Readers in the United Kingdom are willing to pay for print newspapers but not for online content, a YouGov SixthSense report revealed.
Compared with 83 percent of readers that refuse to pay for online news, the study found that two thirds of readers would buy a "good newspaper," NewMediaAge reported. Only 4 percent would be willing to pay for online information if a quality newspaper was not available.
No pay for online papers
Wed, 30/06/2010 - 13:00
by Alex Hourdakis and YouGov SixthSense
The emergence of ‘freesheets’, such as City AM (pictured) or Metro, over the last few years has provided yet another challenge to the beleaguered ‘traditional newspaper’ business model. A YouGov SixthSense report into UK media consumption habits has found that the majority of UK adults are willing to continue paying for traditional newspapers, in stark contrast with their apparent unwillingness to pay for online newspaper content.
The report found that 60% of UK adults think that it is worth paying for a ‘good newspaper’. While 18% of the respondents cannot see the point of paying for a newspaper, nearly half (44%) prefer paying for a newspaper because ‘the free ones haven’t got as much real content’. Half of the respondents seem not to trust free papers as much, agreeing that the quality of a publication is reflected by the amount paid, although 38% of respondents believe that traditional newspapers are currently too expensive.
Interestingly, men and women seem to have different approaches to paying for newspapers, with a higher proportion of men than women thinking it is worth paying for a ‘good publication’. 70% of men aged between 16 and 24 think it is worth paying, compared with 56% of women in the same age group.
The story is very different when it comes to paying for online content. A vast majority (83%) replied that they would refuse to pay, with only two percent of respondents willing to shell out for online content in the current format. Only four percent would pay for online even when the content in question was not available anywhere else.
However, there does seem to be some future hope on the horizon for companies moving towards the online subscription model, especially among the young - a comparatively large ten percent of 16-24 year olds say they would ‘definitely pay’ for online access to newspapers.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
LA Times fools readers with dramatic advertorial
It is not only in india, paid news are everywhere be fooling readers. This is an interesting post by Carole Wurzelbacher on editorsweblog....
The Los Angeles Times recently ran a convincing advertorial claiming that parts of Universal Studios had been destroyed by a mysterious attack, reports Los Angeles Observed. The ad, which was designed to fool readers in thinking it was a legitimate story being reported by LA Times, featured articles with headlines such as "Universal Studios Hollywood Partially Destroyed" and the absurd "Colossal Footprints Found on Beach."
The only indication that the advertorial was in fact fake was the word "advertisement" written in small red letters under the page title that announced the "LATExtra" section. Overall, considering that the advertisement exactly resembles a Times publication with only a tiny indication that it isn't, the advertisement seems to be specifically designed to mislead readers.
The LA Times advertorial has already created a good deal of backlash. Charles Apple, writing for Visual Editors, calls the ad a "four-page wrap in which advertising copy is masquerading as news - once again - in the once-respectable Los Angeles Times." Apple expresses further astonishment at the ad, quoting an "anonymous tipster" who reported that the ad was wrapped around the paper for home subscribers, making the ad the first part of the newspaper subscribers saw when they picked up the morning paper.
Moreover, LA Observed reports, 5 members of the LA County Board of Supervisors have already signed a protest letter asking the Sam Zell, owner of the Times, to "stop selling its front pages to advertisers, especially in such an offensive and alarming manner."
Advertorials have been for some time a point of ethical contestation. Notably, the Detroit Free Press also came under criticism when it took story suggestions from an advertiser. When it was facing uncomfortably low circulation figures, the DFP took a story suggestion from Humana, which then bough advertising space next to the article.
In response to the Times debacle, Times publisher Eddy Hartenstein is quoted on an LAT blog saying "The Universal Studios Hollywood ad wrapping Thursday's LATExtra section met our advertising guidelines, including a large red 'advertisement' notification at the top of the page."
Writing for LA Observed, Kevin Roderick summed up the advertising debacle quite succinctly: "It all brings to mind the editor's expressed desire to 'own Hollywood coverage' . . . or is it the other way around?"
NEWSPAPERS : Home delivery to pdfs
Sam, Zell, Tribune Group’s owner, that include big guns like Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune, leads a newspaper company with great vision…
He recently voiced his opinion about the future of newspapers on CNBC.
Reflecting on the future, said “going forward, it’s going to require all kinds of different approaches, including probably most significant, the elimination of home delivery and the replacement of it by PDFs.”
Monday, June 28, 2010
What Skills Will Future Journalists Need?
- A multitasker, juggling various responsibilities and roles, many which may have nothing to do with "traditional" journalism.
- Technologically savvy, having at least a basic understanding of programming, web tools, and web culture.
- A gatekeeper for a particular beat, directing readers to the most current and trustworthy news, regardless of who wrote it or where it's housed.
- A versatile storyteller, who knows how to present a story online in various formats.
- A brand and a community manager, who cultivates a constant and interactive conversation with their readership.
The best quotes
ये सभी कोट्स अमेरिका से हैं क्योंकि हमारे भारत में विश्वविद्यालयों के पत्रकारिता विभाग गई-गुजरी फैकल्टीज के हवाले हैं और उनमें यह औकात नहीं कि वे पत्रकारिता को दिशा दे सकें। यह स्थिति बहुत दुखद है लेकिन वास्तविकता यही है।
"I think it's very important for journalists to look at what is happening in the real world, and try to find ways where their skills can be used to meet real market needs. If you can have your own baseline business of clientele and services that you offer, you can still have another job. When they lay you off or fire you -- and they will, that's the way that business is -- you don't want to be stuck scrambling. You will be in a much better position to guide your own career and take the work that you want, if you can be in business for yourself." -- Amy Gahran, info-provocateur, media consultant, and former writer for Poynter's E-Media Tidbits
"My major concern with the emerging class of journalism students [is that] ... a lot of them see what's going on in the industry, not just newspapers, but broadcast and radio as well, and they don't want to be a part of it anymore. What kind of message is being sent to the next generation of journalists right now? It's really sad to see. So, you just wonder who's going to step up and be there?" -- Adam Chadwick, a filmmaker currently working on "Fit to Print," a documentary exploring the decline of the U.S. newspaper industry
"We are trying to be a lot more welcoming ... we are trying to encourage more dialogue than we did in years gone by. I think that's helping not only do the job that we are called to do, but its going be something that rescues the press." -- Michael Ray Smith, professor of communication studies, Campbell University
"I think the question becomes how much of a role do journalists have with regards to the future of journalism. In my opinion, they hold all the cards at this point ... journalism and reporting are still the same. That has not changed one bit. The tools that we use to do it, that's what is changing so rapidly." -- Bill Handy, visiting professor, Oklahoma State University
"You have too many people that are old, or my age, that are moaning ... and they are really missing the tidal wave. My students are riding the crest of that tidal wave. As a matter of fact, they don't even know it's a tidal wave ... that they are in a digital tsunami. They are just having fun in the water, and guys my age are on the beach and seeing this tsunami and running like hell." -- Benjamin A. Davis, former producer at MSNBC.com and NPR, and current instructor at Rutgers University
"A great deal is the same. The job is still is try to figure out what is significant and interesting and go report on it, and tell stories, and try to disperse that as best you can, to the public. Of course all of those steps have changed along the way. What is significant and interesting has changed, how you report is changing somewhat, and how we disperse it is changing a lot. But the basic tools are still reporting and storytelling." -- Mike Hoyt, executive editor of Columbia Journalism Review
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