"The Wired City: Reimagining Journalism and Civic Life," by Dan Kennedy, will be published in May 2013 by University of Massachusetts Press. For more information, please visit http://thewiredcity.org.
2. Why do we need new models?
• The Internet broke the
connection between
ads and journalism
3. Why do we need new models?
• The Internet broke the
connection between
ads and journalism
• Civic engagement is
on the decline in our
highly mobile society
4. Why do we need new models?
• The Internet broke the
connection between
ads and journalism
• Civic engagement is
on the decline in our
highly mobile society
• Twin challenges: $$$
and reaching out to
“the former audience”
5. Have you seen the Globe today?
• New York Times Co. will
sell it for a fraction of
what it paid in 1993
6. Have you seen the Globe today?
• New York Times Co. will
sell it for a fraction of
what it paid in 1993
• Moving from 80% of
revenues coming from
ads to a 50-50 split
7. Have you seen the Globe today?
• New York Times Co. will
sell it for a fraction of
what it paid in 1993
• Moving from 80% of
revenues coming from
ads to a 50-50 split
• Too high a paywall risks
cutting off Globe from
huge online audience
8. A golden age comes to an end
• From 1830s to
2005, newspapers
enjoyed advertising
dominance
9. A golden age comes to an end
• From 1830s to
2005, newspapers
enjoyed advertising
dominance
• A.J. Liebling on
monopoly papers:
“good, better, bestest”
10. A golden age comes to an end
• From 1830s to
2005, newspapers
enjoyed advertising
dominance
• A.J. Liebling on
monopoly papers:
“good, better, bestest”
• Philip Meyer: The Lords
of Savoy no longer
control the toll gate
11. The decline of civic engagement
• In “Bowling Alone,”
Putnam tied civic life to
newspaper reading
12. The decline of civic engagement
• In “Bowling Alone,”
Putnam tied civic life to
newspaper reading
• If the public doesn’t
care, then journalism
is endangered
13. The decline of civic engagement
• In “Bowling Alone,”
Putnam tied civic life to
newspaper reading
• If the public doesn’t
care, then journalism
is endangered
• News organizations
must create their own
involved publics
14. What is to be done?
• Clay Shirky warns that
no one thing will
replace newspapers
15. What is to be done?
• Clay Shirky warns that
no one thing will
replace newspapers
• What may make up for
some of the loss:
– Nonprofit media
– New forms of for-profit
– Volunteer media
16. What is to be done?
• Clay Shirky warns that
no one thing will
replace newspapers
• “The Wired City” takes
a look at:
– Nonprofit media
– New forms of for-profit
– Volunteer media
17. What is to be done?
• Clay Shirky warns that
no one thing will
replace newspapers
• “The Wired City” takes
a look at:
– Nonprofit media
– New forms of for-profit
– Volunteer media
18. What is to be done?
• Clay Shirky warns that
no one thing will
replace newspapers
• “The Wired City” takes
a look at:
– Nonprofit media
– New forms of for-profit
– Volunteer media
19. Trouble in New Haven
• New Haven Register’s
parent company
goes bankrupt
20. Trouble in New Haven
• New Haven Register’s
parent company
goes bankrupt
• An urban, mostly
minority community
with few news options
21. Trouble in New Haven
• New Haven Register’s
parent company
goes bankrupt
• An urban, mostly
minority community
with few news options
• What alternatives are
there when the
marketplace fails?
23. A new model that’s working
• New Haven Independent
is nonprofit, online-only,
supported by donors
24. A new model that’s working
• New Haven Independent
is nonprofit, online-
only, supported by
donors
• Staff of four travels city
on bikes with cameras
and notebooks
25. A new model that’s working
• New Haven Independent
is nonprofit, online-
only, supported by
donors
• Staff of four travels city
on bikes with cameras
and notebooks
• Focus on city
life, moderated
comments create new
public square
26. Strengths of the Independent
• Founder and editor
Paul Bass isn’t reliant
on a shrinking ad base
27. Strengths of the Independent
• Founder and editor
Paul Bass isn’t reliant
on a shrinking ad base
• Online-only format
means costs are low
28. Strengths of the Independent
• Founder and editor
Paul Bass isn’t reliant
on a shrinking ad base
• Online-only format
means costs are low
• Hyperlocal content and
two-way conversation
build civic engagement
29. Weaknesses of the Independent
• Small readership
compared to the
New Haven Register
30. Weaknesses of the Independent
• Small readership
compared to the
New Haven Register
• Uncertain funding in
future years
31. Weaknesses of the Independent
• Small readership
compared to the
New Haven Register
• Uncertain funding in
future years
• Lack of print presence
may exclude residents
who are less engaged
32. The Register’s uncertain comeback
• Under John
Paton, parent company
JRC embraces “Digital
First”
33. The Register’s uncertain comeback
• Under John
Paton, parent company
JRC embraces “Digital
First”
• New Register editor
Matt DeRienzo reaches
out to community
34. The Register’s uncertain comeback
• Under John
Paton, parent company
JRC embraces “Digital
First”
• New Register editor
Matt DeRienzo reaches
out to community
• Bankruptcy II: A new
beginning, or the
beginning of the end?
35. Other nonprofit media
• Connecticut Mirror fills
gap left by decline of
the Hartford Courant
36. Other nonprofit media
• Connecticut Mirror fills
gap left by decline of
the Hartford Courant
• Voice of San Diego is a
reliable alternative to
the shaky metro daily
37. Other nonprofit media
• Connecticut Mirror fills
gap left by decline of
the Hartford Courant
• Voice of San Diego is a
reliable alternative to
the shaky metro daily
• NPR is the quality news
organization of choice
for tens of millions
38. Limits to the nonprofit model
• Foundations tend
to give money for
only a few years
39. Limits to the nonprofit model
• Foundations tend
to give money for
only a few years
• IRS put a halt to
approving nonprofit
status for news sites
40. Limits to the nonprofit model
• Foundations tend
to give money for
only a few years
• IRS put a halt to
approving nonprofit
status for news sites
• Nonprofit news
organizations can’t
endorse candidates
41. New forms of for-profit news
• Christine Stuart’s
CT News Junkie covers
Connecticut politics
42. New forms of for-profit news
• Christine Stuart’s
CT News Junkie covers
Connecticut politics
• Howard Owens
launched The Batavian
as a demo project
43. New forms of for-profit news
• Christine Stuart’s
CT News Junkie covers
Connecticut politics
• Howard Owens
launched The Batavian
as a demo project
• Debbie Galant started
Baristanet after losing
her N.Y. Times column
44. Limits to the for-profit model
• Digital dimes replace
print dollars, reducing
the scope of coverage
45. Limits to the for-profit model
• Digital dimes replace
print dollars, reducing
the scope of coverage
• Patch is struggling, but
with AOL’s support
manages to stay alive
46. Limits to the for-profit model
• Digital dimes replace
print dollars, reducing
the scope of coverage
• Patch is struggling, but
with AOL’s support
manages to stay alive
• Few have range of skills
needed to handle
journalism and business
47. What’s next?
• Tom Stites devised the
Banyan Project to foster
the rise of news co-ops
48. What’s next?
• Tom Stites devised the
Banyan Project to foster
the rise of news co-ops
• Members would give
money and/or labor, as
with a food co-op
49. What’s next?
• Tom Stites devised the
Banyan Project to foster
the rise of news co-ops
• Members would give
money and/or labor, as
with a food co-op
• Banyan is launching a
pilot in 2013 to be
called Haverhill Matters
51. Dan Kennedy
March 2013
Northeastern University
Boston, MA 02115
Some images in this presentation may be protected by copyright.
If you would like credit, or if you would prefer that your image be
removed, please contact Dan Kennedy at da dot kennedy at neu
dot edu.