Page Critiques and Comment

I used to think that small papers were better positioned to meet the challenges we are facing today in our industry.  Because they weren’t burdened by being part of a large newspaper group, because I thought they were thus more nimble, I believed that they could move quickly when technology dictated what they needed to do to succeed.

I am beginning to change my mind. What I see instead is that small newspapers are stretched so thin in terms of staff and revenue that it is hard to keep up with the changes in technology and the costs involved.

Software needs constant updating. The move to the web adds additional work each week.  It means that staff members have to learn new programs, and it means that they not only have to put up the paper each week, they have to move stories and photos to the web site.

Add to that fact that many journalists who run small newspapers are having a difficult time switching to the new paradigm of social networking websites and the like, and it’s no wonder that these are parlous times.

I don’t think we can fight the inevitable. We need to embrace the new technologies, new ways of doing things, and do the best we can to train our staffs to produce the best product for our new newspaper readers. The good news is that embracing some of the new technologies can save time and money. That’s what we need to focus on.

You simply must find the time to plug in to the brave new world of newspaper publishing.