The print-digital equation

Welcome back! While we were on an August break, one of the biggest developments in the local news industry came from Atlanta, where the Journal-Constitution announced last week that it is eliminating print at the end of this year.

The New York Times called the decision a “cold turkey” move. Poynter’s Rick Edmonds said the AJC is taking “a quick and giant step forward” in an industry whose “consensus strategy has been to make the print-digital transition gradual.”

One question is whether the move is a harbinger of the industry’s future, or simply the ongoing separation of digital and print for distinctive use cases, depending on the content and intended user experience.

After all, certain outlets, like the Onion, are successfully leaning in on print, Alexandra Bruell reported last month for the Wall Street Journal.

Publications that are “lean back” reads may still see print as a platform of choice. Some may view it as a brand builder and collectible, as the tech and media journalist Simon Owens pointed out in a LinkedIn post, referring to plans by incoming Vogue editor Chloe Malle to reduce print frequency but use higher quality paper stock.

But when it comes to news, the focus is on digital, at least at the Journal-Constitution. As its president and publisher Andrew Morse told The Times’ Katie Robertson: “The fact is, printing newspapers and putting them in trucks and driving them around and delivering them on people’s front stoops has not been the most effective way to distribute the news in a very long time.”

+ A newsroom resource from API: For news leaders looking for ways to reimagine their printed products, the Beyond Print Toolkit we put together last year with the Lenfest Institute may be helpful.

News In Focus
Headlines, resources and events aligned with API’s four areas of focus.

Civic Discourse & Democracy

>> The battle for public notices (CJR) 

The phrase “newspaper of record” has a specific meaning when it comes to public and legal notices, writes Lucy Schiller. She documents how “a growing number of public notice contracts between local papers and governments have shifted or even been canceled.”

>> He plagiarized and promoted falsehoods. The White House embraces him. (The New York Times) 

Ken Bensinger examines the “new media personalities” like Benny Johnson who gain access and prominence in the White House because they promote the administration’s agenda — often with falsehoods.

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Culture & Inclusion

>> USA TODAY doubles down on women’s sports with Heather Burns at the helm (Editor & Publisher)

Heather Burns, USA TODAY’s first-ever women’s sports editor, discussed her plans with E&P’s Mike Blinder, including the strategy behind Studio IX, Gannett’s content vertical aimed at covering women’s sports through storytelling, events and community building.

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Community Engagement & Trust

>> Lack of local news tied to government secrecy, new report says (Medill Local News Initiative) 

A new study from the Brechner Center for the Advancement of the First Amendment at the University of Florida finds a link between decreased government transparency and the decline of local news. 

>> Trust Tip: With traumatic visuals, explain your decisions (Trusting News) 

The coverage of last week’s fatal shooting in Minnesota is a reminder that the heartbreaking footage of distraught families and children in grief and disbelief should be accompanied by explanations of your coverage decisions, write Mollie Muchna and Lynn Walsh.

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Revenue & Resilience

>> How The Wall Street Journal is strategizing for ‘Google zero’ (Digiday)

“Not every click is equal,” Ed Hyatt, director of newsroom SEO at The Wall Street Journal, said at a Digiday virtual event last week. He shared ways publishers can build strategies to insulate themselves amid changes in Google search, writes Sara Guaglione.

>> Inescapable technology changes and a migrating audience have local broadcast news in trouble (Poynter)    

Local TV news is facing financial headwinds, a phenomenon that will feel familiar to people working local newspapers, writes Rick Edmonds.

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What else you need to know

🎙️ Podcasters are making millions through live events (Bloomberg News)

🤝 Trusted news sites may benefit in an internet full of AI-generated fakes, a new study finds (Nieman Lab)

🎓 SUNY expands local news collaborations for student learning (Inside Higher Ed)

🗞️ Chicago Reader finds new life with new buyer: ‘I’m grateful that it’s going to have a future’ (Chicago Tribune)