A Newspaper Refuses to Die Quietly
Denver's Rocky Mountain News daily paper is being closed by its owners the Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group. The newspaper had a difficult year economically, was put up for sale for a mere one month and this week was told by its owners that the doors were simply going to shut.
It's a story that we may see more and more often in coming months and years. The newspaper industry is changing radically and in many cases contracting. There are a lot of possible explanations and quite a few likely consequences to consider. Today, instead of discussing those in our blog post - we want to turn the microphone over to the good folks at the Rocky. They've produced a very moving 20 minute video about how it feels and what it means to lose their jobs and newspaper. The staff has put that video on the top of their front page, we've embedded it below.
We believe the closure of the Rocky is a real loss. The video below puts it much better than we can, though, so check it out. We don't resent the bad-mouthing of bloggers at 14 minutes, either, there's some truth to the criticism.
Final Edition from Matthew Roberts on Vimeo.
We'll miss the newspapers that disappear for their civic responsibility, their breadth of coverage, their budgets for investigation and their physical form. It's nice to hold a physical newspaper, it's nice to visit a news website of general interest and it's nice to think of the time-honored role of the news reporter with notepad in hand. As part of the world of new media online journalism, we don't wish newspapers harm at all. We recognize how much we have to learn from the people behind them. We hope that knowledge can live on.
For more on this general topic check out Newspaper Death Watch, Online Journalism Blog and Poynter.org. Thanks to NPR's Andy Carvin for pointing us to the Rocky's important video.
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Thank you for your gracious comments about the newspaper industry. As a journalist at a print newspaper, I've sometimes been frustrated by bloggers and other folks who say society doesn't need papers because they can get news online. But there's no conveyor belt bringing the news to the Web; it's only because of professional journalists that there is news on the internet. It's sad to see another talented group of writers out of work, and it hurts EVERYBODY when news agencies shut their doors.
As a former journalist, I'm just astounded at how much the newspaper industry seemed to stand back and watch it all burn. They were late to the game in implementing the technology and stumbled all over themselves when they realized they were losing their grip on the industry.
The true tragedy is in today's higher education students. Are future journalists learning about web layout, graphics optimization or how to write content for the web? Many colleges and universities still put out paper versions of student publications. Why? The simple answer is they don't know their audience.
I believe in journalism, but the blame here lies solely on the management for not being able to move a product into a new era.
I am sorry for the workers. But I see an incredible opportunity here. How about these laid off employees go start a quality, online presence in a small town? The future is local.
What a great video, you really showed us how much you all care and from the bottom of my heart I wish you all the best. You will not be forgotten!!!
While it's heartbreaking to say... I have to agree with Eric.
I've worked in the magazine industry for years. While it may not be as severe as the newspaper industry, the mag industry is going through the same thing.
The industry has fighting tooth and nail against the web. I've even been told by publishers, sales, and editors (within the last year even); "Why do we need the web?".
This is going to continue to happen. The writing has been on the walls for years, people have just chosen to ignore it. Now, when it comes down to layoffs and closed doors, they wonder... why is this happening.
One key thing to remember... the format is not the content. We still need the quality content... we just don't need it on paper.
not to be a jerk but do you see all those $500 dollar chairs, the nice office, and new computers? That is the overhead that the paper is not covering. Make more money, or have fewer costs. Basic people..
Beautifully produced video...maybe they should go into the video production biz?
But in all seriousness, it is a touching video. However, lets not ignore the truth: THEY HAVE FAILED TO ADAPT!
They interview all these people that just love the Rocky Mountain News, yet the Denver Post is staying in business. If so many people love the Rocky Mountain News, why don't they provide value to their owner?
Furthermore, what about their options? If the employee's are so upset about the shutdown, did they offer to buy the paper from its current owners? An ESOP structure with 1 or 2 lead people could make it happen. Heck, pool together some money and buy the URL and branding from the current owner and start an online only news organization.
My point is that yes its sad that these people are out of a job but lets not get too choked up....they could have prevented this just like many other companies are doing right now.
It's extremely unfortunate that so many newspapers are going out of circulation. Here in NJ the Star Ledger, Daily News, and North Jersey paper are all merging. This is pretty remarkable since they were fierce competitors for the longest time.
New opportunities will open up for these people. There are always ways to use your talents in different fields. I am sure that most people will land on their feet as this evolutionary process continues.
Ryan
gut-wrenching video. it's easy to forget that creative destruction is still... destruction.
If you're interested in more about saving newspapers that are threatened with extinction, I'd definitely check out the San Francisco Post-Chronicle wiki set up by Alexis Madrigal and Sarah Rich. The project is percolating not just ideas for saving the Chronicle, but things that are generally applicable.
It is frustrating to see the newspaper industry crumbling. I went to journalism school and decided seven years ago that there was going to be more opportunity for me online - but that doesn't mean I don't think there's a need for real newspapers. I think every industry must evolve with the rise of technology, but it seems like many papers have been doing that. Big conglomerates can afford to make a little less of a profit, if it means keeping hard-working, talented people who provide a much needed service employed.
I think there will always be a place for professional writing - its a craft that takes talent and can't be replaced by 140 characters over Twitter. I say there's enough room for it all.
Yup, let's focus entirely on ourselves - the newsroom. After all, we are the important ones. Never mind that a crapload of other people lost their jobs. Lets focus this boo-hoo video on us. Because we know that if advertising and circulation had really been doing their jobs, we still would have ours.
What self-serving pap.
The newspaper industry needs something else. The bloggers can sometimes cover specific topics (like this blog) that traditional local newspapers wouldn't think there is an audience for and they did for awhile have a big speed advantage over newspaper websites. But I completely agree that bloggers aren't stepping in (they probably aren't capable) in the areas of investigative journalism or in keeping strict ethics rules.
With the success of the iTunes store that sells all sorts of micro-content these days other than music, why couldn't people pay for their papers with micropayments? Why not charge for content instead of just giving it all away for free? People really like the paper, why wouldn't they pay when it's really easy to do so these days, even online?
Well I was in Denver for quite sometime and was used to get this newspaper. I am really feeling sad for them. Wishing all the best in finding something which works for Rocky Mountain news.
A really nicely presented video about a sad topic. I guess it's all about adapting to your environment and making the most of opportunities as they arise. Interesting comments above too. There is definitely a place for good journalism and newspapers and it's very important for a society, so it will be interesting to see how business models can adapt to still give people what they want and need, but in a way that means it's able to support itself as a business. I wishing I had some answers, but it seems the only big company getting richer these days in Google.
That is the overhead that the paper is not covering. Make more money, or have fewer costs. Basic people..
just a quick note, but the name field comes up with "red characters." I realize that the website's design is red with red font whereever possible to stay consistent with the design, but a name in red in Korea can mean "death to the person" just fyi.
I’m still amazed at the faith of so many people that it’s simple matter of adaptation. People can adapt, but industries may simply be replaced - horse-breeders didn’t adapt to manufacturing motor-cars, or chimney-sweeps to becoming central heating installers – the market for those services just shrank to become a small (and expensive) niche.
Another example would tailors – from a neighbourhood job to something we now associate as being the preserve of the wealthy. Most tailors failed to ‘adapt’ to the rise of high-street retailing and mass-manufacturing, just as those manufacturers themselves failed to adapt to falling trade barriers in the 60s and 70s.
There is, of course, still a rag trade, but the nature of it is hugely different to what existed before. Just as there will be a news business, but it will not be recognisable.
What a lot of people in the web community refuse to face-up to is the fact that the web simply may not generate enough revenue to fuel the old forms of professional content production.
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sh12
nice,thanks.
Many colleges and universities still put out paper versions of student publications. Why? The simple answer is they don't know their audience.
We believe the closure of the Rocky is a real loss. The video below puts it much better than we can, though, so check it out. We don't resent the bad-mouthing of bloggers at 14 minutes, either, there's some truth to the criticism. LOL !