Web Strategies: What we can learn from big and small papers

With circulation numbers declining, many newspapers have looked at ways to gain readership among young people. According to a 2004 report by the Newspaper Association of America, only 53% of all adults in this country read a daily newspaper, down from 81% in 1964. Only 40% of those surveyed between 18 and 24 reported reading a newspaper daily in 2004. Instead, many young people use the Web as a primary source for information and entertainment. If newspapers could harness this power, instead of seeing it as a threat, they could avoid the death of newspapers.

While one cannot tell whether newspapers' Web strategies will succeed in the long run, an analysis of the way different newspapers use the internet can provide a comparison and perhaps insight into what works best. For this study, I created criteria based on usability studies conducted by Jakob Nielsen and guides on writing for the web and perform a qualitative content analysis of newspaper websites. I looked at elements such as organization, use of graphics, use of hyperlinks, scannability and interactivity.

To provide comparisons among newspapers of different sizes, I analyzed a national paper, USA Today; a large metropolitan paper, the News & Observer in Raleigh; and two small local papers, The Herald Sun and The Roxboro Courier=Times. Although smaller newspapers may have more limitations, I think all newspapers, both large and small, can learn from each other what works best when posting information to the Web.