New Influencer » Traditional Media

Internet Trumps Print as News Source

Jiyan — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 16:13:01 +0000

From the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press:

The internet, which emerged this year as a leading source for campaign news, has now surpassed all other media except television as a main source for national and international news.

The flip-flopping of print and the Internet as the main news source for the broader online population was inevitable given the rapid proliferation of broadband access as well as the vast intrinsic advantages of online versus print. There is probably a natural inclination to think that the elections had a lot to do with the trend however a quick glance at the top news stories for 2008 indicates that four of the top five stories (followed very closely) had to do with the economy.

I wonder if the urgency that has surrounded the financial crisis was a catalyst for the shift to online from print as more people decided they wanted their information in real-time as opposed to the next morning.

The research does raise some interesting questions such as A) What are the sources that people are turning to online? Are people just turning to the online version of mainstream publications or are they turning to news aggregators and/or blogs?

PRWeb Case Study on Menus that Talk

Jiyan — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 19:00:23 +0000

At one of the recent trade shows we participated in, we connected with a customer who had a truly compelling success story using PRWeb to get some top-line media exposure. Our core story has always been about PRWeb’s direct-to-consumer potential, its SEO applications, multimedia and social media functionality, etc. Still, we are always happy when our customers get their name on the front page of the newspaper.

The Next Newsroom

Jiyan — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 13:50:19 +0000

Journalism That Matters, an informal collaboration of journalists, academics, and media pros oriented towards the future of journalism, will be holding a two-day event next week at George Washington University to discuss and plan a course for journalism, focusing on challenges associated with changing technologies, economic models, and the increasing role of participatory media. I’m going to be attending the event and encourage anyone interested in new media in the DC area to attend the public forum on Tuesday, August 7.

More information:

Blog coverage vs. MSM

Jiyan — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 14:39:02 +0000

This is a little outdated but Topix did an interesting study back in the day (2005) comparing topical coverage between the blogosphere and mainstream media. A colleague referred me to the study and I figured it was worth noting for future reference.

Wikis in Newspapers Reloaded

Jiyan — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 17:01:51 +0000

An article from Red Herring explains that the Union Tribune will begin experimenting with using Wiki software on a Web site that hosts their indie rock station, AmplifySD.com. As the failed LA Times Wiki experiment proved, launching an unmoderated Wiki is basically like sending an invitation to the drug and porn industries, in addition to countless jerks, asking them to spam and degrade the Wiki. The Union Tribune will institute some sort of editorial system that will limit the number of flames the Wiki gets. If all goes well, they plan to extend their approach into other components of the newspaper’s online content.

I think it is a matter of time until some Wiki-oriented process is integrated into local newspapers, allowing interests publics to help produce localized content.

Washington Post Blogging

Jiyan — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 18:19:41 +0000

Boy, I have to say that Jason La Canfora’s blog is an example of how newspapers should do blogging. During the first day of free agency, he has posted in his blog every few hours with updates from his inside sources. Without a doubt, it has to be the most read news source on the Redskins out there.

I would definitely think that in about a year or so, perhaps earlier, the WP could offer the blog as premium content and people would pay for access.