PressEthic

It seems I constantly hear the same thing: Newspapers? People are still trying to work in newspapers? Many take the extremist route, claiming it's a dying art form, and not simply changing.

Surely print media is facing greater challenges now than ever before. Between (free) online news and cable television, a twenty-four hour news cycle leaves people with more options than ever for their news acquisition. Combine that with the "small world" properties these media outlets provide, and it's tough to compete. The morning paper just doesn't draw the audience of its past.

Katharine Q. Seelye of the New York Times points out that not all Newspapers are laying off reporters and losing audiences. The McClatchy Company is buying up newspapers with inspiring results.

How do they do it? The newspaper conglomerate insists that "quality journalism is the bedrock of a successful newspaper business."From the Sacramento Bee to the Beaufort Gazette, they're doing fairly well as a business model for the industry.

So is it quality journalism that keeps them afloat? That's hard to say. Seelye points out that many studies regarding cause and effect of readership aren't really conclusive. I would venture this: the internet still doesn't have a monopoly on local news. The smaller the population of an area (and the McClatchy papers tend towards smaller audiences, and don't try to overreach), the more important local news.

Just as the New York Times diversified the shape of dailies by adding Living and Home sections, local papers can hold their ground by providing solid, interesting local reporting.

On that note then, they're right. Good journalism is good business.