E-Book Overview
Five years ago in "The Vanishing Newspaper", Philip Meyer offered the newspaper industry a business model for preserving and stabilizing the social responsibility functions of the press in a way that could outlast technology-driven changes in media forms. Now he has updated this groundbreaking volume, taking current declines in circulation and the number of dailies into consideration and offering a greater variety of ways to save journalism. Meyer's 'influence model' is based on the premise that a newspaper's main product is not news or information, but influence: societal influence, which is not for sale, and commercial influence, which is. The model is supported by an abundance of empirical evidence, including statistical assessments of the quality and influence of the journalist's product, as well as its effects on business success. Meyer now applies this empirical evidence to recent developments, such as the impact of Craigslist and current trends in information technologies. New charts show how a surge in newsroom employment propped up readership in the 1980s, and data on the effects of newsroom desegregation are now included. Meyer's most controversial suggestion, making certification available for reporters and editors, has been gaining ground. This new edition discusses several examples of certificate programs that are emerging in organizations both old and new. Understanding the relationship between quality and profit probably will not save traditional newspapers, but Meyer argues that such knowledge can guide new media enterprises. He believes that we have the tools to sustain high-quality journalism and preserve its unique social functions, though in a transformed way.
E-Book Content
The Vanishing Newspaper
The Vanishing Newspaper Saving Journalism in the Information Age
Second Edition
Philip Meyer
Un i v e r s i t y o f M i s s o u r i P r e s s C o l u m b i a a n d L o n don
Copyright © 2009 by The Curators of the University of Missouri University of Missouri Press, Columbia, Missouri 65201 Printed and bound in the United States of America All rights reserved 5 4 3 2 1 13 12 11 10 09
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Meyer, Philip. The vanishing newspaper : saving journalism in the information age / Philip Meyer.— 2nd ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. Summary: “In this edition, Meyer’s analysis of the correlation between newspaper quality and profitability is updated and applied to recent developments in the newspaper industry. Meyer argues that understanding the relationship between quality and profit is central to sustaining journalistic excellence and preserving journalism’s unique social functions.”— Provided by publisher. ISBN 978–0–8262–1858–2 (cloth : alk. paper)—ISBN 978–0–8262–1877– 3 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Journalism—United States. 2. Journalism—Economic aspects—United States. 3. Newspapers. I. Title. PN4867.2.M48 2009 071’.3—dc22 2009022452
This paper meets the requirements of the American National Standard for Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, Z39.48, 1984. Jacket Design: Kristie Lee Page design and composition: Jennifer Cropp Printer and binder: Thomson-Shore, Inc. Typefaces: Berkley, Plantagenet Cherokee, and OCR
In memory of Edwin A. Lahey, 1902–1969
“All I require of my publisher is that he remain solvent.”
Contents
Acknowledgments
xi
Introduction to the Second Edition
1
Introduction
5
1. The Influence Model
9
2. How Newspapers Made Money
38
3. How Advertisers Made Decisions
50
4. Credibility and Influence
66
5. Accuracy in Reporting
82
6. Readability
106
7. Do Editors Matter?