News about News

I don't write too much about the media on this blog, but it is something I think about a lot. Journalism school curriculum these days seems to be a mix between learning the trade and understanding the current dire state of news.

We heard from the very first day of school, "Journalism needs fixing. If one of you could come up with a solution to maintain quality news, you'll make a lot of money."

(I'm still holding out hope that it's one of my brilliant classmates that comes up with a revolutionary new plan--like the Google or Facebook of news media.)

So even though I steered away from the actual practice of journalism, I remain very concerned about its progress in adopting a suitable business model that will keep news organizations in business (thriving rather than just scraping by) and keep Americans in touch with things they need to know to lead informed lives.

Which is why I thought I would share something I read this morning about Amish media.

In short, one of the solutions that has been presented for making a profit with news is hyperlocal coverage--the idea that if a newspaper presents only local news, it will attract local advertisers and maintain readers who may have otherwise gone to other sources for their news. Hand in hand with this idea is that of citizen journalism or participatory journalism--the idea that the community contributes to the news product through letters and guest columns, giving them a sense of ownership and improving the product.

These are both hotly debated solutions. But The Budget, an Amish newspaper out of Ohio, has been following these principles for 120 years, and its business is as healthy as ever (even with a website--for the non-Amish, technology using readers.)

A British graduate student spent some time in Sugarcreek, Ohio. In her time among the horse drawn carriages, she couldn't help but see parallels between this thriving news product and steps being taken by mainstream media to keep afloat--making itself the most relevant place for advertisers to reach consumers, dedicating significant space to reader letters, and giving readers a sense of entitlement to the paper that transcends generations.

I can't pretend to know the first thing about how news organizations are going to survive through the changing news climate and rough economy, but I do think it's interesting to look to organizations who are experiencing success and to learn from them.