The news business is entering a phase of limited ambition, according to the annual report “The State of the News Media 2007”, as news organizations are basing their appeal less on how they cover the news and more on what they cover. Branding and targeting are highlighted as the main trends in the study that the Project for Excellence in Journalism released on March 12.

This year’s report features a detailed survey on the status of online journalism based on quantative analysis of news websites. “Digital Journalism: A Topography” examines to what extend certain qualities (customization, participation, story depth, etc.) are emphasized.

Eight media sectors (digital journalism, newspapers, online, network TV, cable TV, local TV, magazines, radio, ethnic) are considered from different aspects: content, audience, economics, ownership, newsroom investment, alternative news outlets and public attitudes. All the statistical data can be consulted in an interactive area called Charts & Tables where users can customize their own graphics.

Because audiences are constantly shifting among different platforms, old methods of measuring audiences, such as print circulation or TV ratings are becoming obsolete. Thus, the model that financed the news for years, product advertisement, is currently challenged by the way people consume the media. “Hyper localism”, “personality and opinion”, “the involvement of everyday people” are the concepts around which media companies are now trying to gather their segmented audiences.

At the same time, technology not only offers the people a vast array of delivery platforms, but also “redefines the role of the citizen - endowing the individual with more responsibility and command over how he or she consumes information - and that new role is only beginning to be understood.”

Journalists have reacted relatively slowly and only now are beginning to re-imagine their role. On the contrary, governments, corporations and activists have realized early the potential benefits that they could draw from blogging. However, journalism is by no means becoming redundant, that is why new technology companies either didn’t succeed in news gathering or preferred to avoid it.

The character of the next era, the report concludes, will likely depend heavily on the quality of leadership in the newsroom and boardroom. Now, the question that remains to be answered according to the writers is: “Does the industry have a vision that is bold enough, and does it have leaders whom journalists and audiences will follow?”. The answers, as they speculate, will be in the journalism, too, not only in the business strategies that fund it. And that is definitely good news.

K. Nikolopoulou

Published: April 20, 2007