News moving from print to web is a fundamental shift in the nature of the market, which brings many opportunities for growth by embracing the realities of the n

News moving from print to web is a fundamental shift in the nature of the market, which brings many opportunities for growth by embracing the realities of the net, and a high chance of failure by ignoring those realities. Some thoughts: The focus of the business needs to adapt to what is demanded online: giving people want they want that other sites don't give them, and conversely not providing things done better elsewhere. There is plenty of room for innovation: treating news more like data [http://www.holovaty.com/blog/archive/2006/09/06/0307 http://www.holovaty.com/blog/archive/2006/09/06/0307], exploiting archives, focus on analysis... In short, losing the mindset of transferring print to web, sticking to core competencies, extending and innovating where appropriate, and ditching the junk. The organisation of the business may be able to move from the monolithic style to a more networked model, with more freelancing, syndication and aggregation, more 'citizen reporters' and a blurred line between bloggers and journalists. The big newspapers have strong brands, and for the near future most people don't want news from some random blog, or to have to trawl the net. NYT and friends are well positioned to capture the new news business. But likely many of them will refuse to change, or try and fail. So, a period of turmoil and consolidation: many papers fold, reporters shift gears and go where the money is online, the fit adapt and survive, the weak stagnate and die. But I think all those reporters, all the net-folk wanting news, and a few savvy types to put it together, will work it out in the end one way or another.