Monday, April 20, 2009

Are newspapers irreplaceable?

By Storee Powell

Columnist Dave Berry wrote, “Newspaper readership is declining like crazy. I could write a pornographic sex scene here and nobody would notice.”


“Oh, Dirk,” moaned Camille as she writhed nakedly on the bed. “Yes, yes, yes, YES…”


“It was not always this way. There was a time when everybody read newspapers, whereas today, most people do not.”[1]


The Pew Research Center found 63 percent of Americans said they won’t miss their local paper if it goes down.[2] Despite readers’ feelings, research points to devastating affects for democracy if newspapers die. Newspapers are irreplaceable in a democratic system. However, to save the vital life-force, new and controversial ideas must be combined and instated to attract all audiences and make newspapers once again economically viable.


Implications for Democracy


A 2009 case study by Princeton University found that after The Cincinnati Post died in 2007, its absence made local elections less competitive along several dimensions. Municipalities that the Post covered in the past experienced a greater increase in incumbent advantage, a decrease in voter turnout, and fewer people ran for office after the paper’s closure.[3]


Also, it has been found that places with higher newspaper circulation per capita have less political corruption.[4]


What is the value of competitive elections?


Adsera, et al. said, “The degree of information of citizens curbs the opportunities politicians may have to engage in political corruption and mismanagement. Governmental performance improves as citizens have more precise knowledge on the policies adopted by politicians…the presence of a well-informed electorate in a democratic setting explains between one half and two thirds of the variance in the levels of governmental performance and corruption.”[5]


The Princeton study said, “News coverage potentially influences election outcomes in many ways. By revealing incumbents’ misdeeds or making it easier for challengers to get their message out, a newspaper may reduce incumbent advantage. Newspaper stories could also raise interest in politics, inspiring more people to vote or run for office.”[6]
What are newspaper’s roles in democracy?


According to researchers Adsera, et al., if a “control mechanism” such as a newspaper is set up, then “inefficiencies and corruption” of the politician are likely to be exposed to the public who can hold the violator accountable.[7]


Why can’t blogs, online news and television fill the newspaper’s void?


TV, blogs and online journalism are basically parasitic, taking most of their stories from newspapers. A well-read blog can multiply a story’s impact many times.[8] According to Salon journalist, Gary Kamiya, if newspapers die, so does reporting because the majority of original reporting is done by newspapers. Kamiya said former Los Angeles Times editor John Carroll estimated 80 percent of all online news originates in print.[9]


Maryland Senator Benjamin Cardin said the Pew Research Center reported a typical metro paper runs 70 stories a day compared to a half-hour of television news that includes only 10 to 12 stories. Furthermore, broadcast news follows the agenda set by newspapers. Usually, the broadcast news repeats the stories with less detail. Also, newspaper reporters build networks of people to create opportunities for new information.[10]


Kamiya explained professionally trained and experienced newspaper reporters produce the stories that blogs, online and television news synthesize their news from. A world without professional journalists to do face-to-face reporting will result in document-based reporting and academic-style research. Blogs and online news will erode the human process of journalism. Stories will no longer convey the truthful reality of a situation if reporters cannot experience the story firsthand, which enables them to pass this relation on to the readers, according to Kamiya.[11]


“The ideal of journalistic objectivity and fairness will increasingly crumble, to be replaced by more tendentious and opinionated reports,” said Kamiya. “The brave new media world will be one of tunnel vision and self-selected expertise, in which reported pieces are increasingly devoid of human interaction or human stories, often written by individuals who do not pretend to have a neutral stance.”


Another shortcoming of online news, Kamiya said, is that there’s currently no business model that makes online reporting financially viable. Original reporting requires lots of time, money and specialized skills—resources online news does not have. The Huffington Post, while a successful content-driven Web business, does very little original reporting for these very reasons.[12]


Saving the newspaper: A Multifaceted Approach


Since other mediums can’t do the newspaper’s job that democracy requires, and online news is financially improbable, it can be concluded that newspapers need to stay alive. Combining ideas is necessary to combat rising printing costs, declining advertising and circulation, and the growing number of internet users.

Frederick Jones, undergraduate winner of the Moeller Student Paper Competition of the Association for Education in Journalism, explained that before 1970, antitrust laws did not allow for anticompetitive business practices, monopolies, and price fixing. When newspapers began to struggle in the seventies, some attempted to go against the antitrust laws by combining their business functions. It was clear that newspapers needed an exemption so the marketplace of ideas could continue to flourish, Jones said. Thus, in 1970, the Newspaper Preservation Act was passed, which allows papers to combine business activities. Under these Joint Operating Agreements, there can be no merger of editorial staffs or editorial policies.[13]


In 2009, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urged the Justice Department to give newspapers even more leeway. Pelosi said that newspapers could share reporting and reporters, something currently not allowed. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder responded that he was open to adjusting antitrust laws if it would help newspapers stay afloat.[14]


Senator Cardin took Pelosi’s idea a step further in recent proposed legislation. Cardin introduced the Newspaper Revitalization Act which would allow local newspapers to choose to operate under nonprofit status for educational purposes, similar to public broadcasters. This arrangement would not allow newspapers to make political endorsements, but would permit editorializing and free reporting on all issues, including campaigns. Better yet, advertising and subscription revenue would be tax-exempt. Contributions to support coverage could be tax-deductible, and no federal taxpayer money would be used.[15]


While JOAs, shared reporting and nonprofit newspapers may sound unfamiliar, experimental and intimidating, it’s because they are. However, less than 15 cities in the U.S. still have competing daily newspapers, and many monopoly newspapers are struggling as well.[16] The year 2008 was the worst year in history for newspaper publishers, with shares dropping a stunning 83 percent on average.[17] Unless action is taken, newspapers will fold completely, and quickly. The unchartered territory will likely be awkward at first, but the rewards could outweigh the risk of a democracy without newspapers.


Dave Barry notes another problem with current newspaper trends. “Go to any newspaper today and you’ll see herds of editors…the vast majority of who are middle-aged Dockers-wearing white guys.”[18]


Professor of journalism at Utah State U., Ted Pease said diversity at newspapers in coverage and staff-makeup is seriously lacking in the departments of race, ethnicity, age and female gender.


“Although most large U.S. newspapers circulate in urban areas where the nonwhite population ranges into the 50 percent range and higher,” said Pease. “A variety of scholarly studies of news media performance show that coverage of minorities by those large metropolitan newspapers tends to account for only about 3 percent of their total news coverage. Further, more than half of white journalists and more than 70 percent of minority journalists surveyed in a national 1991 study said their own newspapers covered minority communities marginally or poorly.” [19]


Pease explained the lack of diversity is a problem because some 87 percent of all U.S. population growth through the turn of the century will be among "minorities" –African Americans, Asian Americans and Latinos. Essentially, newspapers that ignore the fast growing minority populations ignore these two business facts: 51 percent of blacks, 52 percent of Hispanics and 42 percent of Asian Americans read the newspaper every day, and between 1990 and 2000, more than 63 percent of the U.S. workforce, wage-earners and consumer, were women.


Pease said, “News organizations that fail to hold those wage-earners by delivering content and coverage that satisfy their needs will lose them.”[20]


Newspapers must diversify to be viable and appealing to modern U.S. audiences, including in the area of age. Because many of the “old white dudes” are out of touch with today’s youth, they are losing audiences quickly as the majority of their baby-boomer readership dies off. A 2007 Pew survey found more people, 35%, rely on internet for news rather than newspapers. Nearly six-in-ten Americans younger than 30 say they get most of their national and international news online.[21]


The internet’s power and influence cannot be overlooked by newspapers. The under-30 audience is the future readers of news. While tangible, printed papers are a necessity, so are online components which will attract the younger readers. Kamiya said internet is appealing to young people because it gives voice to people who would otherwise have no platform. It empowers readers by allowing bloggers to fact-check for themselves and criticize the “established press.” Letting readers actively take part in the news process gives them a sense of credibility that they feel has been lost by the “old media.” The old media has, Kamiya said, “too often been sclerotic, incompetent and driven by hidden corporatist, nationalist or reactionary agendas. The press’s catastrophic failure to question the Bush administration’s case for war in Iraq is the most glaring recent example.”[22]


In Paul Gillin’s How I Can Help Your Newspaper, he explains including online components will attract followers on Twitter, blogs and other social media, sparking youth’s interest in newspapers. Link-and-comment is the “foundation of blogging.” Readers don’t want to just be told the supposed facts anymore, they want to comment and criticize the stories and reporters. Creating Podcasts and Webcasts fulfills the desire for audio and visual. Also, syndicating material on the various mediums multiplies the impact of every story. Most importantly, writing for interactive readership must be different from traditional journalism.[23]


Can the “old white dudes” handle all of this? They most likely can’t. Young people of diverse backgrounds need to be hired by newspapers to infuse the bland with some color. Young people will write about topics appealing to their modern audiences and know how to use new online mediums. This doesn’t mean fire all the older reporters, however. Let young employees train the older ones how to use the online mediums and write stories in new ways. The value of older reporters keeps older audiences attracted and adds experience to a complex business.


Don Fry, published author said, “Newspaper stories don’t necessarily tell stories. Sometimes they package facts in space.”[24]


How can this be avoided? To argue the point of new writing style further, newspapers should not only engage in this online, but print as well. No doubt traditional style has its purpose, but to attract readers and increase credibility, stories can’t just package facts anymore. Professor of Journalism, Alice Klement, said breaking the rules does not mean losing commitment to craft. Rather, it means newspapers are willing to try unusual sources such as non-experts, or use a different style, like writing a story in first person. Reporters who write about themselves will reveal the reporting process, the questions they ask themselves and engage readers by simply explaining how and why they got the story.[25] Letting readers know of the real difficulties of reporting such as source betrayal or ethical questions will make readers more understanding and less distrustful of newspapers.


Professor of English, Carolyn Matalene, said these kinds of journalists will ask themselves self-conscious questions, calling attention to their own acts of writing. Include the questions with the printed story. Allow the reporter to write a foreword outlining the questions and explaining their process. Matalene said, “Questions such as: How should this story be told? What if the sources do the telling? What is my role? How has covering this story changed who I am? What about my own story?”[26]


Conclusion


Miami Herald writer, Leonard Pitts Jr. said, “Sixty-three percent of all Americans think they won’t miss the daily paper? I think 64 percent of all Americans are wrong.”[27]


Newspapers are mandatory for a good democracy. Citizens need this information to create the kind of society they want, whether they think so or not. However, newspapers, reporters, readers and government cannot be afraid to sail in unchartered waters. Revamping newspapers will require new techniques and combining innovative ideas like new writing styles, JOAs, nonprofit newspapers, and using new mediums.


Senator Cardin concluded, “Thomas Jefferson, a man who was frequently vilified by newspapers, summed it up best when he said: ‘If I had to choose between government without newspapers, and newspapers without government, I wouldn't hesitate to choose the latter.’”[28]


Endnotes


[1] Barry, Dave. “Read All About It, Dude.” Telling Stories Taking Risks: Journalism at the Century’s Edge. Ed. Klement, Alice, Carolyn Matalene. Belmont: Thompson Learning Inc. 2003: 230.

[2] Pitts Jr., Leonard. “Don't Expect Sympathy Cards from Crooks, Corrupt Politicians.” The Miami Herald 18 Mar. 2009. 16 Apr. 2009 .

[3] Schulhofer-Wohl, Sam, Miguel Garrido. Do Newspapers Matter? Evidence from the Closure of The Cincinnati Post Discussion Papers in Economics #236, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, 13 March 2009: 19.

[4] Adsera, Alicia, Carles Boix, Mark Payne. Are you being served?: Political Accountability and Quality of Government. Working Paper #438, Inter-American Development Bank, Research Dept., U. of Chicago and U. of Illinois, Nov. 2000: 4 .

[5] Adsera, et al. 41.
[6] Schulhofer-Wohl and Boix, 8.
[7] Adsera, et al. 7.
[8] Schulhofer-Wohl and Boix, 7.

[9] Kamiya, Gary. “The Death of the News.” Salon 17 Feb. 2009. 16 Apr. 2009 .

[10] Cardin, Benjamin L. Special Commentary. “Cardin: Why Newspapers Need Saving.” The Washington Post 5 Apr. 2009. 16 Apr. 2009 .

[11] Kamiya, Gary. “The Death of the News.”
[12] Kamiya, Gary. “The Death of the News.”
[13] Jones, Fredrick. The Newspaper Preservation Act: Is It a Necessary Loophole in Antitrust Laws? Moeller Student Paper Contest, Indiana University, 1980. Bloomington, ERIC. Microfiche, 1981: 3-4.

[14] Mikkelsen, Randall. “U.S. Law Chief Open to Antitrust Aid for Newspapers.” Reuters 18 Mar. 2009. 16 Apr. 2009 .

[15] Cardin, Benjamin L. Special Commentary. “Cardin: Why Newspapers Need Saving.”
[16] Schulhofer-Wohl and Boix, 1.
[17] Kamiya, Gary. “The Death of the News.”
[18] Barry, Dave, 231.
[19] Pease, Edward C. “Why Should We Care?”
[20] Pease, Edward C. “Why Should We Care?”
[21] Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. “Internet Overtakes Newspapers as News Outlet.” Pew Research Center for the People and the Press News Interest Index. 23 Dec. 2008. 16 Apr. 2009 .

[22] Kamiya, Gary. “The Death of the News.”

[23] Gillin, Paul. “How I Can Help Your Newspaper.” Newspaper Death Watch. 16 Apr. 2009 .

[24] Fry, Don. Foreword. Telling Stories, Taking Risks: Journalism at the Century’s Edge. By Ed. Klement, Alice, Carolyn Matalene. Belmont: Thompson Learning Inc. 2003: XV-XVI.

[25] Klement, Alice M. Preview. “At the Century’s Edge.” Telling Stories, Taking Risks: Journalism at the Century’s Edge. By Ed. Klement, Alice, Carolyn Matalene. Belmont: Thompson Learning Inc. 2003: XI.

[26] Matalene, Carolyn B., 1-3.
[27] Pitts Jr., Leonard. “Don't Expect Sympathy Cards from Crooks, Corrupt Politicians.”

[28] Cardin, Benjamin L. Special Commentary. “Cardin: Why Newspapers Need Saving.”


Bibliography


Adsera, Alicia, Carles Boix, Mark Payne. Are you being served?: Political Accountability and Quality of Government. Working Paper #438, Inter-American Development Bank, Research Dept., U. of Chicago and U. of Illinois, Nov. 2000 http://www.iadb.org/res/publications/pubfiles/pubwp-438.pdf.


Barry, Dave. “Read All About It, Dude.” Telling Stories Taking Risks: Journalism at the Century’s Edge. Ed. Klement, Alice, Carolyn Matalene. Belmont: Thompson Learning Inc. 2003: 230-32.


Cardin, Benjamin L. Special Commentary. “Cardin: Why Newspapers Need Saving.” The Washington Post 5 Apr. 2009. 16 Apr. 2009 http://www.statesman.com/opinion/content/editorial/stories/04/05/0405newspapers_edit.html.


Fry, Don. Foreword. Telling Stories, Taking Risks: Journalism at the Century’s Edge. By Ed. Klement, Alice, Carolyn Matalene. Belmont: Thompson Learning Inc. 2003: XV-XVI.


Gillin, Paul. “How I Can Help Your Newspaper.” Newspaper Death Watch. 16 Apr. 2009 http://www.newspaperdeathwatch.com/services-for-newspaper-publishers.


Jones, Fredrick. The Newspaper Preservation Act: Is It a Necessary Loophole in Antitrust Laws? Moeller Student Paper Contest, Indiana University, 1980. Bloomington, ERIC. Microfiche, 1981.


Kamiya, Gary. “The Death of the News.” Salon 17 Feb. 2009. 16 Apr. 2009 http://www.salon.com/opinion/kamiya/2009/02/17/newspapers/.


Klement, Alice M. Preview. “At the Century’s Edge.” Telling Stories, Taking Risks: Journalism at the Century’s Edge. By Ed. Klement, Alice, Carolyn Matalene. Belmont: Thompson Learning Inc. 2003: XI.


Matalene, Carolyn B. Introduction. Telling Stories, Taking Risks: Journalism at the Century’s Edge. By Ed. Klement, Alice, Carolyn Matalene. Belmont: Thompson Learning Inc. 2003: 1-3.
Mikkelsen, Randall. “U.S. Law Chief Open to Antitrust Aid for Newspapers.” Reuters 18 Mar. 2009. 16 Apr. 2009 http://www.reuters.com/articlePrint?articleId=USN1835208520090318.


Pease, Edward C. “Why Should We Care? The Philosophical and Economic Arguments for Media Diversity.” Online posting, 15 Feb. 2009. Get Media Smarts BlogSpot. 16 Apr. 2009. Still the Invisible People: Job Satisfaction of Minority Journalists at U.S. Daily Newspapers. Athens, OH: Ohio University, 1991 http://www.usu.edu/journalism/faculty/pease/whydiversity.html.


Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. “Internet Overtakes Newspapers as News Outlet.” Pew Research Center for the People and the Press News Interest Index. 23 Dec. 2008. 16 Apr. 2009 http://people-press.org/report/479/internet-overtakes-newspapers-as-news-source.


Pitts Jr., Leonard. “Don't Expect Sympathy Cards from Crooks, Corrupt Politicians.” The Miami Herald 18 Mar. 2009. 16 Apr. 2009 http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/leonard-pitts/v-print/story/955386.html.


Schulhofer-Wohl, Sam, Miguel Garrido. Do Newspapers Matter? Evidence from the Closure of The Cincinnati Post Discussion Papers in Economics #236, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, 13 March 2009.

1 comment:

  1. I'm pleased you've posted your research, Storee. I hope it prompts some comments on the issue.

    ReplyDelete