Online Director Tips Hat to -- Newspapers in Print
Posted: 2/6/2008 | By: Pamela DeSalvo Landis
I am a daily subscriber to the Detroit Free Press. Although I work in "new" media as the director of web services for a large company in Detroit, I still think daily newspapers matter in the continuing conversation Americans must have to continue free democracy. Because I work in the online world and spend up to 50 hours a week online, I have seen stories lamenting the death of the newspaper as old, out of touch and no longer relevant.
The Freep used to be a Knight Ridder paper, and now that there is no Knight Ridder, it is a Gannett-owned property. I still don't understand why there is no Knight-Ridder. The company still made money, but not enough apparently. (There are a lot of companies who would be OK with making money. any money, just ask an auto company executive.)
Last week and the week before, the Detroit Free Press published a series of articles on that demonstrated to me why daily newspapers with their analysis, investigation and reporting still matter in a free society. In these stories, the Free Press, with a great deal of taste and restraint,
published a series of articles about the Detroit mayor's text messaging with his chief of staff.
The messages clearly indicate the Mayor and his chief were having an affair. Normally an extramarital affair with a
politician is not a big deal, but this Mayor and Chief of Staff had denied reports of it during a trial against the city by two fired police officers. The settlement from losing the trial cost cash-strapped Detroit taxpayers $9 million. The question of perjury and its cost to the city made it a public
interest story.
Now, the Free Press could have printed the more salacious text messages. The voyeur in me would love to see those. But they didn't. They did what was necessary to convey the story without hurting the involved families even further -- both mayor and his chief have children. The Mayor is married. The chief is divorced.
Beyond the story itself, the Free Press demonstrated to me why traditional mainstream media are still relevant and still in touch with its readers.
Let's face it -- no blogger could have ever committed the resources to do this story. Few online only news outlets could have done it either. The kind of reporting, analysis, editorial writing and resources that came with the stories were needed -- not only to keep the public informed about how the conduct of elected leaders affects their tax bills, but also to remind us that analysis on stories like this by grown-ups with experience is invaluable.
I read a posting somewhere recently by a blogger that newspapers aren't needed anymore, that bloggers are in touch with communities more than newspapers. The poster also wrote that analysis isn't needed, that instead
we can read and learn all we wanted unfiltered. He also wrote that editors who decide what's important and what's not by deciding what goes on Page 1 are doing a disservice.
I disagree. In a time where there is so much "news" available, where there is so much information out there competing for my time, analysis becomes even more important. I need editors who every day ponder what's most important. There's just no way I could go about my day looking at every blog, online news site or web gossip sheet.
I'd never get any work done and too often the information presented to me online lacks the context and background necessary for me to be fully informed.
From my point of view, the mainstream media isn't dead. Sure there are days when I read my newspapers and wonder about the silly stories, pedantic writing and sloppy editing. (But have you visited a perfect web site lately?) By and large, the MSM is vital in the public discourse. Last week, the Freep showed us why.
I just thought you'd want to know that despite all the doom and gloom people in your industry must be feeling, they should take note. Great reporting produces great stories that people will be talking about for a long time -- and that you can only get by plopping down 50 cents.
I was glad to pay my subscription last month and tip my carrier. It was worth it.
The Freep used to be a Knight Ridder paper, and now that there is no Knight Ridder, it is a Gannett-owned property. I still don't understand why there is no Knight-Ridder. The company still made money, but not enough apparently. (There are a lot of companies who would be OK with making money. any money, just ask an auto company executive.)
Last week and the week before, the Detroit Free Press published a series of articles on that demonstrated to me why daily newspapers with their analysis, investigation and reporting still matter in a free society. In these stories, the Free Press, with a great deal of taste and restraint,
published a series of articles about the Detroit mayor's text messaging with his chief of staff.
The messages clearly indicate the Mayor and his chief were having an affair. Normally an extramarital affair with a
politician is not a big deal, but this Mayor and Chief of Staff had denied reports of it during a trial against the city by two fired police officers. The settlement from losing the trial cost cash-strapped Detroit taxpayers $9 million. The question of perjury and its cost to the city made it a public
interest story.
Now, the Free Press could have printed the more salacious text messages. The voyeur in me would love to see those. But they didn't. They did what was necessary to convey the story without hurting the involved families even further -- both mayor and his chief have children. The Mayor is married. The chief is divorced.
Beyond the story itself, the Free Press demonstrated to me why traditional mainstream media are still relevant and still in touch with its readers.
Let's face it -- no blogger could have ever committed the resources to do this story. Few online only news outlets could have done it either. The kind of reporting, analysis, editorial writing and resources that came with the stories were needed -- not only to keep the public informed about how the conduct of elected leaders affects their tax bills, but also to remind us that analysis on stories like this by grown-ups with experience is invaluable.
I read a posting somewhere recently by a blogger that newspapers aren't needed anymore, that bloggers are in touch with communities more than newspapers. The poster also wrote that analysis isn't needed, that instead
we can read and learn all we wanted unfiltered. He also wrote that editors who decide what's important and what's not by deciding what goes on Page 1 are doing a disservice.
I disagree. In a time where there is so much "news" available, where there is so much information out there competing for my time, analysis becomes even more important. I need editors who every day ponder what's most important. There's just no way I could go about my day looking at every blog, online news site or web gossip sheet.
I'd never get any work done and too often the information presented to me online lacks the context and background necessary for me to be fully informed.
From my point of view, the mainstream media isn't dead. Sure there are days when I read my newspapers and wonder about the silly stories, pedantic writing and sloppy editing. (But have you visited a perfect web site lately?) By and large, the MSM is vital in the public discourse. Last week, the Freep showed us why.
I just thought you'd want to know that despite all the doom and gloom people in your industry must be feeling, they should take note. Great reporting produces great stories that people will be talking about for a long time -- and that you can only get by plopping down 50 cents.
I was glad to pay my subscription last month and tip my carrier. It was worth it.