Apple Launches Subscriptions on the App Store

“We believe that this innovative subscription service will provide publishers with a brand new opportunity to expand digital access to their content onto the iPad, iPod touch and iPhone, delighting both new and existing subscribers” (Muller and Neumayr, 2011). 15

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A Convergence Curriculum

“About 60% of U.S. journalism schools are preparing students to work across multiple

media platforms… and nearly 85%, or almost nine out of ten of the 240 university programs

surveyed, have adopted or were in the process of adopting convergence curriculum” (Castañeda,

Murhpy, and Hether 57). 18

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What are educational institutions doing in response?

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A Convergence Curriculum

Are journalism schools really just taking a step back? New courses focused on media convergence may: • Slow down learning • Decrease proficiency in each specific medium • Encourage journalists to give up what makes them unique as

professional writers and reporters in the first place—their own voice and the special training that sets them apart

• Change traditional reporting to informal, online blogging; ultimately losing a sense of professionalism and in-depth quality

Journalism Schools on Facebook: Promoting the Problem?

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What Can Be Done? Solutions

“Professional journalists will have to come together to defend their profession, interests, and writing standards” through labor organization and action (O’Connor 9).

“A united front with strong labor unions and articles that explain the importance of a professional ‘seal’ will encourage consumers to read and trust these sources

over other unprofessional ones available online” (O’Connor 9).

“They will have to capitalize on print journalism’s most endearing and valuable quality—its ability to act as a permanent keepsake and reminder of important national and community events” (O’Connor 10).

Promoting the traditional value of print media.

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Resources

1. “Technology Support.” Apple Computer Resource Group. Web. 9 Nov. 2011. www.resourcesforlife.com/apple 2. “Current Events Home.” Current Events Manhattan Beach. Web. 9 Nov. 2011. http://currenteventsmb.com 3. “Apple May be Developing Coding Standard for iPad Magazines.” Fusion Group. Web. 9 Nov. 2011.

http://ultimate-directory.net 4. “Create Digital Magazine.” FileBuzz. Web. 9 Nov. 2011. www.filebuzz.com 5. “Search Engine Optimization.” SS Digital Media. Web. 9 Nov. 2011. http://ssdigitalmedia.com 6. Luscombe, Belinda. “Ann Arbor Kills Its Newspaper—To Save It.” Time Magazine U.S. Web. 11 Nov. 2011.

http://unitymedianews.com 7. “Online Journalism is Elementary For These Students.” eSchool News. Web. 11 Nov. 2011.

www.eschoolnews.com 8. Mokey, Nick. “Will Digital Magazines Die or Deliver on Apple’s iPad.” Digital Trends. Web. 12 Nov. 2011.

www.digitaltrends.com 9. Sandlin, Michelle. Houston Relocation Blog. Web. 12 Nov. 2011. www.houstonrelocationblog.com

10. “How Do Journalists Tell the News?” Trends in Journalism. Web. 12 Nov. 2011. www.hansenca.wordpress.com

11. “The Death of Print Journalism.” WordPress Blog. Web. 12 Nov. 2011. http://spezzini4bu.wordpress.com 12. The Michigan Daily. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. www.michigandaily.com 13. Sulzberger, Arthur Ochs. “A Letter to Our Readers About Digital Subscriptions.” The New York Times. Web.

14 Nov. 2011. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/18/opinion/l18times.html 14. McBride, Leah. “NYT iPad App Ad Space Sold Out, Paywall Subscriptions Up.” NewsBizBlog. Web. 14 Nov.

2011. www.newsbizblog.org/ 15. Muller, Trudy and Tom Neumayr. “Apple Launches Subscriptions on the App Store.” Apple. Web. 15 Nov.

2011. http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2011/02/15Apple-Launches-Subscriptions-on-the-App-Store.html 16. Coddington, Mark. “This Week in Review: Things Get Testier at News Corp., Google+ Makes an Identity

Compromise.” Nieman Journalism Lab. Web. 15 Nov. 2011. www.niemanlab.org 17. “Finishing the Movie, Starting the Project.” Journalism 1. Web. 15 Nov. 2011. www.central.hcrhs.k12.nj.us 18. Castañeda, Laura, Sheila Murphy, and Heather Jane Hether. “Teaching Print, Broadcast, and Online

Journalism Concurrently: A Case Study Assessing a Convergence Curriculum.” Journalism & Mass Communication Educator 60.1 (2005): 57-70. Web. 9 Nov. 2011.

19. Missouri School of Journalism. Facebook. Web. 15 Nov. 2011. www.jschoolbuzz.com 20. “eMarketer: Digital Newspaper Revenues Spike, Continue to Suppress Traditional Print Media.” Mobile

Marketing Watch. Web. 15 Nov. 2011. www.mobilemarketingwatch.com 21. Nesbitt, Stephen J. Personal interview. 15 Nov. 2011. 22. O’Connor, Meaghan. “News in Small Doses.” Print. 19 Nov.2011

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