EDITOR'S NOTE: In February 2020 I began a new venture writing a blog for "News and Tech" magazine, an magazine devoted to the newspaper industry. The blog appears on the site's homepage. This column originally appeared March 12, 2020.
I’m sure we all realize this, but just in case you might be too busy to feel the public’s angst, here’s a friendly, little PSA: This is go time!
That’s right. … I’m talking about news operations being in the limelight as public anxiety over the worldwide COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic spreads. People are turning to us for the straight facts, and this is the most golden opportunity since maybe 9/11 to demonstrate the necessity of a financially healthy, audience-supported newspaper industry.
Everything from sporting events at every level, internationally successful music festivals, school sessions and even religious services are being postponed or cancelled at a dizzying pace.
Consumers are trying to sort through conflicting facts about the coronavirus that they see being shouted from medical professionals, government officials and even the media itself.
There’s the troubling financial news with the world oil market taking a nosedive, and the financial markets flirting with the first “bear” territory in recent memory.
Not to mention panic-induced consumer purchasing phenomena that may or may not do anything to keep you safe from the virus.
Whew. … That is a lot to digest, and I am one who religiously follows the news almost all day long. Imagine being a consumer trying to stay on top of all this!
So, what does that mean for us? … For the newspaper industry, I mean?
It means that this is our prime time! … Our “Go Time!” … This is the time that we need to shine!
We need to be on top of the latest developments, utilizing the speed of our websites to keep up with the consumer demand for information.
We need to utilize our printed publications to publish longer, more in-depth, more complete pictures of the news that is taking place.
We need to utilize our professional, fact-gathering journalists to comb through the white noise and pick out the facts, the actual useful information about the virus and its many ripple effects that consumers need to know.
We need to be sure that everything that we are publishing is factually accurate, that it’s not just hype. We need content that is professionally crafted, cuts to the core of the issues at hand, and actually informs our audiences. This is what will differentiate us from other media, and ultimately make an impression on audiences.
Leave the conjecture behind. Leave the showy glitz and glamour of TV news to the TV folks. This is when newspapers can separate themselves from the pack, and we do that how we’ve always done it: With solid, factual reporting, and compelling writing, photos, graphics and videos.
I know that we have a lot on our plates right now, but newspapers need to take this moment seriously. If we fail our audiences in this pandemic, we just may be sealing our own fate.
However, if we seize the moment, convince our audiences that newspapers are necessary to produce an informed, educated and, yes, even safe society, then maybe we will have turned this health crisis into a win for everyone.
Devlyn Brooks is president of Modulist, a media services company specializing in the processing of user-generated paid content submissions for newspapers. Devlyn spent 20 years writing and editing in newsrooms big and small, dailies and weeklies.
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