Amy’s Newspaper Challenge

Posted on July 8, 2008
Filed Under Blogroll, journalism, networked society |

My friend Amy Webb is angry at the newspaper industry and its seemingly contstant slashing of jobs and resources. She is now countering the wave of “tanking industry” stories with a challenge of her own.  Here’s what she writes: 

I’ve been woken up twice in the past week to our local NPR affiliate talking about how the Sun (my local paper) is basically going belly-up. Not a good way to start the morning.

I’ve decided to hold a contest. In essence, I’m giving away a month of free consulting to help a worthy newspaper break free from old habits and ancient workflow systems so that it may embrace change and adapt to the realities of a digital world. I’m offering to help the paper create near-term and long-term strategies for business, content delivery and new product development. Full details are here: http://www.mydigimedia.com

I’m passing the word along and curiously watching for any sign of intelligent life that may respond to Amy’s challenge from the other side. But I don’t think the whole industry is going the way of the dinosaurs.  We may be witnessing a Darwinian process what’s taking place as the mass communication sphere makes room for the new mode of communication.  The whole system is digesting the advent of digital stucco.

Being a child of TV, I do not yearn for the feel of paper in my hands as I know many people do.  Frankly, I’d rather be browsing non-linearly than struggling with an unruly stack of newsprint.  However, I do see the value that the newspaper culture can still offer to journalism and democracy in general by adapting and evolving with–not against–the times. They’d better listen to Amy. 

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