Millard Hoyle was the publisher of the Hollister Free Lance many years ago. He was a man well known and well liked in the San Benito County community, and he had a big influence on me going into journalism. Hoyle knew that if a community newspaper like the Free Lance is going to be successful, it needs to serve the public good by informing citizens with local news and providing a forum for diverse local opinion.
Hoyle, if he were alive today, might be sad to see that the end of an era for journalism is fast approaching. The days of print journalism – of news distributed on the ancient information storage and distribution system of paper and ink – are fast coming to a finish. It’s becoming increasingly harder for print news to compete with the speed and economic advantages of digital journalism.
I know people who hate the idea of not being able to read the news on printed pages as they sip their morning coffee. Unfortunately, the reality across America is that print journalism is now financially unsustainable. The Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism released a report in January predicting that as circulation and advertisement revenue continues to drop, the majority of print newspapers in America will be gone in five years. Those that don’t effectively start now in making a smart transition to adapt to digital in distributing the news will be extinct by the end of the decade.
Community news businesses have an incredible opportunity with digital journalism that will help them not only survive but thrive. It’s a fact that fewer people are reading news on printed pages. But it’s also a fact that more people are receiving their news on digital devices like smart phone and tablets like Apple’s iPad. The public is fast adapting to the technology that enables the media audience to receive news reports and updates almost instantaneously – and far faster than waiting for a printed paper on the driveway tomorrow morning.
Mobile devices are also changing the news landscape by empowering people to receive local news anywhere in the world. You could be in China or Australia and, with a digital device, find out the latest South Valley news stories just as fast as people who live here.
Print journalism’s old-fashioned business model is fast breaking down as digital journalism grows more cost effective and more time effective in publishing news. Adding to print news’s challenge is the escalating operating costs of producing and delivering an actual printed paper to subscribers’ porches or driveways.
Every community will lose without a source of local news. Professional reporters and editors not only provide vital information about local current events, they serve as watch-guards of the public trust, making elected officials, city employees and local businesses consider the potential community embarrassment if they get caught breaking the law or engaging in unethical activities.
So how can community news survive the rapid technological revolution the world of journalism is now undergoing? The first step is to face reality. Community newspapers must acknowledge that the audience for traditional print journalism is aging and also decreasing as digital devices proliferate. The second step is to start evolving news distribution effectively to the new 21st century paradigm. Modern media users want not only text and pictures but also well-done video and audio news reports that add value to their news experience.
Most importantly for their survival, community news businesses need to understand that today’s news audience wants interactivity from news providers. The anachronistic mind-set that digital devices are just a means of getting content to readers is deadly to the survival of local news media organizations. Technology and content must be treated as one and the same, each working with the other to engage readers, each used to provide more connectivity between news sources, reporters and editors to generate a higher quality experience for the news audience.
As an example of this, I’m now developing an exciting project with Robert Airoldi, the editor of the Morgan Hill Times, to empower the community to voice its collective opinion on local quality of life issues with in-depth monthly surveys. Information gleaned from these community surveys will make the Times a more effective leader in better targeting potential problems challenging the Morgan Hill community.
People in the South Valley need local news. Millard Hoyle knew that. He’d also be proud that our local newspapers are making the shift from print journalism to digital journalism to better serve the public good.
