Of t he many important points you raise in the Manifesto, the linchpin of the situation  seems to be what happens with original reporting. With the number of  reporters shrinking under financial pressure, how will people get  information they need? The blogosphere is great for discussion of  what's already been reported but rarely provides the original  enterprise work or the mundane day-to-day account of what's happening. Look at who tracked down the vote count in Virginia -- AP.

Yet there seems to be so much potential online to construct a new  model that combines aggressive reporting and new media interactivity. As always,  success will depend on the motivation of the owners. We need owners who will be in business primarily to do journalism rather than in journalism primarily to make money.

Margie

Margie

Very good point, Margie. The use of "citizen journalists" can help, such as in the recent case of the Fort Myers (Fla.) News Press, which asked readers to help it investigate a sewer district in Cape Coral that appeared to be charging residents as much as $28,000 a year to pay for new lines. Readers sent in tips and documents helpful to the news staff. More important, though, are changes in priorities, which I've seen at Greater Niagara Newspapers in New York. They have done the "unthinkable" and dropped some in-person meeting coverage (relying instead on phone calls before and after the meetings) in favor of more thorough, meaningful reporting on top stories--reporting that really affects readers, rather than government minutia that has little impact on readers' lives. Seems to be working for them.

 

There is a lot to dread in the industry right now, but there is also a lot that is encouraging. Newspapers are changing. We can only hope they change fast enough.

 

Randy Craig

Editor

Inland Press Association