Michael Wolff’s Plan to End Newspapers: Can News Survive Without Them?

The explosion of digital media is slowly but surely bringing traditional print newspapers down to nothing but a few pieces of left over scraps.  While some news consumers continue to grasp tightly to the last remains of the papers they have loved so dearly, others are eagerly entering and capitalizing on digital media.   Michael Wolff, founder of the news aggregation site Newser.com, prides himself on being in the latter group.

In an interview with CNBC Wolff did not hide his feelings of discontent towards today’s newspapers, nor did he hesitate in professing his aim to put newspapers out of business.  However, I challenge Wolff’s new media business model where newspapers like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal don’t exist, as the foundation of his own website relies on the reports that these papers produce.

I think Rob Fishman of the Huffington Post puts it well in saying, “perhaps anyone can be a postal worker, and, as Wolff’s site does, deliver the envelope — but who’s writing the news inside?”

In other words, if we don’t have major newspapers producing valuable content what is there to aggregate?  Wolff would argue that content production could exist solely through bloggers and citizen journalists alone.  However, this kind of model worries me, and it is worrying many others too.

Google CEO Eric Schmidt wants established players to survive.  Schmidt fears that without journalistic institutions to do professional, investigative and “deep” reporting, democracy could be harmed.

I agree with Schmidt that journalistic institutions are essential to democracy.  I don’t regard blogging as being invaluable.  Heck, I’m writing a blog myself and citing information from other bloggers.  I do however believe we need to be cautious of entering into a blog only world, as it could lead us into a news model overrun by people capitalizing on views and not news.

Therefore, if Wolff aspires to create a world in which newspapers don’t exist and bloggers control the content he might want to consider changing the name of his Web site to Viewser.com.

FLYPMedia Leverages Digital Assets Creating More Than Just a Magazine

In an age where news media is struggling to find a place online it is refreshing to see a site that is willing to push the boundaries to leverage their virtual space.  The introduction of FLYPMedia.com, an online news magazine that is more than just a magazine, has created a breath of fresh air in an otherwise suffocating news environment.

FLYPMedia has proven you can reinvent storytelling while continuing to pay tribute to traditional reporting by incorporating old favorites, such as the sound of a magazine page turning, all the while leveraging digital assets.

Under the guidance of editor-in-chief, Jim Gaines, the FLYPMedia approach is to revolutionize online storytelling by going beyond what we see in the traditional print format.  In doing so the FLYPMedia model has created an entirely different medium for delivering news, a medium where the reader can control how they receive content.

FLYPMedia utilizes the web’s ability to give people choices.  Consequently, as a visitor to the site you can customize the way you receive a story to make it the most relevant or appealing to you.  Web site visitors can,

• watch a video

• listen to an interview

• flip through digital magazine pages or

• click on graphics or headlines that take you deeper into the story

FLYPMedia does not however use social media to its highest potential.  By allowing stories to be shared easily on social media sites like twitter and Facebook, FLYPMedia could leverage their content even further.

In contrast to FLYPMedia many other news sites have simply transferred print content to the web.  This model of sticking to what we already know is not working, and as a result many major publications are suffering.  Unfortunately, until “old” media starts embracing “new” media I don’t believe that suffering will end anytime soon.

Former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw once said, “It’s about storytelling, you know.  That’s what journalism is about.”  If storytelling is in fact what journalism is about than FLYPMedia has positioned themselves as a new innovative leader in an industry clogged by old storytelling techniques.

Crime Streak in Lincoln Park Area

In late July and early August of 2009 a series of robberies took place in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago.  Police believe at least four of the attacks are linked.  All four of these victims were men in their early to mid-20′s.  They were walking alone at the time of their attack.  The victims were asked for their wallets, and were then beaten in the head and the face.  Two of the victims were hospitalized.  Police are continuing to investigate these attacks.

Journalists of Tomorrow

The journalists of yesterday were often successful based on their level of expertise in a particular area.  For example, a newspaper columnist who knew how to express their opinions and personal experiences well in writing often drew in readership and job security.

With the boom of the internet the skill set of tomorrow’s journalists has drastically changed.  Gone are the days of newsrooms filled with people possessing a single skill set and in are the days of the multi-skilled.

“News companies are seeking journalists who are jacks of all trades, yet still masters of one (or more),” said Vadim Lavrusik, author of 8 Must-Have Traits of Tomorrow’s Journalist.

Aside from being multi-skilled, the 7 other required talents that Lavrusik believes the journalists of tomorrow must posses include being entrepreneurial and business savvy, a programmer, open-minded, an experimenter, a multimedia storyteller, a social journalist and community builder, a blogger and curator and of course being able to practice fundamental journalism techniques.

I believe in addition to these skills a successful journalist of tomorrow must create marketable content.  Instead of selling a story or style that already exists, they must know how to create a story their audience will crave.  Without understanding the needs of their audience, the journalists of tomorrow will be unable to generate traffic in an industry where many roads can be taken.

Being able to generate quality content for a specific audience is only the start of the process for a journalist of tomorrow.  They will then need to use Lavruski’s 8 other skills to leverage their content, while keeping the stories they tell in line with technology.

Which brings me to my next point.  The required skill sets of tomorrow’s journalists cannot be determined in full, because who knows what new technological advancement is lurking around the corner.  New technology can hit the industry at anytime and create an entirely new need for talents that are unimaginable today.