Online News

How (Not) to Protect the Small-Town Newspaper

This is just another poor decision by the Missoulian (or Lee) that has led to it becoming a third rate paper behind the independent and this fine paper.

I live in Helena now, but like to stay up on Missoula news. Since I still travel there every month and alot of my shopping gets done there, I am still worth advertising to. Their paper is not readily available there and the website is useless. I hope that your advertisers realize this.

Thanks for the hard work guys.

I check up with New West a couple times a week, and for the most part enjoy the coverage. McLuhanisms aside though and as merely a reader, I'm a little suspicious when the media starts engaging in these little skirmishes. How much of it is editorializing and how much of it is salesmanship? My biggest hope is that sites like "New West" will break down the monopolization of these papers, not that the papers will cease to exist in this brave new world.
In these relatively early stages of online news, we've already seen the seeds of what is to come. Most online providers have expanded coverage for those that will pay (off the top of my head: NY Times, WashPost, espn.com) and other's make us watch 30 second car commercials before we can get the news. Call me a cynic, but one has to wonder if in twenty years or so, sites like "New West" will be oned by one giant conglomerate and complaining about those thieves at the local paper.

If the Missoulian realized how to direct traffic properly, they could make lots of money from their already large reader base. One example is they don't have RSS feeds. You'd think a newspaper would understand the possiblities of syndication. I've emailed several production suggestions to their webdev team, but received "meh"-like responses. Details like this in all capacities of their publication is why I don't read the Missoulian.

I TRIED TO READ THE SPOKANE NEWSPAPER ON LINE BUT IT ALWAY WANTS ME TO JOIN SO I DON'T READ THE PAPER ANYMORE JUST FIND SOME OTHER CLOSE BY THAT TELLS ME ABOUT SPOKANE , WHICH IS ALMOST THE SAME AS THE SPOKANE PAPER ANYWAY BUT FREE SO SORRY SPOKANE PAPER

In response to tr's comment above about the Missoulian's site not having RSS feeds...

Keep in mind that a number of publishers are still using some pretty old content management sytems to publish their web sites.

I can't speak for the Missoulian but it is possible that they don't even have the technical capabilty of delivering an RSS feed.

I work for a publisher with a similar problem and we're in the process of moving over to a more advanced platform that will allow RSS and other features that most online news readers demand these days - but it's very costly (time and money) to do.

Further, because the profit for the online news businesses are a drop in the bucket compared to print, convincing the power that be to invest in new online publishing technologies can be a difficult argument to make.

Food for thought.

I understand there's slack to be given to large corporations in regards to technology, but let me post part of an email from a Missoulian staffer.

(April 19)
"Currently our Publisher has requested we do not have an RSS feed but that could change - I will keep you posted if it does."

Why would a publisher make such a request? I can think of several possibilities, but none of them seem sufficient.

"Further, because the profit for the online news businesses are a drop in the bucket compared to print, convincing the power that be to invest in new online publishing technologies can be a difficult argument to make."

Especially when people want something for nothing. Look, even if you believe that the media, especially local newspapers, owe a certain public duty to provide good coverage (which I do), and even if you ignore the current trend toward greater and greater profitability for "shareholders" in the news "business" (wishful thinking), it costs money to produce a decent daily newspaper. And it costs money to produce quality web content. Having lived and visited around the country a fair bit, I can tell you that the Missoulian does a pretty good job for a paper of it's size, despite its dismal online content. So to hear people whine about having to pay for content or be subjected to ads...good grief, what world are you living in?

Besides, the way I look at it, I'm scamming the advertisers anyway, since they're paying big $$$ to put their message in front of me and I am simply, consciously, ignoring it. But sshh, don't tell them, they're paying for my news coverage.

What kills me about the Missoulian is that often the "exclusive" stories seem to be wire stories that you can read for free at any of the other fine Lee papers.

Responding to tr's comment of:
"Why would a publisher make such a request?"

I can only think of two reasons - fear or ignorance.

My guess is that the publisher is either afraid of the idea of losing their perceived control of the content or simply doesn't understand the value of RSS feeds. At the very least, he/she could push out the article title and summary with a link back to the full article if they don't want to publish a full feed.

Who knows...

Also, I want to apologize for posting anonymously but it is best for me given my employment (although since NewWest is published using ExpressionEngine, they have access to my IP address and know darn well where I work). :)

If New West is an example of this brave, new 21st-century model of journalism, then I'll take Old School any day. Your low-rent brand of barely noticeable content, with so many holes you could rename it Sponge West, hackneyed commentary and investor-subsidized news thievery is not only embarrassing journalistically, it's a rather large joke with no punch line. Hey Weber, do you actually do any work?

The Albuquerque Journal recently switched to the Salon model of online- you can watch an ad for free, or pay your eight bucks a month. Because one of my closest friends (and other people I like and respect) work there, I pay my money (because I want them to be employed) but find it irritating nontheless.

I'm going to respond to Lauren: I don't know you, but I do know Jonathan, and I know he works very, very hard.

Wow Lauren, that's an awefully nasty comment. Very bad form to enage in anonymous personal attacks, particularly when you baselessly accuse someone of not only laziness but "thievery." Strong words indeed, you have anything to support such an allegation? And how about putting your name behind your words?

Just to clarify relating to McGregor's comment, I don't have any issue with asking people to pay for content and certainly have no problem with advertising. I just think it's foolish to try and force people to read print if they prefer to read online.

Totally agree with you Jonathon. I would love to read my local newspaper online and save all that paper. AND I'd be willing to pay, to a point.

By the way, I've become a NewWest.net junkie. Love what all you HARDWORKING people are doing. Keep up the good work!

... and an artful dodge.
You still haven't addressed the fact that your content is pathetic, your commentary insipid, awful and shot through with the most inane and unthinking liberal cliches, and most of your "reporting" mere regurgitation, appended with occasional flecks of new information, of what real reporters have already accomplished -- which, by the way, is what gets done when you leave the office.
But this is the brave, new world of journalism, practiced by second-handers. Hey, I can link to stuff all day long too. Wow. Do you have medical?

It appears that lauren, in addition to having a bit of an axe to grind for some reason, needs some help with her English:

"...your content is pathetic, your commentary insipid, awful and shot through with the most inane and unthinking liberal..."

These would be OPINIONS, not FACTS. And misguided opinions, in my opinion.

Perhaps lauren should look elsewhere for her online news content....unless her tirade has a purpose that she isn't letting on about?

McGregor, thanks for the kind words.

Lauren (or whoever you are), to answer your question, we do in fact have medical. As to your gratuitous and insulting anonymous personal attacks, people are certainly free to decide for themselves if our journalism is worthy and worth their time (and lots of people apparently think it is). You're obviously entitled to your opinions, but if you're going to post here I'd ask that you skip the insults and and engage the conversation. Very irritating (and pointless for the readers) to get this kind of abuse from someone who hides behind a pseudonym.

I'm sitting in the newsroom of a small daily newspaper in eastern PA as I write. I think Jonathan's assessment is on the mark. The quest on the part of publishers for ever-growing profits is driving local, community newspaper journalism into the toilet. And the communities such media outlets serve are poorer for it.

It is a cross-media debate, worthwhile, both sides have good arguments. Each will mainly need to focus on their own quality and business success. I do take each a little too much for granted. Thanks for the news, good luck with the business models and maybe I'll try to do more to support each.

The Missoulian attempt to expand their print edition sales with richer sales & advertising rewards is understandable- if it works. They can try...people are stubborn about weaning off freebies.

Is the New West still considering print ventures? For sale or ad-supported? Different product type with different (longer form?) content or possibly going the other way than the subject of this article and using on-line content, neatly and colorfully compiled for use in a more leaisurely way that sitting in front of a computer screen (something I probably do too much of)? Utne Reader style, but your own content?

Or you could license content from others, affiliates and independents for inclusion if the price was right to both sides.

Print and online likely to co-exist for sometime since each has advantages. Print works good over breakfast, during commuting, or long trips or on porches or sitting outside somewhere nice. Online does great during the workday and freetime at home.

Perhaps someday (not too far off) each side moves closer together pushing content over broadband overnight (a paper and energy saver) and installed on a tablet for portability (smaller than a full sized, somewhat awkward newspaper). I could go for that at a consumer friendly price.

I was thinking aboout push of entire contents, rich with photos, even video.

I am not an early adopter, obviously, I dont have a tablet though they are already out there and I havent used self-selected RSS feeds relying on aggregator sites.

But maybe I will start using the later and maybe go for a tech upgrade soon too. Lots of choices for time and money.

Paper or screen?
As an ink-stained wretch who reads both print and online newspapers, journals, blogs, etc., I'm still trying to figure out where all of this is going. I suspect that the future of journalism can be found in Baghdad or Lebanon, where a modest backpack can carry a wireless laptop stuffed with software, still/video camera, microphone, tape or digital recorder, a satellite dish and satellite cell phone -- everything one needs to capture images, sounds, words and a sense of what's going on -- all for transmission to a news bureau, cable or blogs.
As a freelance writer, former Lee staffer and frequent New West blogger, I have extremely mixed feelings about today's journalism: bloggers jumping into the pool, media ownership concentration and media fragmentation, the loss of common media experiences, the rich diversity of media that winds up preaching to the choir and alienating "others," the oft-Luddite tendencies of management, the wild creativity of computer geeks, the making-it-up-as-you-go process of new business plans, my own geeky limitations (I didn't know what RSS was just a few months ago), and my attempts to maintain journalistic objectivity while advocating greater understanding of natural resource issues.
Ten years from now, towards the close of my career, I think we'll still have print newspapers and multi-media versions of news and views online -- photos, video, radio interviews, blogs and much greater symbiotic interaction between editors,
reporters and bloggers, with ever greyer lines between the camps. Gonna be a fun ride!

I'd like to point out to all the commenters on this thread that the comments from "lauren" above are from somebody at Lee Enterprises (parent company of the Missoulian). We know that from the IP address associated with the comment.

Hmm, wonder who that might be. Sure doesn't sound like a woman, for starters. Maybe I'll have to inquire with Lee as to whether they approve of their employees engaging in this sort anonymous, ax-grinding slander.

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