My Local Paper Disrespects Local Bloggers
by Matt on Oct 13, 2009 in Industry
Add my local newspaper, the Tri-City Herald, to the long (and growing) list of traditional media outlets that have no respect for citizen journalism and local blogs. They said so tonight in a conversation I was following on Twitter: “Who else will you trust? Bloggers? Tweeters?”
That was in response to a tweet from another local guy, Brian, who originally said the Herald will “be dead in a year.” A short back-and-forth ensued, eventually leading to this message:
I’m beyond tired of the lack of respect local bloggers are getting these days. I replied to the Herald (on Twitter) that comments like this make them sound scared of local bloggers, and reminded them that the Seattle Times recently had to run to four Seattle news blogs and agree to coordinate coverage.
Sheesh. Enough already.
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5 Responses to “My Local Paper Disrespects Local Bloggers”
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Well, papers like this will be out of business soon enough…let them hasten their own demise, I say.
It’s good to make such incidents visible. They can either be part of the conversational process that goes on in blogs and on Twitter, or be the object of the conversation. They should engage in the dialogue. After all, it’s another way of communicating with their readers.
matt,
great blog. just like the rest of traditional media, local newspapers feel threatened. local papers are usually THE authority on local news. this informational monopoly sometimes leads to a bit of an ego problem. they aren’t used to competition from “bloggers” and “tweeters” who are providing great value to the community.
unfortunately local papers are squandering the ever-fleeting moment to take advantage of this media revolution. local newspapers could leverage their long-standing credibility by embracing local bloggers, but instead they complain and lament.
“The hardest thing to explain is the glaringly evident which everybody had decided not to see.”
Matt,
I am in a huge battle with this right now. There is one local news source in about a 30-40,000 people area. I started the GoBurley.com site, and the paper has blasted us, and tried to discredit what we are doing in their opinion section (without given people the name of the site)
Well, last week a group of people started to boycott the paper and those who advertise in it. His column today whined about how if he goes, there in no local news/advertising.
So, here is an idea for local news blogs, do a weekly/monthly print mailer that has advertising spots and story teasers, run them around to people’s doors, if you got cash mail them, and then point everyone back to your site. I think there is still room for print papers and credibility that comes from them. Advertisers enjoy knowing that their name is going in someones mailbox and can actually be quite lucrative.
[...] get me wrong, please. I subscribe to and read our local newspaper every day, even if they do disrespect local bloggers. I’m not rooting for newspapers to fail. Okay? [...]