The Modern Journalist

Better Data, Less Information is Key to Young Readers

Image via Wikipedia

I’ve always rejected the notion that my generation — and the ones behind me — are less interested in reading and have short attention spans when it comes to the news.

I’ve found that logic to be condescending and arrogant, telling people that they are consuming their news and information in correct ways. Turns out, it’s not just me blowing smoke: a new research study, albeit a limited one, found that people between the ages of 18 and 34 have become completely overwhelmed with the sheer volume of information sent out by newspapers, causing them to turn away from these outlets.

The results, which were implemented by the Associated Press, helped the organization retool its news delivery to include more relevant, multi-platform news:

That includes what the AP calls “1-2-3 filing,” starting with a news alert headline for breaking news, followed by a short present-tense story that is usable on the Web and by broadcasters. The third step is to add details and format stories in ways most appropriate for various news platforms.

I wouldn’t call that a breakthrough in thinking because it still has a component of the news that’s directed by a small group of people; however, it’s not a bad step in terms of creating news that can be delivered most easily across a variety of platforms.

Some of this, of course, is driven by bottom-line thinking. Digital and mobile revenues are expected to increase 12-fold in the next few years, reaching at $150 billion, according to a new study.

It also put a five-year time line on the demise of papers as the dominant news source:

The report said one study says that in some countries “the Internet will become the primary news and information source within five years, while newspapers will lose the dominating position they have held for more than a century.” Newspapers cannot count on their print editions alone to keep them solvent, the report said.

These two thoughts taken together point towards a dangerous future because staff cutbacks due to poor financial performance and a rigid management structure that hinders digital innovation along with a content flow that is geared first towards print and second towards other mediums will frustrate the remaining workers.

They will be forced to operate in a foreign world — technological innovation — while trying to keep producing the voluminous information they are expected to produce.

It’s why I can appreciate the AP’s attempt to create a more rational model, even if I don’t entirely understand how they are re-working their internal structures to make their company Web-first. Of course, if any organization can do it, I’d expect it would be a wire service which has built its company on syndication.

The rational organization would overhaul its operations, looking at building and engaging in its audience with data and feeds, then build both user-generated and reporter-generated packages and make sure that search, syndication and sharing of all types were enabled while giving readers the ability to personalize their news experience.

That last part, personalizing the experience, is what allows readers to sift through the noise. And that’s likely going to be the big growth area of advertising with emerging syndication business models developing and the expected rise of high-powered mobile computing devices allowing for more up-to-the-second sharing with friends.