Bloggers beginning to feast on the still-twitching carcass of the newspaper industry

April 21, 2007
By Billy Dennis

Kevin Reynen has sent me a link to a BoingBoing article about a free daily newspaper in Boston that relies heavily on blogs and other user-generated content as opposed to newswire services and paid reporters.

Kevin is impressed because it’s a daily. I’m less so, because while printing blog content can certainly promote these blogs (and perhaps generate some cash), serious citizen journalism blogs don’t need promoted so much as they need the cash and resources to let them do it full time on the Web.

Naturally, there are some snarky comments, as there usually is when anyone suggests citizen journalism has a role in the public debate.

Overheard at a Party sez, “I overheard Sean Bonner from Metroblogging respond to this news at the Web2Expo earlier this week. His quote was ‘Print versions of blogs – their slogan should be ‘Bringing you yesterday’s news tomorrow”.’”

Really? Here in Peoria, blogs are being treated seriously. This morning, I caught WMBD 1470 playing catch up on Peoria Chronicle’s Ryan Spain story. Naturally, there wasn’t anything in the Journal Star. They. Are. A. Bit. Slow. Maybe Monday or Tuesday.

Still, it must be stated again that eventually, print newspapers will die and journalism will move to the Web, which is a more democratic way of disseminating news and information. It’s also cheaper, more efficient and healthier for the environment than using dead trees. The news organizations that come to grips with this reality the soonest will be the ones who will make the transition and survive. The one’s that don’t, well, I imagine their final editions will be printing yesterday’s news tomorrow for the benefit of Luddites who are so in love with the smell of ink and the feel of turning one crisp news page after another. Consumers who get their news online will be the well-informed ones, however.

Until then, if bloggers can find a few bucks here and there selling their content to newspapers, more power to them.

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2 Responses to “ Bloggers beginning to feast on the still-twitching carcass of the newspaper industry ”

  1. C. J. Summers on April 21, 2007 at 8:56 am

    I’ll bet in 20 years you’ll still be talking about the imminent demise of print newspapers, and print newspapers will still be here.

  2. Willy Wonka on April 22, 2007 at 11:25 pm

    Just like the predicted demise of the television, the newspaper and television isn’t going anywhere. Not in this generation, anyway. I know you’d like to believe it is, just like you’d like to believe that Alicia Butler has those degrees. Snicker.