What We Know About the Business of Digital Journalism
What We Know About the Business of Digital Journalism
What We Know About the Business of Digital Journalism
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Columbia <strong>Journalism</strong> School | Tow Center for <strong>Digital</strong> <strong>Journalism</strong>Chapter 6Aggregation: ‘Shameless’ – and EssentialThe arguments about companies like Huffington Post mask <strong>the</strong> reality that aggregationhas long been a feature <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> journalism business, and one that almostevery news provider engages in today in some fashion. It makes economic senseto create and enrich content by linking to material that appears elsewhere, andaggregation is among <strong>the</strong> cheapest and most efficient ways to get users.• Companies discussed: Huffington Post, AOL, Google, Yahoo, New YorkMagazine, NewserChapter 7Dollars and Dimes: The New Costs <strong>of</strong> Doing <strong>Business</strong>The notion <strong>of</strong> “trading dollars for dimes” captures <strong>the</strong> impact <strong>of</strong> digital distributionon <strong>the</strong> economics <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> news business. Without having to make <strong>the</strong> steepinvestment that used to be required to launch a media business, low-cost local ortopical sites have found it easier to build audiences. Legacy news producers facea trickier challenge: to cut costs and boost online revenue while trying to protecttraditional advertising sources.• Companies discussed: CT Mirror, Journal-Register, Breaking Media,<strong>Business</strong> Insider, The Atlantic, Detroit Free Press, Detroit NewsChapter 8New Users, New Revenue: Alternative Ways to Make MoneyMedia companies that successfully make <strong>the</strong> transition to <strong>the</strong> digital world aredeveloping new businesses and twists on old ones. These include selling marketingservices to advertisers, beating Craigslist at its own game and broadening<strong>the</strong>ir sales beyond <strong>the</strong>ir own sites.• Companies discussed: Houston Chronicle, KSL.com/Deseret News,McClatchy, Izea, Groupon, The Atlantic, FacebookExecutive Summary 135