The Christian Science Monitor is the first national daily making the switch to Web-only publication. Is this the trend for the other big dailies? And with ceaseless drops in print circulation, a disinterested under-30 market, and an economic slowdown, how much more punishment can newspapers take?
It looks like the Monitor way be leading the way. Its online version is way ahead of other national and major metropolitan dailies (I rank the New York Times as having the best online news presentation with the Monitor as a close second). The Monitor has extensively used blogs, podcasts and vidcasts for several years. It does a decent job with the use of RSS feeds. The news organization could use another refresh of its site, which is probably in the works.
Even the Monitor’s local rival, the Boston Globe, gave the Monitor kudos for its approach to the future of newspapers in an article back in August. They wrote,
One place where the future remains unevenly distributed is the newspaper business. The country’s most successful dailies are enduring draconian cutbacks in personnel and coverage. Some of the also-rans are disappearing altogether. What no one knows is: What will the newspaper of the future look like? Maybe it will look like The Christian Science Monitor.
The Monitor maintains five national bureaus, seven international bureaus and has been awarded seven Pulitzers all of which are more than most newspapers. The move to online publishing only will be watched and examined with great interest.
And what about journalistic standards if everything is online? What will be the standards for sources and vetting of sources for online publications? I worry that everything will become an Internet-based rumor coming from some blog or bogus news article. Remember United Airlines and the out-of date bankruptcy story? Will news be sourced to Twitter?
I ran a search of Twitter using “Christian Science Monitor” as the term to see what was the reaction to the announcement. Most of the reaction was split into three main categories. The first were sorrowed at the demise of the print version while the other two were a combo of “sticking it to the MainStreamMedia” and “welcome to the future.” Kinda a traditional vs. progressive view.
Is this the beginning of a ten-year trend for newspapers? The Monitor will have an online forum on November 6, 2008 to discuss this and more. It might have the answers we need.
Would you like to learn more? You may:
- Fill out our information request form.
- Review information found on our Web site.
- Or contact me directly at 216-674-1600 x 118
Tags: christian science monitor • journalism • newspaper • twitter
Copyright © 2008 by IdeaStar. All rights reserved.
October 29th, 2008 at 11:02 am
I applaud this forward thinking move, and look forward to more great Monitor journalism online, where I already get my news.