Comments on: Reality Check for News: Guilt Trips Aren’t a Business Model

By: Jose Moreno

Jose Moreno — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 23:45:01 +0000

Just to add this fact: precisely today The Guardian announced it would be dropping its experiments is local reporting in Leeds, Cardiff and Edinburgh because they are “unsustainable”: http://paidcontent.org/article/419-the-guardian-cans-its-unsustainable-local-experiment/

By: Jose Moreno

Jose Moreno — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 00:05:48 +0000

“Local” is much less important in Europe than it is in the US. In many countries of Europe, “local” simply isn’t big enough to base a business model on. It may happen that “local” is only as big in the US.

I,ve been following Jeff Jarvis ideas for a long time and agree with most of them. But I still think that, in order to survive with a similar social role as today, media companies need something more radical. It still may not be to late to change the foundaitons of the digital business. We need a web that is intelligent enough to value the bits and pieces of information that flow through it. SmartMedia is the business model I’m proposing. Here’s what its all about: http://josemoreno.posterous.com/a-new-business-model-for-the-media

By: Yacko

Yacko — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 11:17:15 +0000

Not to mention the editor – reporter relationship.

As to: add instead of just reporting what has already been reported — which he calls “do what you do best and link to the rest”

Every national or world story should have a sidebar amplifying how the story affects local readers, individuals and businesses.

By: Mathew Ingram

Mathew Ingram — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 02:44:06 +0000

Those are good questions, Matt — I wish I knew the answers. All I know is that good writing and smart analysis should always have value, and theoretically may have even more than it used to, since the supply of the opposite seems to be increasing :-)

By: Matt Demers

Matt Demers — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 23:06:12 +0000

I’m wondering what implications this research holds for reporters, especially with the suggestion to outsource and crowdsource as a cost-cutting measure. Is the hope of working for one publication unfeasible for journalists?

This brings up further questions: I mean, with most publications wanting a complete and total lockdown when it comes to the rights of the work you produce, how are you supposed to be able to sell it to multiple publications? If publications aren’t prepared to pay you enough to justify your “exclusive” article (along with the research that goes along with it), won’t the quality of articles go down as a result?

Things to ponder, I suppose. As an upcoming j-grad, this scares the b’Jesus out of me.