DI

Watching the New York Times Struggle

Many of the changes mentioned here should have been made, as you said, a long time ago. Many of the papers in the metropolitan areas have already missed the boat. This means they should prepare for the same fate that awaits the U.S. auto-industry. The industry failed to recognize the opportunity to streamline and advance because there was still attractive but dwindling profits to be harvested in a shrinking market. I can't agree with you more that the leaders were more concerned about protecting the old model instead of exploring new ones or at the very least hedging for the future.

I was getting my Master's in journalism three years ago and focused intensely on online media. I was one of the few. Let's be clear about one thing because we read a lot of blogs like this one seeming to offer hope. There is not going to be a recovery for some of the larger papers. Gannet made its move earlier than most and its properties will likely be much better off for it.

What's troubling is not knowing what will take the place of traditional media's government watchdog role. The market shows me people gravitate toward what they already believe. They don't want their beliefs and opinions challenged. Observing patterns of media consumption among friends, users on my company’s site, I don’t think it’s going to be very difficult for some audiences to be captured.