Immediacy

Both the Dallas Observer and The Frontburner have rolled out some exceptional reporting and commentary this week. As a megalomaniacal entrepreneur (with all the affiliated insecurities inherent therein), I found myself briefly pausing as to the extent of the marketplace need for something like Pegasus News.

Then, in fact-checking the date of the Times Herald's demise, I re-stumbled upon this:

But to think that a weekly newspaper can effect change like a major-market daily is incorrect. It simply can't. Not that we don't try, and do a damn fine job of trying. But an alternative weekly, in this market, does not have the ability to focus a usually complacent citizenry on injustice and corruption like a daily newspaper can. That is where the Herald is missed.

Of course that was written in 2001, when a daily frequency was still as good as it seemed to get.

Comments

[kevin whited]

A few quick random thoughts --

Maybe the goal -- focusing a usually complacent citizenry -- shouldn't be the goal. Rather, putting out an informed perspective (or many perspectives, since I would want interactivity as either a reader or publisher of siad enterprise) might be a better goal.

And to me, perspective includes historical memory, hyperlinks back to previous entries, etc. The sort of thing traditional newspapers are failing miserably at right now, and seem determined not to try (here in town, the Chronicle has further dumbed down a dumb newspaper with its redesign -- assuming that adding idiot boxes of "simplified" content to go with slimmed stories will attract readers. No!)

Our little Houston-centric blog has gotten some nice compliments on the fact that we offer a perspective on our niche (local media and politics), but we also offer an institutional memory. When we make a point about a political move or reporting, we frequently reference older, related materials (ours or other sources, it really doesn't matter). It gives the story some context, context which is frequently missing from the daily newspaper.

Sure, we'll offer a perspective on that context frequently, but readers are smart. They can figure out what they think about our perspective, and the context we provide. And maybe that's key -- instead of "focusing" on moving the opinion of readers and treating them like sheep, journalists should be respecting smart readers a bit more.

These are random thoughts, dashed out quickly. Curious what ya'll think, as you're actually working through these sorts of issues.