Internet Newspapers

The Making of a Mainstream Medium

Xigen Li

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781136683909
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Computer Science
• Subtopic: Web Development
• Index: Computer Science

Internet Newspapers: The Making of a Mainstream Medium examines newspapers on the Internet, and addresses the emergence of online newspapers and the delivery of news through this outlet. Utilizing empirical research, chapters explore the theoretical and practical issues associated with Internet newspapers and examine the process through which online newspapers have grown into a mainstream medium. Contributions to this work emphasize three key areas: the structure and presentation of newspapers on the Internet; the medium as an interactive process; and the ways in which the public interacts with Internet newspapers.This collection makes a substantial contribution to the understanding of newspapers on the Internet, covering their development and changes as well as the impact that news delivery through this medium has had on other media, audiences, and society. It also sheds light on improving operation and performance of Internet newspapers to better serve the public and gain competitive knowledge. The volume encourages additional scholarship in this area, and also shows how researchers can benefit from an empirical approach to their examination of Internet newspapers. Internet Newspapers will appeal to scholars, researchers, and students of journalism and mass communications, and can be used as a supplementary text in advanced courses covering journalism, communication technology, and mass media and society.

I

Information Delivery and Access of Internet Newspapers

1

The Evolution of Online Newspapers: A Longitudinal Content Analysis, 1997–2003

Jennifer D. Greer

Donica Mensing

University of Nevada–Reno

Electronic newspapers have been available in some form since the early 1970s, with the first Web-based newspapers launched in the mid-1990s (Gunter, 2003). In the United States, the Casper, Wyoming, Star-Tribune launched an ISP and Web-based newspaper (called the Electronic Signpost) in April 1994, just before the first version of Netscape Navigator 1.0 was released. The Electronic Telegraph, the online edition of the British The Daily Telegraph, produced its first Web edition in late 1994 (Gunter, 2003). Six months later, in May 1995, Quill reported that 150 papers worldwide had Web editions (Cochran, 1995), with newspapers in Barcelona; Singapore; Sydney; Chicago; Raleigh, North Carolina; and San Jose, California, all providing Web-based news. The New York Times started its Web edition in early 1996, as did The Times of London (Gunther, 2003) and Le Monde, France’s largest daily newspaper (Carlson, 2003). In April 1996, the National Newspaper Association reported that 175 North American dailies were online; 775 publications were online worldwide (Carlson, 2003). One year later, nearly 1,600 newspapers were being published online, including 820 in the United States (Levins, 1997). A review of three online newspaper directories (American Journalism Review, NewsLink, and NewsDirectory.com) placed the population of daily online U.S. newspapers at 1,279 by mid-2003.

Although the newspaper industry has long experimented with a variety of electronic technologies—including proprietary services, videotext, and bulletin boards—publishing on the World Wide Web has proven to be the most successful and enduring form of online newspaper publishing. In the first decade that newspapers have been publishing on the Web, journalists, Web designers, and computer programmers have experimented with a variety of formats and types of content. Whereas early newspapers were criticized as adding up to “little more than static boards displaying weather, tourist and civic information, or telephone numbers of editors at the newspaper” (Noack, 1997, p. 323), the most recent online newspapers are producing sophisticated breaking-news reports, augmented with audio, video, and various interactive elements.

As online newspapers have added more timely, in-depth, and original reporting to their sites, use of the sites has increased significantly. Less than 5% of the U.S. population went online for news in 1995; by 2002 that number had increased to 35% (Pew, 2002). Coverage of the 2003 Iraq war, for example, provided plenty of opportunity for online news to compete with broadcast news for the attention of viewers. More than half of all online users reported using the Web to get news about the war in the first days of the conflict (Rainie, Fox, & Fallows, 2003). Online newspaper analyst Steve Outing (2003) described the online news coverage of the Iraq war as containing “Web-centric, well-planned, compelling multimedia content (with) breaking-news headlines and video delivered at nearly the speed of television (at least for broadband users)” (p. 41).

As online newspapers have evolved, researchers have studied a variety of emerging features, including content (Kamerer & Bressers, 1998), use of technology (Dibean & Garrison, 2001), interactivity (Massey & Levy, 1999; Schultz, 1999), potential revenue sources (Harper, 1996; Thompson & Wassmuth, 2001), and news efficiency (Li, 2002). Most of this research has relied on data collected at a single point in time. A few online newspaper content analyses have focused on a single issue over a few years (Hyde, 2001; Singer, 2002).

This study moves beyond the cross-sectional analyses offered by previous research to examine, longitudinally, how online newspapers have evolved since their inception. Building on an introductory content analysis of 83 online newspapers published by U.S. dailies (Gubman & Greer, 1997), this study presents 7 years of content analyses of those same newspapers, from 1997 to 2003. This longitudinal approach allows for a more comprehensive examination of the changes occurring in online newspapers. It also establishes a baseline of changes in content, technology, and services during the critical early years of Web-based newspapers. Specifically, this study examines trends in news presentation and content, multimedia use, interactivity, and potential revenue sources. Additionally, the study examines how circulation size of newspapers relates to the types of features present in their online versions.

Features and Content of Online Newspapers

Early online newspapers were harshly criticized for simply reproducing the print product online (Katz, 1997; Lasica, 1996; Pogash, 1996; Reason, 1995). One early observer warned publishers: “Simply sticking your content—or shovelware—on a Web site just doesn’t cut it any more. With the tsunami of newspapers flooding the Internet, the need to differentiate yourself is crucial” (Regan, 1995, p. 78). Peggie Stark Adam, a Poynter associate in visual journalism, told publishers not to be overwhelmed by technology and simply dump their print versions onto Web sites. Instead, she urged them to think creatively through the development, creation, and delivery of information (Reason, 1995).

The cross-sectional studies mentioned in the introduction provide context for any longitudinal online newspapers analysis. These cross-sectional studies are summarized later, with findings divided into the four primary areas of interest in this study: news, multimedia, interactivity, and potential revenue sources. Most of the past studies focused on one or two of these areas, investigating a few variables in each section.

News Content and Presentation

Online newspapers were created at least in part with the primary purpose of providing frequently updated news and information. However, this was not always the case in the early development of Web papers, particularly in smaller markets. Some early papers used their sites simply to provide contact information for the paper or to promote subscriptions. More than one quarter of online newspaper sites analyzed in 1997 had not updated the site in more than 24 hours (Gubman & Greer, 1997).

Since those early days, however, news has become the dominant feature of online newspapers. The news content of online newspapers has for the most part mirrored the content found in print newspapers, with local news dominating. Two content analyses, of 74 and 166 online dailies, nondailies, and specialty papers, found that 92% of all the sites featured local news by the end of 1997. The percentage of sites with national news present increased from 45% to 53% during the 6-month period between the data collections (Kamerer & Bressers, 1998).

Researchers also have studied presentation of news content, as news sites have experimented with alternative front-page designs, updates, and story formats. A survey sent to 247 online daily U.S. newspapers operating in 1997 found that smaller, local newspapers tended to provide a directory-like listing of stories on their front pages, whereas the majority of national/metropolitan papers followed a more traditional newspaper design. News in larger papers’ sites was presented through news headlines, text, and graphics on the front page (Peng, Tham, & Xiaoming, 1999). More than two thirds of the papers surveyed reported providing electronic access to archives. Half said they updated their Web editions only once a day; the other half said they did so more frequently (Peng et al., 1999). In another 1997 survey, 57% of the 135 online newspaper editors surveyed said they updated their sites every 24 hours, whereas 41% said they updated more frequently and 2% less frequently (Tankard, 1998).

Few studies have examined the format and presentation of news stories online. Some have recommended that news sites break up lengthy news stories into short “nuggets” and use graphics to convey complex information (Lowrey, 1999). A content analysis of 230 genetic cloning stories on three broadcast-related news sites (CNN, ABC, and MSNBC) and three national newspapers (The New York Times, The Washington Post, and USA Today) from 1996 to 1998 found that online news stories were 20% to 70% shorter than print news stories (Hyde, 2001). More than half of the online articles were provided by outside services such as news wires, whereas staff reporters wrote about 90% of the print stories. Online stories also cited fewer sources and used less variety in sources (Hyde, 2001).

Efficiency of news retrieval is an important attribute in online newspapers as readers seek to save time and effort. Minimizing the number of links readers must follow before finding useful content is one measure of efficiency. A 1999 study of the efficiency of five online newspapers found wide variation in site design in terms of the number of links and layers users had to navigate before reaching useable content (Li, 2002).

Multimedia

Another feature of online newspapers that distinguishes them from print papers is the ability to enhance static images and text with audio, video, and animation. However, newspapers have been slow to integrate these technologies into their online news mix. One 1998 survey found that fewer than 10% of responding editors reported using animated graphics, audio clips, or video clips on their sites (Tankard, 1998). In the same year, only two of 44 English-language online newspapers in Asia provided multimedia content (Massey & Levy, 1999). However, at least one later study documented an increase in multimedia use at online newspapers. Dibean and Garrison (2001) reported an increase in the use of audio and video between November 1998 and July 1999. Still, less than one third of the newspaper sites they studied employed these technologies.

Most of these studies examined the use of multimedia features in news stories. However, some anecdotal accounts have suggested that some advertisers on online sites embraced these multimedia elements, even when news editors didn’t. As broadband becomes more accessible, use of these sophisticated technologies, as well as of Flash and other graphic-rich programs, is expected to increase in advertising as well as news presentation online.

Interactivity

The ability to engage readers in two-way communication has been one of the distinguishing features of online publishing. Yet early studies of interactivity in online news found few sites taking advantage of the potential that interactivity promises (Schultz, 1999). Kamerer and Bressers’ (1998) two content analyses in 1997 found that online newspapers were increasing their use of e-mail to enhance the ability of readers to interact with writers and editors. During the first collection period, the researchers found that 73% of newspapers provided an e-mail address for contacting the paper and 47% provided e-mail for an individual. Six months later, 94% of the papers provided a newspaper e-mail address and 57% had individual e-mail addresses for staff members (Kamerer & Bressers, 1998). All of the online newspapers in a 1997 census study (with one exception) had a general e-mail address, and one third provided interactivity by sponsoring forums and live-chat environments (Peng et al., 1999). Tankard (1998) found similar results in his survey of 135 online newspapers in 1997, with 74% of responding editors reporting that their sites provide staff e-mail links.

A study of six online newspapers in November 1998 and July 1999 found that a majority of newspapers used forums, related information, electronic mail, site searches, and consumer services to encourage interactivity with readers. However, few papers offered chat rooms, polls, or signups for customized news delivery (Dibean & Garrison, 2001). A 1998 study of 44 English-language online newspapers in Asia showed that almost all of the newspapers offered e-mail links for feedback to the newsroom, whereas just over one third allowed readers to contribute site content. One fifth of the newspapers provided real-time chats and forums (Massey & Levy, 1999).

Singer’s (2002) study of five online Iowa newspapers during the presidential primaries indicates that sites are capable of employing significant interactive features when responding to specific news events. All five newspapers studied by Singer provided links from their stories to national news, political party, or candidate sites. Interactive features present on at least one site included polls and poll results, real-time chats with major candidates, streaming video, discussion of the debates, online quizzes, and an interactive town hall feature. All newspapers offered e-mail links to the newspaper and to individual reporters.

Revenue Sources

A critical question at the inception of Web-based publishing and one still facing online newspapers today is the development of sustainable revenue streams to support online ventures. When online newspapers were started, publishers expected them to become profitable—or simply self-supporting—in a few years. But even today, few online newspapers report profits. Early revenue models focused on advertising, both classifieds and display. Some papers experimented with subscription fees, but those experiments were generally short-lived. Harper’s early survey of 40 online newspapers found 13 charging for subscriptions, seven with no ads at all, and three providing free advertising. Another seven provided direct Internet access for readers (Harper, 1996). Kamerer and Bressers (1998) noted in their 1997 content analysis that 76% of sites car...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half Title page
• Series page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Foreword
• Preface
• Introduction
• Part I Information Delivery and Access of Internet Newspapers
• Part II Emerging Medium in an Interactive Process
• Part III Internet Newspapers and the Public
• About the Contributors
• Author Index
• Subject Index