[LINK] Newspapers online

[David Goldstein]

It's my job/business to know what media is out there.

As for the free websites, such as blogs, that provide "news". Well, there are very few of these who can afford to find investigative journalism, the little that happens now. There are none that, at the extreme, can afford offices in a diverse range of places like the New York Times or BBC. Decent journalism has to be paid for.

And you seem to neglect that the vast majority of online news sites were originally offline. Or if not, they source their news from somewhere like Reuters, AP, AFP... looking at Alexa's list of top 20 news sites reflects this.

As for Murdoch and the beginning of this thread, it began by your incorrect assertion that The Times and Sunday Times were not the first mass market newspapers to put up such a paywall. Which I corrected.

As for my interest, just correcting the inaccuracies in one of several online issues that I have followed for quite a while now. It could even have an impact on my business.

If you want to start a discussion on journalism, even the quality of it in Australia, feel free and if it's interesting I'll contribute.

David


----- Original Message ----
> From: Kim Holburn <kim at holburn.net>
> To: Link list <Link at anu.edu.au>
> Sent: Mon, 29 March, 2010 5:40:40 PM
> Subject: Re: [LINK] Newspapers online
> 
> 
On 2010/Mar/29, at 4:39 PM, David Goldstein wrote:

> The Guardian 
> makes it as a global paper as it gets more, or very  
> close to 
> more, of its readers outside of the the UK than in the UK.  
> I 
> doubt any non-English language newspapers would have such online  
> 
> readership.
>
> It's not really relevant as to whether a paywall 
> will work or not  
> though. And maybe a division of global mass 
> market and national mass  
> market would be relevant.

I'm not 
> sure I understand your system of paragraph layouts.  I guess  
on 
> reading closely that your second paragraph is about the things you  
> 
talk about in the first.

Grammar hint:
> href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/paragraph" target=_blank 
> >http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/paragraph :
Paragraph: A passage in text 
> that is about a different subject from  
the preceding text, marked by 
> commencing on a new line....

> Maybe you haven't noticed the trend for 
> major quality non-English  
> newspapers to have an online English 
> version as well? This has grown  
> in the last couple of years. It's 
> the only way to get a global  
> readership.

There's an old 
> joke:
Q: What do you call someone who speaks 3 languages? A: 
> trilingual.
Q: What do you call someone who speaks 2 languages? A: 
> bilingual.
Q: What do you call someone who speaks 1 language?  A: 
> American (or  
Australian).

Would you even know if there were a 
> major global Chinese or Spanish or  
Russian news media company that had 
> no English presence?

> Anyway, back to the topic at hand, do I think 
> newspapers will make  
> money from online advertising? Not a lot. It 
> won't pay for the  
> journalism. I can't see any other method on the 
> horizon apart from  
> paywalls. First The Times and Sunday Times. 
> The New York Times has  
> said it will follow. Le Monde is 
> introducing one to parts of its  
> newspaper.

You're assuming 
> that with a disruptive technology like the internet  
that the old media 
> empires will transition just like they are to the  
new system.  I 
> really doubt it.  There are already news sites that are  
working 
> and even making money online.  Sites that have never had nor  
will 
> never have a print presence.

> Once it gets to a critical mass of 
> newspapers making their content  
> only available to payers, then 
> they will in all likelihood take off.

Good dream.  You forget all 
> the new online media that won't go down  
that path.  Pay is going 
> to find it hard to compete with free.

> The number of online readers 
> will drop dramatically,

We agree on this.

> but news outlets 
> seem unconcerned, or happy to wear it, about  
> visitors who look at 
> one page and disappear. They want readers to  
> 
> stay.
>
> So I'd guess The Times/Sunday Times are prepared to see a 
> huge drop  
> in casual readers and see regular and paying readers 
> stay.
>
> What will happen? Who knows. But journalism has to be paid 
> for and  
> apart from the BBC and ABC who get their money from a 
> licence fee/ 
> government, and The Guardian who can possibly sustain 
> losses forever  
> more, the loss of print advertising income is not 
> sustainable.

The old "Journalism has to be paid for" argument.  
> Except in  
traditional newspapers it's paid for by advertising.  
> 55% (at least)  
of the actual articles are from company press 
> releases.  In big media  
companies they pass articles around 
> between papers and buy stories  
from wire services.  Not that much 
> original content anyway.  Mostly  
just bought or paid for 
> content.

People said the same thing about encyclopaedias, and look - 
> there's  
one that doesn't have to pay for content, is free and is 
> fast  
becoming, despite all the catches, the global standard 
> source.

The internet is infested with "blogs" that are effectively 
> news  
sites.  There is journalism aplenty.  Try stopping 
> it.  Actually  
that's what old media (read Murdoch and others in 
> Europe) are trying  
to do with their attacks on google and search sites 
> and aggregators.  
Trying to stop all the non-corporate news from 
> getting publicity and  
access.  Expect lots more attacks on 
> google.

> As for my views of Murdoch. I can't actually see how they 
> are  
> relevant to the discussion here.

This discussion 
> started with an article about an ongoing Murdoch  
push.  You are 
> the one who keeps on bringing him up and telling us  
that we are 
> bashing him, so why don't you tell us what you think, what  
your 
> interest in this is.  Let us understand where you are coming  
> 
from.  I know it's easier to criticise others and then side-step 
> and  
say we can't criticise you because you've never said what you 
> think.

Kim

-- 
Kim Holburn
IT Network & Security 
> Consultant
T: +61 2 61402408  M: +61 404072753
mailto:> ymailto="mailto:kim at holburn.net" 
> href="mailto:kim at holburn.net">kim at holburn.net  
> aim://kimholburn
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> request









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