How to Save Newspapers

If you somehow found this site, welcome. It has just one objective: Daring newspapers to brainstorm new directions. I fear many working journalists will hate many of these ideas. But as a friend of mine used to say in high school: “Don’t knock it till you try it.”

It’s a challenge and an exercise, posed by Good, a new magazine “for people who give a damn.”  You’ll find it in the March/April “Media Issue” on the back page. Couldn’t resist, of course. Since I give a damn, I gave it my best, putting together all sorts of my ideas on a single page. […]

You’’ll find many wild ideas here. Ideas to inject new life and energy into newspapers.
But here’s the most revolutionary, evolutionary idea of all.  
In one swell foop, it capitalizes on many points presented here: 

Job 1: Be less boring.
News is not the answer.
It’s time to empower the renegades on staff.
Dare to brainstorm the blank page.
Really find out what readers what.

In a single section, […]

Let social-studies types debate political bias. Just as insidious and more overlooked is a kind of class and lifestyle bias. Newspapers perpetuate an illusion that critics present a balanced view because their reactions range from love to hate. But here’s the bias: They’re all shilling for the area they’re reviewing. In general, the flim critic loves film, the food critic extols dining, sports writers love sports. But […]

I know the news people at newspapers will find this amewsing, but I’m serious about making newspapers more unpredictable and fun. As usual, these thoughts may seem like rambling, but there is a vision to my madness, if only to open minds to more possibilities for making content varied and surprising. Why, for example, can’t […]

Clearly, newspapers are best when readers have lots of time. And newspapers know they need to have content for the five-minute reader. But how about being multi-tasking friendly? What kind of content could you enjoy while you’re watching TV? Eating dinner with the family? Driving? Out on a date? (Patience: Asking dumb questions sometimes leads […]

Writers get syndicated. Cartoonists get syndicated. But why not creative graphic artists? The trick on the creative side is being timely and topical, so it’s best to piggyback lingering issues and react quickly to news. Could be serious and data-oriented, with maps and charts and math. Or it could have a humorous, let’s-talk-about it twist, […]

Sure. Why not? Now, I’m not talking about informative blurbs, like “Pirates Steals Box-Office Booty. Page C1.” I’m talking about “wouldn’t you like to know?” come-ons, like “When Will This Hot Weather End? Page A3.” Horrors! It’s tacky, it’s annoying, it’s not serious and dignified! True. But: (1) You could tease many more stories on […]

Alas, newspapers grow ever shorter on space, so it is with no great anticipation I share some ideas for features that readers might find of some interest. Consider this Part 1 of a series.
Contest Mania. Who isn’t interested in free money and merchandise, ways to win them, and people who have done so? Are there […]