Comments on: L.A. Times should shut off its presses, Politico should network, and other advice from Jeff Jarvis

By: Phillip Pfaffman

Phillip Pfaffman — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 22:22:20 +0000

Mr. Jarvis discusses interesting aspects of how to manage the shifting realities of a news reporting enterprise, but I think there are essentials that come before, say, tactics of editorial staffing. The basic value proposition of such an enterprise is the selection of what is news, and the accurate and disciplined reporting of it. It is an expensive process, but it is essential to our democracy. We need to figure out a way that it can be pursued for a profit, and how to foster a self-monitoring competitive environment in which it can flourish.

By: Tom Davidson

Tom Davidson — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 20:09:39 +0000

Michael –

I tend to agree – but I’m also reminded of the wonderful advice from prod-dev folks: “Our opinions, while interesting, are meaningless.” So lets tease at your model a bit. Describe your model a bit deeper, please – especially what you mean by “versioned print” and “contextualized reporting.” I suspect you’re going down the path that some orgs (like the CR Gazette in my ancestral homeland) have announced, and others are working behind the scenes …

By: MichaelJ

MichaelJ — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 15:00:58 +0000

Re web only.

The best way to activate journalism. The worst way to make money.

The trick is to separate the content creation and storage from the delivery mechanism.

Filter and edit the right stuff for the right community at the right time. Then reinvent the ad sales process and use versioned print technology.

Then sell lots and lots of local ads to local business in a local area that is served by Print.

And tell global stories and national stories in the language of the people in the community who are going to scan the Print.

The web has unlimited real estate and a very low entry cost. Print has limited real estate and a very high entry cost.

IMHO, a web only strategy will never make enough money. A web +versioned print + contextualized reporting is a reliable way to support great journalism, and even make a profit.