The Greensboro News & Record is getting more recognition for its forward-thinking in terms of new media. PressThink, which has been a fan of the N&R for a while, recently profiled the paper’s editor John Robinson (although being compared to Mr. Rogers is definitely a mixed blessing). This is well-earned attention because the N&R is doing what any business in a threatened industry should do: get aggressive.
It started with their blogging, which JR should take credit for because he led the way. He could have assigned blogging to someone else but he stepped into the fray himself and that sent an important message to the people working for and with him. He is also careful to share the credit if not shift it completely, to the very smart people he has working with him like Lex Alexander. That’s another sign of leadership and he should get credit for it. He’s right, of course, that they all deserve credit but if you’re going to get the criticism that leaders always get then you should also get credit when it is due.
This would be an interesting story if the folks at the N&R stopped with the blogging, but they didn’t. They have now launched three community hubs, called "Hometown Hubs", is experimenting with podcasts and is also delving into using multimedia for stories. All of these initiatives can be found in their Town Square section. They have also restructured their classified advertising, which is the lifeblood for any newspaper.
The N&R is absolutely doing the right thing. Its traditional business is under assault and the relative cost of experimenting online now is very low compared with the risk of doing nothing or moving slowly. If nothing else it is raising the cost of entering the market higher for any potential entrepreneurial competitors, but more importantly it is allowing its people to learn the skills they need in the coming decade or two while the cost of doing so is small. That is truly forward thinking.
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Befuddled 
You’re too kind. We might be doing the right thing — even we’re not certain — but we need to be doing more of it, faster.
And at least we’re not just doing the SAME thing. I used to think that down that road lay slow death. Now I think it wouldn’t be that slow.
Even if it isn’t THE right thing it’s more right than what most others are doing. What actually led me to post this was the interactive story on the racist exceptions found in old deeds in Guilford County. The topic was interesting but what really grabbed me was the quality of the media…very well done.
One thing I noticed in the interactive story was the use of adjectives by the narrator; one that sticks in my head is “evil” and I can’t remember what it was used to describe but the narrator was not quoting someone so it is his, or at least the story’s description. I can’t imagine a reporter getting an adjective like “evil” past an editor in a print version of the story (could be wrong) but I was wondering if you foresee a little more opinion or first person narrative being used in stories online?
Again great work by all you guys, and I agree that the end is coming sooner rather than later for those in the newspaper business who don’t innovate.
Thanks for the article link, Jon. I admire N&R’s transparency and willingness to speak about new ideas — it builds momentum, which you can see in all the coverage they’ve received, and the online community they have started to cultivate.
In other news :), JournalNow has an ACC Tournament blog, http://acc.journalnow.net , for this weekend’s action. It’s our second in-house blog, which is a good step. In fewer than 24 hours JournalNow launches a community photo web application.
Gerry McGovern (if you don’t read him, you should) wrote this week about “The True Cost of Content.” It’s interesting, especially in the context of community-generated content, and the additional value content gets when people participate in it ( http://www.gerrymcgovern.com/nt/2006/nt-2006-03-06-content-cost.htm ).
I’m behind and I’m sorry about that. Thanks for your comments and praise. Truly, the credit shouldn’t go to me — a point I keep telling interviewers — but people like Lex and a lot of people who enable our bloggers, like middle managers here.
Lex is right. We need to move much faster than we are.
Thanks John. While I agree in part with what you’re saying I do subscribe to the theory that leaders, right or wrong, get too much praise for success and too much blame for failure. As a team I think you all are doing great work and it’s a pleasure to watch.