How not to reinvent media in the Digital Age

Associated Press chief Tom Curley knows journalism. He just doesn't have any idea how to save his profession from a rendezvous with irrelevance.

Or at least it's not readily apparent to this former AP employee.

During the course of a keynote speech delivered Thursday night at the annual Knight-Bagehot dinner, Curley did acknowledge that young people "don't prefer our traditional platforms and packaging."

So far, so good. Unfortunately, I was hoping he would offer more than the usual corporate bromides. Curley included just two--that's right, two! references to the Internet. And the word "blog" failed to show up anywhere in his speech. As for any consideration how to open up the conversation with readers--fuggedaboutit.

The other 2,480 words of Curley's speech were given over to a hollow meditation about what ails the news business and possible fixes. But his halfway measures failed to impress many observers.

PaidContent's Rafat Ali said Curley's speech was "emblematic of the schizophrenic state of the news media industry: hope and despair all wrapped into a nervous bundle."

Henry Blodget over at Silicon Alley Insider was even more despairing: "Before Tom's speech, we actually thought AP (if not newspapers) was in a decent position to survive the creative destruction that is destroying old media fortunes. Apparently we were wrong."

At least Curley had the courage to acknowledge that what he termed the profession's "arrogance" has done more than any portal.

So what should be done?

I'm not sure Curley really knows. He allowed that the media must better understand and embrace the new ways in which people consume content. Truth be told, however, that's hardly news in the year 2007. With the AP and the rest of the profession struggling with how to reinvent itself in the digital era, Curley seems to believe the media's revival depends upon smarter reporting and better editing. That and figuring out technical answers to stop unauthorized scraping of news stories.

Compare that prescription with a presentation Curley gave in 2004 to the Online News Association. Actually, I thought his earlier speech offered more interesting thoughts about how to deal with an uncertain future than did last evening's stem-winder.

I'm all for smarter and better, but them what brung you to the party have long disappeared. I hope Curley and his cohorts do figure it out before time runs out. But half measures aren't going to do it and constructing a bigger, wider moat will only delay the inevitable.

[dondarko]

the reason old media is dying...

is b/c there is no real reporting at all. Remember before Iraq war started? They were all hyping and there was no real investigative reporting done at all, they were just eating up everything that the administration was giving them. <br /><br />Oh and Britney Spears is apparently news and along with other crap. <br /><br />No wonder they are losing relevancy, as they rightfully should.

[Rossjb]

How [not] to reinvent media in the Digital Age

It has been said, that:<br /><br />"AP last week presented to its board a dramatic new distribution plan for news that would surface more relevant and timely news through the internet engines and enable linking and viral sharing of news through widgets and the like."<br /><br />I hope it "works" for them .....<br /><br />For another realistic "answer" is staring them right in the eye .....It's called ...Vortal.com<br /><br />A means of presenting a news story to a wider Global audience with a "real interest" in the content of any particular article, as has been written.<br /><br />&lt; Newspaper publishers have been seeing declining advertising revenues as more readers and advertisers migrate to the Web. Their own revenues from online advertising have also been growing, but not fast enough to make up for the declines in print advertising.<br /><br />'Our focus must be on becoming the very best at filling people's 24-hour news needs,' Curley said. 'That's a huge shift from the we-know-best, gatekeeping mentality. ... Readers and viewers are demanding to captain their information ships. Let them.' &gt;<br /><br /><a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.vortal.com/results.php?search=food" target="_newWindow">http://www.vortal.com/results.php?search=food</a><br /><br />Web "results" are yet to come ....But they are ready in waiting, here: <br /><br /><a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.pointcom.com/" target="_newWindow">http://www.pointcom.com/</a> - <a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.lookfood.us/" target="_newWindow">http://www.lookfood.us/</a><br /><br />And all the most popular (historical) "web" results on a range of topics, are [or, soon will be] contained, here:<br /><br /><a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.pointcom.com/?page_id=49" target="_newWindow">http://www.pointcom.com/?page_id=49</a><br /><br />I then extended [food] and used a "silly" search term in 'hamburgers', to get these latest "news" results, coming from publishers all over the world.<br /><br /><a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.vortal.com/news_results.php?search=food%20hamburgers" target="_newWindow">http://www.vortal.com/news_results.php?search=food%20hamburgers</a><br /><br />And it's surely ironic that the top [latest] article showing ATM, comes from none other than .....The AP<br /><br />US Tightens Restrictions on Meat ImportsThe Associated Press - 2 hours ago<br />... that had remained in storage with Rancher's Beef to samples taken both victims of the food poisoning outbreak and packages of Topps frozen hamburgers. ...<br />Publishing Date: Sat, 03 Nov 2007 21:50:30 GMT<br /><br />Working with "Bid4Keywords" and Vortal.com, newspapers will get to see their "work" reaching out to millions of "vertical-ised" Sites (including, via 'vacant' Domain names) besides an opportunity that Vortal.com provides to them all, to "share" the prospects of "driving" their own "users", to read articles from each other's Sites .....And most importantly ...The "Sharing of Revenues" generated from Geo-targeted, Contextualised Ads, within every step of the way"<br /><br />Surely it's not a case of ...."There's none so blind ... as those that cannot see", or, is it?<br /><br />:)<br /><br />Rossjb

[CanadianGeezer]

The market still exists but truly it fades as we "Surf"

"No Content" means so little in these times of the affluent narcissism that envelopes? the fortunate millions in a world of less fortunate billions. The road to the bottom of the barrel in journalism be it print, radio, TV or WWW in its presentation format/vehicle is followed with the abandon of a 12 year old ?joy-rider? ? ?Journalism? is a rare item at best and the media in all forms will possibly ?correct? itself eventually ?if the planet survives the species self destructive bent ? but do not bank on it.<br /><br />I?ve spent five decades as a ?Journalist? ? hence I share/shoulder some small portion of the blame ? We who profess to be ?communicators &#38; messengers? are a sorry lot of charlatans even in the best of times ?.. <br /><br />Associated Press is but one of several thousand viable targets for the currently posted ire of Mr. Cooper ? as there are indeed targets closer to his keyboard and monitor ? but alas I digress -- (and one must not bite the hand that feeds one ? must one?)<br /><br />Regarding the focus of Mr. Cooper?s angst ? Well in any event Mr. Curley need not despair .. in time it is quite possible that a few EMP?s will likely mean the redeployment of shoeleather and a curious &#38; investigatve mind will be required to file ?The Story? whatever relevance it may still have in that eventuality ?..