Lecture slides for talk to the Northeast Massachusetts Regional Library System on Nov. 12, 2009. Updated for Reinventing the News students in January 2011.

1. What’s next for the news?
The future of journalism
in an uncertain age

2. A golden age comes to an end
• From 1830s to 2005,
newspapers enjoyed
advertising dominance

3. A golden age comes to an end
• From 1830s to 2005,
newspapers enjoyed
advertising dominance
• A.J. Liebling on
monopoly papers:
“good, better, bestest”

4. A golden age comes to an end
• From 1830s to 2005,
newspapers enjoyed
advertising dominance
• A.J. Liebling on
monopoly papers:
“good, better, bestest”
• Philip Meyer: The Lords
of Savoy no longer
control the toll gate

5. Blowing up the old model
• Vertical destruction
– Technology and social
change have wiped out
advertising revenues

6. Blowing up the old model
• Vertical destruction
– Technology and social
change have wiped out
advertising revenues
– Craigslist, Monster.com,
and the like have all but
killed classifieds

7. Blowing up the old model
• Vertical destruction
– Technology and social
change have wiped out
advertising revenues
– Craigslist, Monster.com,
and the like have all but
killed classifieds
– Vibrant downtowns have
given way to Wal-Mart
and other big-box stores

8. Blowing up the old model
• Vertical destruction
• Horizontal destruction
– Everything is available,
so readers look beyond
their local paper for
national and foreign
news

9. Blowing up the old model
• Vertical destruction
• Horizontal destruction
– Everything is available,
so readers look beyond
their local paper for
national and foreign
news
– Specialty websites are
serving niche audiences
for sports, gossip,
politics, and more

10. The decline of civic engagement
• In “Bowling Alone,”
Putnam tied civic life to
newspaper reading

11. The decline of civic engagement
• In “Bowling Alone,”
Putnam tied civic life to
newspaper reading
• If the public doesn’t
care, then journalism
is endangered

12. The decline of civic engagement
• In “Bowling Alone,”
Putnam tied civic life to
newspaper reading
• If the public doesn’t
care, then journalism
is endangered
• News organizations
must create their own
involved publics

13. Building a news constituency
• Civic journalism sought
to involve the public in
coverage of issues

14. Building a news constituency
• Civic journalism sought
to involve the public in
coverage of issues
• Citizen journalism and
blogging were the next
steps in the conversation

15. Building a news constituency
• Civic journalism sought
to involve the public in
coverage of issues
• Citizen journalism and
blogging were the next
steps in the conversation
• Limits to citizen media:
Whom can we trust in
the post-newspaper age?

16. Technology for journalists

17. A possible model for the future
• New Haven Independent
is non-profit, online-only,
supported by grants

18. A possible model for the future
• New Haven Independent
is non-profit, online-only,
supported by grants
• Staff of four travels city
on bikes with cheap
cameras and notebooks

19. A possible model for the future
• New Haven Independent
is non-profit, online-only,
supported by grants
• Staff of four travels city
on bikes with cheap
cameras and notebooks
• Focus on city life,
moderated comments
create new public square

20. Strengths of the Independent
• Not reliant on a
shrinking base
of advertising

21. Strengths of the Independent
• Not reliant on a
shrinking base
of advertising
• Online-only format
means costs are low

22. Strengths of the Independent
• Not reliant on a
shrinking base
of advertising
• Online-only format
means costs are low
• Hyperlocal content and
two-way conversation
build civic engagement

23. Weaknesses of the Independent
• Small readership
compared to city’s daily,
the New Haven Register

24. Weaknesses of the Independent
• Small readership
compared to city’s daily,
the New Haven Register
• Uncertain funding in
future years

25. Weaknesses of the Independent
• Small readership
compared to city’s daily,
the New Haven Register
• Uncertain funding in
future years
• Few resources to do
in-depth investigative
journalism

26. Other projects to watch
• Non-profit ProPublica
offers a new way of
funding investigations

27. Other projects to watch
• Non-profit ProPublica
offers a new way of
funding investigations
• Global Voices curates
the international
blogosphere

28. Other projects to watch
• Non-profit ProPublica
offers a new way of
funding investigations
• Global Voices curates
the international
blogosphere
• GlobalPost seeks to fill
gap left by newspapers
and television networks

29. Have you seen the Globe today?

30. The Globe’s struggle for survival
• Major metropolitan
newspapers are caught
between two trends

31. The Globe’s struggle for survival
• Major metropolitan
newspapers are caught
between two trends
– Too small to compete
with The New York
Times and The
Washington Post (and
others) on national and
foreign coverage

32. The Globe’s struggle for survival
• Major metropolitan
newspapers are caught
between two trends
– Too big to compete with
community weeklies and
small dailies on
hyperlocal coverage

33. The Globe’s struggle for survival
• Major metropolitan
newspapers are caught
between two trends
• The Globe has
reinvented itself as a
local and regional paper

34. The Globe’s struggle for survival
• Major metropolitan
newspapers are caught
between two trends
• The Globe has
reinvented itself as a
local and regional paper
• Ad losses and a tide of
red ink have given way
to modest success

35. A multifaceted strategy
• Charge as much for the
print edition as the
market will bear

36. A multifaceted strategy
• Charge as much for the
print edition as the
market will bear
• Save Sunday paper
while shifting to
weekday e-delivery

37. A multifaceted strategy
• Charge as much for the
print edition as the
market will bear
• Save Sunday paper
while shifting to
weekday e-delivery
• Supplement paid
BostonGlobe.com with
free Boston.com site

38. The hub-and-spokes model
• Tech site BetaBoston
drives readers to and
from the Globe

39. The hub-and-spokes model
• Tech site BetaBoston
drives readers to and
from the Globe
• RadioBDC extends the
brand to non-readers

40. The hub-and-spokes model
• Tech site BetaBoston
drives readers to and
from the Globe
• RadioBDC extends the
brand to non-readers
• Crux covers the
Catholic Church and
is aimed at the English-speaking
world

41. A time for optimism

42. A time for optimism
• For news consumers,
more quality choices
than ever before

43. A time for optimism
• For news consumers,
more quality choices
than ever before
• Challenge is to match
journalism with revenue
and civic engagement

44. A time for optimism
• For news consumers,
more quality choices
than ever before
• Challenge is to match
journalism with revenue
and civic engagement
• Today’s young
journalists will define
the future for all of us

45. (cc) 2009 and 2014 by Dan Kennedy
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Northeastern University
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