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7/29/2019 Media Convergence of Newspapers
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MEDIACONVERGENCEOFNEWSPAPERS
MediaConvergenceofNewspapers:
AContentAnalysisoftheHoustonChroniclesPrint-andWeb-basedContent
_______________________________________________________
PresentedtotheFaculty
LibertyUniversity
SchoolofCommunicationStudies
_______________________________________________________
InPartialFulfillment
OftheRequirementsforthe
MasterofArts
InCommunicationStudies
by
AmandaSullivan
May2012
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MEDIACONVERGENCEOFNEWSPAPERSii
ThesisCommittee
________________________________________________________________________StuartSchwartz,Ph.D.,ChairDate
________________________________________________________________________
AngelaWidgeon,Ph.D. Date
________________________________________________________________________
ToddSmith,Ph.D. Date
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS iii
Thisthesisisdedicatedtomyparents,
MichaelandStacySullivan.
Thankyouforallyourlove,support,andendlessprayers.
Iloveyou.
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS iv
Copyright 2012AmandaMichelleSullivan
AllRightsReserved
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS v
Abstract
Thechannelsofnewsmediahavechanged.Thetraditionalrouteofreceivingnews
viaanewspaperhasevolvedintoamoredigitalpath,leavingmanytoquestionthefutureoftheprintpublication.Thisstudyevaluatestheprint-andWeb-based
contentoftheHoustonChronicle.Theresearcheraddstothefieldofresearchon
newsmediabyanalyzingtheonlineandprintcontentofthepublication,creatinga
newwaytocategorizeandevaluatethesubjectmatterbyplacingitintofour
categories:repetition,adaptation,representation,andunique.Theresearcherseeks
toanswerthreeresearchquestions,discoveringhoweachmediumexemplifies
elementsofmediaconvergence.
KeyWords:Newspapers,newsmedia,digitalmedia,socialmedia,media
convergence
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS vi
Acknowledgements
Thereisalistamilelongwithallthenamesofthepeoplewhohavehelped
megetthisfarinmylife.Icannotthankyouallbyname,butknowIameternallygratefulforyourimpactinmylife.
Firstandforemost,IwouldliketothankmyLordandSavior,JesusChrist,for
Hiscontinuedlove,support,andguidancethroughoutmylife.
Second,IwouldliketothankmythesiscommitteemembersDr.Schwartz,
Dr.Widgeon,andDr.Smith.Icouldnothavecompletedthisthesiswithoutyourlong
hoursofreadingandediting,andwillingnesstoalwaysanswerallmyquestions.
Idalsoliketothankmyfriendsbothnewandoldwhowereacontinual
encouragementtome.Amanda,thanksforlettingmethesisonthelivingroom
floorforweeks.Theseeminglyendlessstacksofpapersaregonenow.Jessica,Icant
tellyouhowmuchyourcountingwordshelpedme.Baker,thankyouforcatching
allmytyposandcommasplices.Mrs.Huff,wordscannotevenexpresswhatyour
friendshipmeanstome.Thankyouforalwayslettingmesitontheothersideofthe
deskandtalk.
Finally,thankyoutomyfamilyforallyourlove,support,andprayers
especiallythosethatkeptmefromfallingasleepanddrivingintobridges.
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS vii
TABLEOFCONTENTS
Introduction ------------------------------------------------------ 8LiteratureReview ------------------------------------------------------ 14
Methodology ------------------------------------------------------ 41
Results ------------------------------------------------------ 48
Discussion ------------------------------------------------------ 59
Conclusion ------------------------------------------------------ 72
References ------------------------------------------------------ 74
Appendix ------------------------------------------------------ 82
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MEDIACONVERGENCEOFNEWSPAPERS8
CHAPTERONE
Introduction
FormostofAmericasexistence,newspapersweretheleadingsourceofinformation,whichmakessensebecausethefirstmediaoutletwascreatedinthe
formofanewspaper.On(the)25(of)September1690,BenjaminHarrissPublick
Occurrences(BothForeignandDomestick)appearedforthefirst,andthelast,time
(Clark,1991,p.243).Becausethethree-pagepublicationwaspublishedwithout
authority,Harriswasalmostimmediatelyarrested(NewspaperHistory,2010,n.p.).
Althoughthenewspaperbeganinthelate1600s,thefirstreporterwasnothired
untilthe1880s.Reportersfirstregularassignmentswerethepolicecourts(Francke,
1995,p.110).Itwasduringthosefirstassignmentswherereportersbegantoprobe
foranswers,forcingthetruthtocomefromeyewitnessreportsratherthan
affidavits,pavingthewayformodernjournalism.
ReporterElizabethJaneCochrans,knownasNellieBly,experiencesinthe
male-drivenjournalismworldhelpedtomoldwhatisnowmodernjournalism.She
wroteinanarticlethatexposedthepoortreatmentofwomenattheWomens
LunaticAsylumonBlackwellsIslandin1887,andhelpedfurthertheconceptof
investigativejournalismasameanstomaintaingood,decentbehaviorwithin
organizations.Asresearchforherarticle,Blyposedasamentallyunstablewoman
andwentundercoverfor10daysattheasylum,whereshewasexposedtoharsh
andbrutaltreatmentsthatshesaidwoulddriveanysanewomanmad(Newseum,
2011,n.p.).Ratherthantarnishinghername,Hermadhouseperformance
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS 9
inauguratedtheperformativetacticthatwouldbecomehertrademarkreporting
style(Lutes,2002,p.217).Suchjournalistictendencieswouldlaterbecomeknown
aswatchdogjournalism.NotonlydidBlysworkhelptopromotejournalismasaninvestigativeexperience,shealsopavedthewayforwomeninthenewsroom,asshe
wasthefirstfemalereporter.Shewasthefirstandbestofthegutsylate-
nineteenth-centuryjournalistsknownasgirlstuntreporters,Blybecameanational
phenomenonduringaformativemomentinAmericanmassculture(Lutes,2002,p.
218).
Later,asthejournalisticprocessprogressedsodidreportersdesiretofind
andexposetoughstories.EdwardR.Murrow,aveteranWorldWarIIreporter,
broughttheactionofwarintothehomesofAmericansviaradiobybroadcasting
fromthetopsofabuildingduringattacksforthefirsttimeonMarch13,1938.For
mostAmericans,thiswastheirfirsttasteofthewar,andtheywereabletodoit
fromthecomfortandsafetyoftheirownhomes.Atthispoint,newspapersand
otherformsofmediawerecompletelyseparate,butforthefirsttime,thepapers
wereabletoactasacompanionpiecetothebreakingnewstowhichmany
individualswerelistening,offeringmorein-depthandfeature-stylestoriesoneof
theearliestmomentsofmediaconvergence.
AfterMurrowsjournalisticprogressandvarioustechnologicaladvances,
BobWoodwardandCarlBernsteincapturedAmericasattentionwiththeircoverage
ofRichardNixonsWatergatescandalfrom1972to1976.Theirreportsspawnedthe
ideaofjournalisticinvestigationsuchasuncoveringtheWatergatescandaland
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS 10
exposingtheTweedRing.Thesetwoexamplesofwatchdogjournalism,alsoknown
asmuckrakingtosearchforandexposerealorallegedcorruption,scandal,or
thelike,especiallyinpolitics(Merriam-Webster,2011,n.p.)areconsideredtobethefirstoccurrencesoftheMaxwellMcCombsandDonaldShawsAgenda-Setting
Theory.Thetheoryisdefinedasreflectingwhatcandidatesaresayingduringa
campaign,themassmediamaywelldeterminetheimportantissues-thatis,the
mediamaysettheagendaofthecampaign(McCombsandShaw,1972,p.176).
Theideaofwatchdogjournalismarosefromanefforttomaintainsome
accountabilitywithpoliticalofficialsandcandidates.Socialresponsibilityisakey
componenttothejournalistsmantra:forifwearetoenjoydomestictranquilityin
ourpursuitofhappiness,andifwearetoachievetheblessingsofliberty,
newspapermenmustbetheexplosivespecialistsindemocracy(Finnegan,1942,p.
167).Journalistsadoptthenotionthatthepublichastherighttoknowthecharacter
ofthepersontheymayelect,whichleadstoreportersdelvingintothepersonallives
ofbothcandidatesandcurrentconstituents.Unfortunately,votersandreadersare
lessinterestedinnegativepressandmoreinterestedinhappynews(Robinson,
1976,p.96).Althoughtheaudiencedesirestoreadaboutupliftingnewsevents,the
readersstillseekoutmediasourcessuchasnewspaperstolearnaboutpotential
politicalcandidates.Mostindividualsobtaininformationconcerningpoliticssecond-
andthird-handviamediumssuchasanewspaper(Robinson,1976,p.99).
Mediahastheabilitytomotivateasilentmajority,and,insomecases,even
alteringtheoutcomeofapoliticalelection(ZhuandBlood,1993,p.102).Suchan
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS 11
actionmayoccurwhenanewspaperhighlightsspecificstancesthatcertain
candidateshold.Informingthepublicofthecandidatesviewsandpoliciesmay
affectthepolicy-makingprocessthroughoutthecampaign(ZhuandBlood,1993,p.102).
ThenewsmediaimpactedAmericansviewpointsofreligion,politics,andother
sourcesofinterestlongbeforetheinventionoftheInternet.However,media
dependencyinAmericahasgrownexponentiallywiththeadventofsocialand
digitalmediaoutlets.Now,anyonewithaniPadoriPhonecanbeajournalist,as
digitalmediainconjunctionwithsocialmediacreateavailabilitytomostindividuals.
Currently,newsorganizationshavetheoptiontodevelopwhathasbeendubbeda
digitalnewspaperthatcanbesenttosubscribersdigitaldevices.Forexample,
newsorganizationssuchastheHoustonChroniclehasbegunutilizingWeb-based
mediatomoreeffectivelyreachitstargetmarkets,asmorethan206million
Americansutilizesocialnetworkingsites(Mashable,2011).However,suchareality
leavesmanypeople,includingaspiringjournalists,questioningthestabilityofthe
trade.
Recently,manypeoplehavevoicedtheiropinionsontheseeminglyimminent
deathofthejournalismfieldsincetheconceptionoftheInternet.Manybelievethat
todayscultureistransitioningintoamostly-digitalworld,whichistrue.Everything
canbefoundonline.Furthermore,theInternetisnowatpeoplesfingertips
literally,asmostindividualscanaccesstheWebviatheirsmartphones,AppleiPads,
orAmazonKindles.Technologyallowsindividualstheabilitytoinstantlyaccess
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS 12
worksthatwereonceprintedintheformofbooks,newspapersorotherpaper
medium.Becauseofthisreality,thefieldofjournalismappearstobestruggling
especiallysincethereisrelativelylittleresearchontheusesandgratificationsofsocialanddigitalmediainjournalism,astheconceptsarefairlynew.Althoughthe
functionofnewspapersischanging,thefightisnotoverbecausewedohavea
futureanditismoreinourcontrolthanthepopularwisdomwouldhaveus
believe(NewspaperNext,2006,p.1).
However,despitethecommonmisconceptions,theartofjournalismisnot
dyingandneitheraremagazinesandnewspapers.Rather,themediumshavebeen
forcedtotakeonnewroles.Theoldmediumsmustfindawaytocoexistwith
newmedia.Theprocessiseverevolvingandcontinuallystrivingtofindthat
specificnichemarket,whereprintedmediastillreignssupremeandconsideredto
beatrustworthyandvalidsourceofinformation.Thatisnottosaythatcertain
aspectsofjournalismsuchasadvertisingarenotsuffering.However,theinvention
ofthehandheldtabletandothersimilarmediumsmaythrowtheseeminglysinking
fieldofprintjournalismalifepreserver.Thisconceptmayprovetobetrueinthe
factthatnewspaperscannowsellsubscriptionstoconsumerssothattheycan
receivethenewsontheirhandhelddevices,bumpinguprevenuecosts.Thisthesis
wouldexploreanumberofwaysthattheInternetmayhelpdefineprint
journalismsnewroleinsocietyviasocialanddigitalmedia.
Transformationinthenewspaperindustrydemandsanambitiousagenda:
Abetterunderstandingoftheforcesreshapingtheentiremedia
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS 13
environmentanddisruptingthenewspaperindustry.
Abetterwaytoseewherenewopportunitiesareemerging.
Aclear,practicalprocesstoshapetheproductsthatwillunlockthese
opportunitieswhileminimizingcostandrisk.
Astrategicgameplanoutliningwhatnewspapercompaniesshouldstrivetobecomeandsomeofthemostpromisingopportunitiesthey
couldpursue(NewspaperNext,2006,p.2).
ThisstudywillexplorehowtheInternetimpactstheprintedjournalism
worldinacontentanalysisofprintandWeb-basedcontent.
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS 14
CHAPTERTWO
LiteratureReview
ThemediapossessesgreatinfluenceovertheeverydaylivesofpeopleonlymostofthemdonotevenrealizetheeffectsthatTV,radiostations,newspapers,
anddigitalandsocialmediahaveonthem.Mediahavetakenafront-rowseatinthe
livesofAmericans,astheculturedependsonthenewsandsocialnetworkingsites
tosucceedinthecourseoftheireverydaylives.Ultimately,Americansnoware
dependentonmedia.ManyAmericanscannotfunctionwithoutturningonthe
television,flippingthroughanewspapertocheckthedailyheadlinesorloggingonto
theInternettoconnectwithindividualsacrosstheglobeviae-mailandsocial
networkingsites,suchasTwitterandFacebook.TheUnitedStatesofAmericaranks
thirdinitssocialmediausage,behindItalyandAustralia,withtheaverageperson
spendingjustundersixhours(permonth)onsocialnetworkingsites
(Mashable.com,2010).Additionally,globally,theaverageTwittererconductsthree
uniquesessionsforatotalof36minutespermonth,(Mashable.com,2010).
Furthermore,theactiveuniquesocialnetworkaudiencegrewroughly29%from
115millioninFebruary2009to149millioninFebruary2010intheU.S.
(Mashable.com,2010).
Throughoutthecourseofhistory,mediahasproventobeanagentofchange,
continuallylookingtocreatebondswithitsaudiences,promotingmoreandmore
interactionamongitspatrons,asviewersorreadersfeelliketheyreapartofthe
storywhentheyaregiventheopportunitytosubmitfootageorpictures
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS 15
(Mashable.com,2010).Additionally,Mashable.comsuggeststhatitwouldbehoove
thelocalreporter,stationorpapertousesocialmediatoconnectwiththesewalking
cameramenandwomen,whomakeforexcellentsourcesofinformationwhendisasterstrikes(Mashable.com,2010).AlthoughmanyAmericansdependonthe
mediaasanewssource,thepublicisalmostconsistentlydissatisfiedwiththe
evolutionofthemediaworld.Regardless,journalism,inallforms,hasbecomea
verypotential,ifnotachief,factorintheworldsaffairs(Ochs,1986,p.38).
Becausejournalismhasbecomeaninfluentialpartofpeopleslives,themassmedia
holdaspecialresponsibilitytoitsaudiences.Ajournalistsmainobjectiveisto
reportthenewsinsuchawaythatmostindividualsarecapableofunderstanding
andcomprehending.Thejournalististoactasaconductor,relayingimportant
informationtohisorheraudience,whilealsoactingasagatekeeper,keeping
politiciansandorganizationsaccountabletotheirdeeds.Newsorganizationsare
heldtoastandardofexcellencethatrequiresthemtoholdthenational,local,and
stategovernmentsaccountabletoitscitizens.
Thefreepressisacornerstoneofdemocracypeoplehaveaneedtoknow.
Journalistshavearighttotell.Findingthefactscanbedifficult.Reportingthe
storycanbedangerous.Freedomincludestherighttobeoutrageous.
Responsibilityincludesthedutytobefair.Newsishistoryinthemaking.
Journalistsprovidethefirstdraftofhistoryafreepress,atitsbest,reveals
thetruth(Newseum,2010,n.p.).
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS 16
Withoutthemedia,thereisnoonetoprobeforthetruthandreveal
underlyingliesorfraud(Griffin,2006,p.394).Ifjournalismislimited,thenthe
informationrelayedtoreaderswhodailydependedonmediaandjournalism,isalsolimited(p.394).Furthermore,withoutthemedia,individualswouldexperiencea
withdrawalofsorts,astheculturehasbecomedependentonallformsofmedia
bothdigitalandtraditional.
Peoplehavemoreaccesstodigitalmediathaneverbefore.AsofJanuary11,
2011,theUnitedStatesofAmericaproducedatotalof206.2millionInternetusers,
meaningthat74%ofthesocialnetworksiteFacebooksusersarefromAmerica
(Mashable.com,2011,n.p.).Themediadependencyconcepthasinfiltratedthelives
ofalmosteveryAmericaneverysingleday.Inreality,media,whetheritissocial,
digital,ortraditional,issimplyanotherfactoranotherelementinmany
Americanslives.Inotherwords,themediaisnothingtowritehomeabouttomost
peopleunlesssomethingunusualhappensorascandalisuncovered,rockingthe
normalcyofmediadependence.
Becausetheusageofdigitalmediahasexplodedinthepastfiveyears,several
punditsareconcernedforthewellbeingoftheoncesacredprintedword.Many
believethattheprintedwordwillutterlydisappearwithinafewyears.However,
accordingtotheStateoftheNewsMediareport,Newspapers,contrarytowhatis
frequentlyalleged,arenotdyingindroves(Journalism.org,2010,n.p.).Rather,only
abouthalfadozenpublicationswentoutofbusinessin2010andmostofthosewere
rankedsecondintheirmarkets.Additionally,onlyapproximately100newspapers
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS 17
cutbacktheirpublicationdatesbyoneday,mostofwhichweresmalldailies.
Althoughthenewspapersplaceinjournalismseemstobesomewhatquestionable,
theconceptofconvergingmediaformatsmayjusthelpsavethefieldofprintjournalismandstaveoffitsunlikelydeathoftheprintedword,ingeneral,
continuingtofeedAmericansdependencyonmedia(Journalism.org,2010,n.p.).
ThisliteraturereviewwillgiveabriefhistoryandoftheHoustonChronicle,
justifyingthepublicationforthisstudy.Itwillalsogiveanoverviewofthestateof
newsmedia,includingthealookintotheconditionofperceivedmediacredibility,
definemediaconvergence,discussthehistoryanddevelopmentofnewmedia,as
welltakealookatamoderndayconvergednewsroom.
StateofPrintNewspapers
In1940,accordingtotheAuditBureauofCirculations,therewere41,132
dailynewspapersproducedintheUnitedStates.Newspaperproductionpeakedin
1987with62,826publicationsinprint(AuditBureauofCirculations,2010).After
that,printnewspapercirculationhassteadilydeclined.In2009,themostrecent
reportshowedthatnewspaperproductionhasalmostleveledouttoitsnumbersin
the1940s,withonly46,278papersstillinprint(AuditBureauofCirculations,
2010).TheSundayeditionofpapers,however,hastakenlessofblowinpublication
numbers.Atotalof32,371newspaperswereincirculationfortheSundayeditionin
1940,accordingtotheAuditBureauofCirculations.TheSundayeditionpapers
peakedin1990withatotalof62,635printedpublications(AuditBureauof
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS 19
majormediacompanies.
Circulationfornewspapershasbeensteadilydecreasingforthebetterpartof
thedecade,hittinganall-timelowinSeptember2009(seeFigure2).Thestruggleismostlyrelatedtoadecreaseinadvertisingrevenue,whichcausednewsoutletstobe
forcedtolayoffofreporters(seeFigure3).Belowaresomegraphs,depictingthe
trendsofnewsmediaforthepastdecade(TheStateoftheNewsMedia,2010,n.p.):
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS 20
Figure1.Newspapercirculationhassteadilydeclinedsince1990withtheadventof
theInternet.
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS 21
Figure2.Newspaperrevenuehasbeendeclining.TheInternetplaysalargepartin
thisbecausemanyindividualsbelievethenewsshouldbefreeandrefusetopayfor
suchservices.Additionally,thecostofadvertisingintheprintindustryhas
continuedtoclaim,forcingadvertiserstorefusetobuyspacefordeclining
circulation.Furthermore,advertisersarenotinterestedinpayingtheexorbitant
pricessetforthbynewsorganizationsforonlineadvertising.
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS 22
Figure3.Duetothefactthebudgetsaretighter,employmentinthenewsroomshas
alsodeclined.
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS 23
Mediacredibility.Thetermcredibility,inandofitself,isasubjectiveword.
Theideaofmediacredibilityhasbeenapopularareaofstudyformanydecades
(Cassidy,2007,p.2;Abdulla,Garrison,Salwen,&Casey,2002,p.4;Kohring,&Matthes,2007,p.231;Meyer,Marchionni,&Thorson,2010,p.100;Kim&Johnson,
2009,p.283).Thetermcredibilityvariesindefinition,dependingonthetimeframe,
currenteventsandpersonsasked.Overall,though,credibilityseemstobea
synonymforthewordtrust(Kohring&Matthes,2007,p.231).ScholarsMatthias
KohringandJorgMatthessaid,trustisconsideredanimportantbasisforsocial
orderandafoundationforsocialcohesion,makingtheideaakeyconceptfora
functioningmodernsocietyamiditsindefiniteprospectsandoverwhelminglyrisky
decisions(p.231).Trustisacrucialvariableinmediaeffects,asitinformsus
howindividualsperceiveandevaluatenewsmedia(p.231).AccordingtoKohring
andMatthes,communicationscholarsusuallypreferthetermcredibilityinsteadof
trust(p.231).
Credibilitywithinmediaoutletsisabuildingblockofsortsbecausewithout
trustinanorganization,theconsumersconfidencewavers(Gentzkow&Shapiro,
2006,p.284).Mediafirmstrytobuildareputationfortruthfulreporting,however,
someoftheperceivedcredibilityisshapedbythepublicsworldviews,as
consumersassessmentsofthequalityofnewssourcesdependonpriorbeliefs,(p.
284).Thisprovesthattheconceptofcredibilityis,onceagain,subjectiveinnature.
Inspiteofthesomewhatskewedperceptionsofmediacredibility,research
hasproventhattherearevariouskeyindicatorsinconsumerconfidence(Kohring&
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS 24
Matthes,2007,p.233;Beaudoin&Thorson,2002,p.242;Arpan,1999,p.250).First,
twocomponentsofcredibilityhavebeenidentifiedasexpertnessand
trustworthiness(Kohring&Matthes,2007,p.233).AccordingtoKohringandMatthes,expertnessisreferredtohowwellinformedandintelligenta
communicatorisperceived,whiletrustworthinesswasoperationalizedbythe
absenceofpersuasiveintentionsanimpartiality(p.233).Ultimately,thepublic
expectsjournalistsandreporterstobeexpertsoneverytopicandutterlyunbiased
intheirdepictionsofthenews.Furthermore,Mediacredibilityhasbeen
operationalizedindifferentways,includingperformance,accuracy,fairness,and
responsibility;accuracyandbelievability;faithinthepress;depthand
completeness(Beaudoin&Thorson,2002,p.247).
Credibilityisformulatedbymorethanjustunbiasedreports.Rather,
credibilityistheextenttowhichtheconsumerperceivesclaimsmadetobe
truthfulandbelievable(Beaudoin&Thorson,2002,p.247).Suchbeliefsarebased
onajournalistsvoice(Meyeretal.,2010,p.103)anduseofexemplars(Arpan,
1999,p.250)inhisorherreports.Voiceisthetoneinwhichareporterusesinhis
orherstories.Sometonesincludetraditionalorauthoritativenews;opinionated
news,whichcanbefoundonblogs,editorialpagesorTelevisionprograms;or
collaborativenews,inwhichjournalistsreportsworkingcloselywiththeir
audienceorreadersassourcestocoverastory(Meyeretal.,2010,p.103).
Exemplars,though,arethemeatofastory,astheyareexamplesusedtoillustrate
aneventorissuethatisthesubjectofanewsstory(Arpan,1999,p.249).Such
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS 25
illustrationscanbeintheformsofphotos,footageorindividualsaffectedbyan
eventorissue,quotesfromthoseinterviewedforthestory,oranecdotesrecounted
byareporter(p.249).Regardlessofwhatisthemoderndefinitionofcredibility,acrediblenews
mediaisessentialtomasscommunication(Arpan,1999,p.251).Credibilityisnota
one-dimensionaltoolonlyusedbyjournalists.Historically,surveysofjournalism
havefocusedsolelyonitsprimarypoliticalfunction,whichistoinformthepublic,
andhave,therefore,neglecteditssecondarybutcomplementaryfunction(Conboy,
2005,p.4).Afactorofjournalismisalsotoengagewiththebroaderlifestyleand
entertainmentrequirementsofthereadership(p.4).Thiscomplementaryaspectof
journalismhascontributedenormouslytoawiderculturalpolitics(p.4).Conboy
goesontosaythat,inshort,journalisminprintedformatsisbestseenasthe
continuousrecombinationofnovelty,information,opinionandentertainment(p.
4).
Historicaloverviewofmediacredibility.Credibility,byajournalists
definition,isobjectivitydetachment,non-partisanship,astyleofwritingcalled
theinvertedpyramid,facticity,andbalance(Mindich,1998,p.3).Fromthevery
conceptionofjournalism,thecredibilityofnewsmediawasshotmostlybecause
thepaperwasconfiscatedpracticallybeforetheinkhaddriedontheparchment
aftercomingoffthepress.ThefirstandfinalprintingofPublickOccurences,both
ForreignandDomestickwasSeptember25,1690(Merritt,1963,p.365).Thethree-
pageeditionwaswrittenbyRichardPierceandeditedbyBenjaminHarrisinan
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS 26
almostpurelyeditorialfashion.Thegovernmentconfiscatedthepamphlet,andlater
releasedastatementprotestingthepaperspublication(LibraryofCongress,2010).
Thus,discreditingthepublicationscredibility.
TheGovernorandCouncil,onSept.29th,issuedanorderasfollows:
WhereassomehavelatelypresumedtoPrintandDispersea
Pamphlet,Entitled,PublickOccurrences,bothForreignand
Domestick:Boston,Thursday,Septemb.25th,1690.Withouttheleast
PrivityandCountenaceofAuthority.TheGovernourandCouncil
havinghadtheperusalofsaidPamphlet,andfindingthattherein
containedReflectionsofaveryhighnature:Asalsosundrydoubtful
anduncertainReports,doherebymanifestanddeclaretheirhigh
ResentmentandDisallowanceofsaidPamphlet,andOrderthatthe
samebeSuppressedandcalledin;stricklyforbiddenanypersonor
personsfforthefuturetoSetforthanythinginPrintwithoutLicense
firstobtainedfromthosethatareorshallbeappointedbythe
Governmenttograntthesame.
Theyearwouldbe1719beforethenextnewspaperwaspublished,as
BostonsandAmericassecondnewspaper,theBostonGazette,printedoriginally
forWilliamBrookerbyJamesFranklin,didnotappearforanotherdecadeandahalf
(Merritt,1963,p.370).Thatsameyear,AndrewBradfordsAmericanWeekly
Mercurywaspublishedsomewhatsporadically(p.370).Suchpublicationsare
knownascolonialnewspapers,and,yet,inspiteofthelimitationsofeighteenth-
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS 27
centuryprintingandjournalism,thecolonialnewspaperbecameaneffective
channelforthedistributionofnewsandinter-colonialcommunication(p.370).
ThecolonialprintersmodeledtheirowntechniquesaftersuccessfulnewsvenuesinEngland(Parcell,2011,p.2).Itwasduringthistimeperiodthatthebasiccore
principlesofmodern-dayjournalismbegantoevolve,asansweringthequestions
who,what,when,where,why,andhowbecameandtrendincolonialnewspaper
writing.However,theideaofmasscommunicationwasnotarecentdevelopmentof
theera.
Theconceptofaprintednewspaperpartlygrewoutoftraditional
handwrittennewsletters,(Parcell,2011,p.4).AccordingtoParcell,evenbefore
thefirstcolonialnewspapers,Americancolonistslearnedsomeoftheirlocaland
foreignnewsfromlocallyprintedpamphlets,whichwereusedtospreadnewsor
correctrumorbothinthecoloniesandEngland(p.5).Thepublications,or
pamphlets,thatwerecirculatedbycolonialpublisherswereusuallywrittenby
highlyeducatedmeninthechurchofthegovernment(p.5).Assuch,thepublishers
werenotconcernedwithfancylanguageordetaileddescriptions,theybyandlarge
wroteinastylethatallowedforthemostconciseandfactualmethodofrelayingthe
news(p.6).
Currentstateofmediacredibility.Thenewsmediascredibilityamong
Americansisatanall-timelow,with57%sayingtheyhavelittleornotrustinthe
massmediatoreportthenewsfully,accurately,andfairly(Morales,2010).The
growingdeclineinnewsmediacredibilityisnotarecenttrend.Rather,credibility
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS 28
rateshavebeensteadilyfallingforthepastfewdecades(Morales,2010;Healy,
2005;AmericanSocietyofNewsEditors,1998;Abdullaetal.,2002,p.7;Stateofthe
Media,2010).Itshouldbenoted,however,thatcredibilityfactorsmightbetiedtothefinancialstabilityofanorganization,accordingtoapollbyPewResearchCenter
forthePeople&thePress(CBSNews,2009).Withthefinancialbeltsofmajornews
organizationsbeingtightened,thenewsmediasstaffisshrinking(CBSNews,2009).
Thepastyearsawasurgeinexpenses,whichlimitsfundingavailablebothfor
experimentsandformaintainingeditorialqualityinprintanddigitalformat(State
oftheMedia,2011).
Thelackoffundingfornewsorganizationsisnottheonlyfactortoconsider
whenevaluatingthecurrentstateofmediacredibility,though.Akeycomponentof
theonslaughtcriticismmediacredibilityhastakeninrecentyearsis,inpart,
regardingtheinventionofInternet-basednewsmedia(StateoftheMedia,2010,
Abdullaetal.,2002,p.7;Meyeretal.,2010,p.101;Chung,Kim&Kim,2010,p.672;
Thorsonetal.,2010,p.292;Kim&Johnson,2009,p.283;Cassidy,2007,p.6).Kim
andJohnsonsstudyonAShiftinMediaCredibilityfoundthathowoneperceives
Internetwasstronglyassociatedwithhowmuchindividualsrelyonit(p.289).
Morespecifically,thestudyfoundthattherelianceontraditionalmediastrongly
predictedperceptionofitsonlinecounterpartsmorethanrelianceontheWeb(p.
289).BecauseofthequestionablecredibilityofWeb-obtainedinformation,the
Internetmayneverbecomeatrustworthyavenuefornewsmedia(Cassidy,2007,p.
6).Thus,hinderingthecredibilityoftraditionalnewsmedia(p.7).
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS 29
Thebottomlineisthatthereisastruggleforthenewsmediatomaintaina
semblanceofitscredibility(StateoftheMedia,2011).Intermsofsurvival,news
organizationsmustfindawaytoadaptandevolvetofurtheraccommodateAmericaschangingsociety,asconcernsaresignificantinthatjournalismisbuilton
credibility(Cassidy,2007,p.1).Withoutatrustinthemassmedia,thepublicis
lesslikelytopayattentiontoit,rendingthefieldofjournalisminsignificant(p.1).
OnlineNewspapers
Theexistenceofonlinenewspapershasbeenpresentlongerthanmost
peoplerealize.ThefirstfullyWeb-basednewspaper,ThePaloAltoWeekly,
appearedin1994(CarinaIhlstromandJonasLundberg,2004,p.50).Since1994,
onlineeditionsofnewspapershavegrownconsiderably.In2002,therewereas
manyas1,296onlineeditions(p.50).Presently,theexistenceofanonlineedition
ofaprintpublicationisconsiderednormalandhighlyencouragedforthesuccessof
theestablishment,asaudiencemeasurementfirm,comScore,peggedunique
visitorstotopnewspapergroups(Websitesoperatedbynewspapercompanies)at
123millioninMay2010accordingtoSuzanneM.Kirchhoff(p.12).
Becausethegrowthofonlinepublicationshasgrownextensivelywiththe
onslaughtofsocialanddigitalmedia,anewgenreofnewspaperdesignhasbeen
establishedane-edition,Webdesign(IhlstromandLundberg,2004,p.53).
AccordingtoIhlstromandLundberg,thereisademandfrombothacademicsand
practitionersformoreknowledgeabouthowtodesignonlinenewspapersto
becomeasrecognizableandfamiliarastheprintedones(p.51).Onlinenewspapers,
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ore-editions,aredefinedastheonlineeditionsofdailynewspapers,notbranch
specificofothernewspapers(p.53).
IhlstromandLundbergconductedaqualitativestudyofnewspaperpublishers,theonlinenewspaper,andtheiraudienceinSweden(p.53).The
writingduoselectedandanalyzedthefrontpagesandWeb-basedcontentofnine
newspapersinSwedenin2001and2003.IhlstromandLundbergchoseSwedenas
anoutlettostudyduetoitsnewspaperconsumptionthecountryhadthefourth
largestnewspaperconsumptionpercapita(p.53).Additionally,Swedenhada
fairlywelldevelopedonlinecommunityofnewspapersandreadingnewspapers
onlinewasthefourthactivity(afteremail,surfingandbanking)(p.53).Theteam
alsoconductedinterviewswithmanagement,designers,editorsinchief,aswellas
interviewedusabilitytested153oftheirusers,inordertoderivegenrerulesbased
onpublishersdesignpurposeandaudiencerecognitionanduse(p.53).
NewMedia:SocialandDigital
Revolution,thefutureorjournalism,theageofthenet,orawholenew
journalismtheseweresomeoftheheadlinesreferringtojournalismonthe
WorldWideWeb(Quandt,Loffelholz,Weaver,Hanitzsch&Altmeppen,2006,p.
171).Onlinejournalismholdsgreatpotentialinhopesofstavingoffstagnationin
traditionaljournalism.Thisnewideaisreferredtoasnewjournalismorconvergent
journalism,meaningthattraditionalmediasourceslikeradio,television,and
newspapersmustutilizetheInternetanditscapabilitiestofurtheritsscopeand
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reach.Somecriticsclaimthatnewmedia(socialanddigital)mediaissimplythe
latestwagoninaseriesofbandwagons.
However,thereareothercriticswhobelievethattheadventofsocialanddigitalmediawillbethegreatestshiftsincetheindustrialrevolution(SmartMedia,
2010,n.p.).ThechangeisreferredtoasaTheSocialMediaRevolution(SmartMedia,
2010,n.p.).Asof2010,96%ofgenerationYhadjoinedsomesortofsocial
networkingsitesuchasMySpace,Facebook,orTwitter,andsocialmediais
currentlythenumberoneactivityontheWeb(SocialMedia,2010,n.p.).Infact,the
growingpopularityofsocialmediaoutpacesthatofanyothermediumtoeverexist.
Belowaresomestatisticstosupportthecredibilityofsocialmediasinfluence
(SocialMedia,2010,n.p.):
Radioreached50millionusersin38years. Televisionreached50millionusersin13years. Internetreached50millionusersin4years. TheiPodreached50millionusersin3years. Facebookadded100millionusersinlessthan9months. iPodapplicationdownloadshit1billionusersinlessthan9months. YouTubeisthesecondlargestsearchengineintheworld.Socialmedia,asawhole,doesnotappeartobeapassingfad,asitisa
fundamentalshiftinthewaywecommunicate(SocialMedia,2010,n.p.).
Newmedianotonlyhastheabilitytoreachseveralmillionpeopleina
relativelyshorttime,italsocontainsothermediacharacteristics.
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Convergence
Today,whenmostpeoplethinkofjournalism,theirthoughtsmaybe
conditionedtothinkofprintjournalismnewspapers.Theideathatjournalismisdyingisfrettedagainsttheconceptthatnewspaperswillsoonceasetoexist.
However,becauseofmediaconvergence,neithermodernjournalismnoritsprint
predecessorswillbecomeextinctintheimmediatefuture.Mediaconvergence,asa
termandobservableconcept,hasonlybeenthoroughlyexaminedsince2002when
SonyaForteDuhe,MelissaMortimer,andSanChowconductedaresearchstudy,
askingRadio-TelevisionNewsDirectorsAssociationmembersabouttheir
convergenceefforts(Thornton&Keith,2009,p.258).Theresultsshowedthat89%
ofthoserespondingthoughtthattheirnewsorganizationparticipatedinmedia
convergence.However,thestudylaterrevealedthatthedefinitionofconvergence
wastoobroad,asonly35%ofstationssurveyedalsoproducedstoriesfora
newspaperorsimilarpublication(Thornton&Keith,2009,p.258).(The)findings
suggestthattherhetoricaboutprint-TVpartnershipsfromtheearly2000smaynot
havebeenmatchedbyactualsubstantivechangeinpartnerednewsrooms
(Thornton&Keith,2009,p.259).
Theideaofconvergencehasbeenhighlycontestedsinceitsinception,
makingitdifficultforresearcherstogaugetheeffectivenessoftheconcept.Because
thereisnogenerallyaccepteddefinitionforthetermconvergence,manyseethe
idiomasoutdated,saying,theircollaborationswerebasedmostlyoncross-
promotionessentiallyadvertisingeachothersworkandlimitedsharingof
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contentandsources(Thornton&Keith,2009,p.266).Forthispaperspurpose,the
termconvergencewillbedefinedasanorganizationthateffectivelyutilizesprint,
broadcast(bothtelevisionandradio),Web,digitalandsocialmediapromotingtheusageofmultimediaandaudienceinteraction.
JaneB.Singerconductedastudyonmediaconvergencein2004.She
evaluatedfournewsorganizationstodeterminehowmediaconvergencewasused
withintheestablishmentanditseffectsontheemployeesandemployers(Singer,
2004,p.6).Singerslistofnewsrooms,reproducedbelow,wascompiledwiththe
assistanceofTheAmericanPressInstitute.
DallasMorningNews,WFAA-TV(ABCaffiliate,TXCN(cable),dallasnews.com
TampaTribune,WFLA-TV(NBCaffiliate),TBO.com SarasotaHerald-Tribune,SNNChannel6(cable),heraldtribune.com LawrenceJournal-World,6NewsLawrence(cable),ljworld.comDuringSingersstudy,aresearchervisitedeachofthefournews
organizations,whereheorsheparticipatedinthedailynewsroomtaskssuchas
attendingnewsmeetings.Singeralsoobservedhoweachnewsroomoperatedand
interviewedjournalistsaboutmediaconvergence(Singer,2004,p.6).The
intervieweeswerepromisedanonymity,sotheanswerstendedtobemorefrank
andtransparent(Singer,2004,p.6).Additionally,journalistswereaskedto
completea54-questionsurveywithafinalsubmissionrateof81.8%(Singer,2004,
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS 34
p.6).Singerbeganhertrialwithaseriesofresearchquestionsthatsheintendedto
answerattheendofherstudy.
RQ1:Whatdojournalistsseeastherelativeadvantage,compatibility,complexity,trialabilityandobservabilityofnewsroomconvergence?
RQ2:Whatnewsroomcommunicationchannelsaremostimportanttoconvergence?
RQ3:Whatindividualcharacteristicsorattitudessuggestthatcertainjournalistswillbeconvergenceinnovators?
RQ4:Whatnewsroomsocialstructurescontributemostsignificantlytojournalistsattitudesaboutconvergence?(Singer,2004,p.6)
Singersstudyrevealedthateventhoughmostjournalistsconfronted
convergencewithtendertrepidation,manyfoundtheexperiencetoactuallybe
quitepleasant.Infact,manyjournalistsfoundthatmediaconvergenceallowedthem
tomorefullyappreciateotherformsofmediaratherthanviewingthechannelsas
thecompetition(Singer,2004,p.10).
Journalistsalsohadaccesstoexpandedresourcesandavenuesfor
storytellingenhancedthepublicservicevalueoflocalmedia,andthey
agreedwiththequestionnairestatementMycompanyisbetterable
toserveouraudiencebecauseofourdecisiontoconvergenews
operation(Singer,2004,p.10).
Singersresearchallowsnewsorganizationstomorefullyrecognizethat
mediaconvergenceisnot,infact,abadideathatwilldamagetheentirejournalism
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digitalWebhasalreadybeguntoinfluencehowweeducateyoungjournalists,how
consumersofnewsproductsinterpretthenewsandhowpractitionersapproachthe
craftofjournalism(Jacobson,2010,p.64).Forherstudy,Jacobsonevaluated45multimediapackagesthatwere
publishedonTheNewYorkTimesWebsiteproducedbetweenJanuary1,2000,and
October23,2007(Jacobson,2010,p.65).Thepackageswerechosenbasedona
searchofmultimediapackagesonnytimes.com,whichyieldedmorethan17,000
resultsforthetimeperiod.Asaresultofthelargenumberofreturnedmatches,the
searchwaswhittleddowntoincludethreecategories(that)werechosentoreflect
arepresentativerangeofnewsstories:(a)multimediapackagestowhichthe
keywordelectionapplied,(b)multimediapackagestowhichthekeywordreal
estateapplied,and(c)multimediapackagescreatedbyNewYorkTimesop-ed
columnistNicholasKristof(Jacobson,2010,p.65).Inherstudy,shewasseekingto
answerfourresearchquestions:(Jacobson,2010,p.66).
RQ1:Whatformalmediaelementsandinterfaceschemesarepresentinthestory?
RQ2:Whoseperspectiveisthemultimediastorytoldfrom? RQ3:Towhatextent,ifany,arehypertextualnarrativestructures
presentinthepackage?
RQ4:WhatistherelationshipbetweentheonlinemultimediacontentandmaterialpublishedintheprintededitionoftheNewYorkTimes?
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BothSingerandJacobsonsstudieswereacatalystforthisstudy,asthe
conceptandideasforthisstudywerederivedfromtheirresearch.Thisstudy,
however,willultimatelyevaluatetherelationshipbetweennewandoldmedia.Newmedia(ormodernmedia),forthisstudy,consistsofdigitalmediathe
organizationsWebsite.NewsWebsiteswillbeconsideredtobeapartofthenew
mediagenreforthisstudy.
LarryDailey,LoriDemo,andMarySpillman(2005)conductedastudycalled
TheConvergenceContinuum:AModelforStudyingCollaborationBetweenMedia
Newsrooms.Inthisstudy,theresearchersespousedthefactthatastandard
definitionofnewsconvergenceremainselusiveevenasbuzzabouttheterm
increasesamongmediascholarsandindustryofficials(Daileyetal.,p.150)
Althoughthedefinitionmaybesomewhatuncertainthisconvergenceidentity
crisishasnotstoppednewspapers,broadcasters,andonlinegroupsfromrushingto
developmultimediastaffstoproduceconvergedcontent(p.150).
Thegreatestassettomediaconvergenceisthedigitaltechnology(thathas)
allowedjournaliststoproducenewsacrossseveralmultimediaplatformsat
increasingspeed(p.151).Thestudypointedoutthereisalackofcommon,
behavior-baseddefinitionofconvergenceeffortsandalackofacommon
instrumentformeasuringconvergenceefforts(p.151).
Dailey,Demo,andSpillmanconductedastudytodefineconvergenceby
placingitonadynamiccontinuumthatcontainstheoverlappinglevelsofcross-
promotion,cloning,competition,contentsharing,andfullconvergence(Daileyetal.,
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS 39
2005,p.151).Theresearcherssoughttoexplain,howthecontinuumfillsavoidin
thecurrentresearchonconvergenceandoutlinethepotentialapplicationto
communicationtheories,suchasgatekeepingandinnovationdiffusion(p.151).Intheirstudy,theresearchersdevelopedtheconvergencecontinuum,whichconsists
ofthefiveCs:cross-promotion,cloning,cooperation,contentsharing,andfull
convergence(p.152).
Ultimately,theresearchersfoundthattheconvergencecontinuumisa
dynamicmodelthatdefinesconvergenceasaseriesofbehavior-basedactivitiesthat
illustratetheinteractionandcooperationlevelsamongstaffmembersat
newspapers,televisionstations,andWeborganizationswitheditorialpartnerships
(p.166).
Acommonquestionthatmanyjournalistsandnewseditorsentertainisthe
ideaofhowtomaintaintheirjobs.Theanswerforthosethatwishtosurvivewould
needtoincludesomeformofmediaconvergence.Forsomenewsrooms,theideaof
mediaconvergencehasbecomelikesecondnature,butforothers,theprocesshas
proventobemoredifficult,causingstressfulfinancialtimes.ForTheHouston
Chronicle,thetransitionintotheworldofconvergencehasbeenmoderately
successful.
TheHoustonChroniclesuccessfullyutilizesprint,broadcast,socialanddigital
mediainitseverydayreporting.Theorganizationutilizeseachavenueofmediaina
directway.Forbreakingnews,theChroniclethrowsupashort,accuratestoryon
theWebsiteandthenpromotesitonTwitterandFacebookwhiletherestofthe
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storyisdeveloping.Soonafter,ifapplicable,picturesandvideowillfindtheirwayto
theWebsite.Thefollowingday,anin-deptharticle,tellingthestoryfromvarious
pointsofviewwouldappearinnewspaperwithreferencestosendreaderstotheWebsite.TheHoustonChronicleusesnewandtraditionalmediainacircularfashion,
whereeachmediumisconstantlyinteractingwithanothermediumandthe
audience.
Journalismaformofmediabeganin1690withthefirstnewspaperand
thehiringofreportersinthe1880s,followedbytheinventionofbothradioand
televisionbroadcasts.Aftertheinventionoftelevision,computersmadea
journalistslifealittleeasier,andtheInternetcontinuedtoaidtheprocess.The
inventionofdigitalmediahascatapultedjournalismtoawholeneweraaneraof
newmedia,wherenewsiswithinonesgraspalmostinstantly.
Itisnosecretthatthefaceofjournalismischanging,however,thetradeis
notdyingout.Traditionalmediahasexperienceditfairshareofstrugglesintherace
tostayalivewithnewmediaespeciallynewspapers.Thisstudywillseekto
evaluatethesuccessoftraditionalnewsroomsthatintegratenewmediaintotheir
programs.Thestudywilltrackandexaminetheresultsincontentanalysisofthe
HoustonChroniclesprintandWeb-basedcontentviaanewevaluationframework,
whichwillbediscussedmorethoroughlyinthemethodologysection.
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS 41
CHAPTERTHREE
Methodology
Minutebyminute;secondbysecondsuchtimeconstraintsareindicative
ofamodernAmericasviewoflifeingeneralandthenewsandsocialmedia
industriesinparticular.Americansdesiretohaveup-to-datenewssenttothepalm
oftheirhandsliterally.Thecountryisfast-pacedandevermoving,andits
citizensexpectthesameoftheirnewsorganizations,whichleavesmanyeditors
curiousaboutwhatcourseofactiontheyshouldtakethatwillmosteffectivelyand
accuratelygratifytheiraudiencesneeds.
Theresponseseemstobefoundintheconceptofmediaconvergence
reachingaudiencemembersviaallformsofmediasuchasprint,radioand
televisionbroadcasts,theInternet,anddigitalandsocialmedia.
Mediaconvergenceistheideathatmessagesarereceivedviadifferent
mediumsthroughvariouscommunicationchannels.Thecommunication
channelthroughwhichthemessageaboutaninnovationisshared.Interpersonal
channelsareseenasespeciallyeffectinginpersuadinganindividualtoacceptanew
ideaifthechannellinkspeoplewhoaresimilarinimportantways(Singer,2004,p.
5).Aspreviouslynotedintheliteraturereviewofthisstudy,mediaconvergenceisa
growingpartofthemediaindustry.
Infact,somewouldarguethatallformsofmediautilizethemostbasicforms
ofconvergencetheintegrationoftwoormoremedia.Additionally,theliterature
reviewalsonotedthecontinuallyevolvinglifeofjournalismandtheramifications
thatdigitalandsocialmediahavebroughtuponthenewspaperworld.Theresearch
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS 45
Representation.Thetermrepresentationtakestheconceptofadaptation
onestepfurther.Articlesclassifiedintotherepresentationcategoryareonthesame
topic,buthaveadifferentviewpointthesestoriesarenotsimilarenoughtobemarkedasadaptation.Thearticlesinthiscategorywillappearbothonlineandin
print.Theeditionswillvary,though.Suchvariationsmayincludeanewsstoryona
subjectthatappearsonline,followedbyaprintstoryonthesamesubjectwrittenin
theformofaneditorial,oropinion.Thearticlesmusthavesignificantchangestobe
consideredasrepresentation.
Uniqueness.Ifastoryisfoundonlyonlineorinprint,itisclassifiedas
unique,havingnoconnection.Thearticledoesnotspanbothmediums.
Researchquestions.Thecontentwasanalyzed,seekingtoansweraseries
ofresearchquestions.Thequestionsarebelow:
RQ1:InwhatwaysdoesTheHoustonChronicleutilizeitsWebsiteforcontent?
RQ2:InwhatwaysdoesTheHoustonChronicleutilizeitsprintpublicationintermsofcontent?-
RQ3:InwhatwaysdoesTheHoustonChroniclesprint-andWeb-basedcontentreflectidealsofmediaconvergencethroughrepetition,adaptation,
representation,and/oruniqueness?
Althoughthestateofnewsmediaischanging,therecentevolutionhasnot
crippledtheindustry.Infact,thenewdevelopmentsseemtohavemadethe
organization,asawhole,stronger.Journalistsarelearningtoincorporatemore
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS 46
aspectsofsocialanddigitalmediaintotheirreportinginanefforttomore
effectivelyrelatetotheiraudience.Audiencemembershaveseeminglybecome
ultra-dependentontheInternet,whichistheleadingsourceofnewsinformation.ThefindingsofthisresearchwillhopefullyshowtheeffectivenessofThe
HoustonChroniclesmediaconvergence,givinginsighttohowthefieldofjournalism
usesnewmediainconjunctionwiththeolder,printmedia.
CodingSchema
Theresearcherevaluatedandcodedtheinformationfromboththeprintand
Webeditionwiththeexactsamecriteria.Theschemausedcodedtheevaluation
timeperiod(morning,afternoon,orevening),theprintauthor(s),theWebauthor(s),
thelengthoffullprintarticle,theentiretyoftheWebstory,thelengthofthelede
sentence(thefirstsentence),andanysimilarphrasesorelements.Alocationand
summaryofeacharticlewasrecordedforboththeprintandWebedition.Finally,
thearticlewasassignedacategory:repetition,adaptation,representation,or
uniqueness.Whencodingandevaluatingthecontentfromboththeprintandonline
sources,thefollowingformwasused:
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS 47
Evaluationperiod:_____________________
Headline:______________________________________________________________________
PrintAuthor(s):__________________________(NewsSource);
WebAuthor(s):__________________________(NewsSource)
Webwordcount:______;printwordcount:______
Weblede:______;printlede:______
Similarphrases/elements:ALL
Location:
Printsummary:__________________________________________________________________Web
Summary:__________________________________________________________________
Category:_____________________
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS 48
CHAPTERFOUR
Results
DataCollection
Theresearchercollecteddataoverathree-daytimeperiod,duringDecember
19,2011throughDecember21,2011.Atotalof233articles,combinedsumfrom
onlineandprintevaluations,werecoded.Thearticleswerecodedaccordingtothe
aforementionedform(page46),lookingforsimilaritiesanddifferences.Although
thetimeframeislimited,thethreedaysallowedtheresearchertoobservepotential
formingtrendswithintheframeworkofTheHoustonChroniclesidealsofmedia
convergence.ItshouldbenotedthatthecontentcollectedandanalyzedDecember
19,2011throughDecember21,2011isconsistentamongallthreedayswithonly
slightvariances.
Thedatawascodedandcategorizedintofourcategories:repetition,adaptation,
representation,andunique.Articleswhichappearedbothonlineandinprint
withoutchangewerecodedasrepetition.Storiesthatappearedinbothmediawith
slightchanges,makingthearticlessimilar,werecategorizedasadaptation.Articles
onthesametopicthatwerealteredsignificantlyorpresentedanewpointofview
wereevaluatedandcodedarepresentation.Finally,storiesthatwereexclusivetoa
particularmedium,whetheritbeonlineorinprint,wereclassifiedasunique
thesearticlesappearedonlyonlineandnotinthenewspaperorwerenotfeatured
intheTodaysNewsorLatestNewssectionoftheWebsite.
Belowareexamplesforeachcategory:
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS 49
Repetition.ThearticleWoundedHeroWelcomedHomeappearedonThe
HoustonChroniclesWebsiteonDecember19,2011.ThestorywasreplicatedinThe
HoustonChroniclesprinteditionDecember20,2011,classifyingthearticlesetasrepetition.Althoughthestoriesappearedunchangedacrossbothmediums,theprint
editionincludedonlytwophotographs,whiletheonlineversionhadeightpictures
onexhibit.
Adaptation.ThearticleMotherCharged,BoyfriendSoughtinBoysDeath
appearedonlineDecember19,2011;aversionofthearticlealsoisfoundinthe
December20,2011printeditiononpageB2.TheWebeditionisconsideredtobea
straightnewsstory,focusingonthebasicwho,what,when,where,why,andhowof
theevent.At146words,thisversionispurelyinformational.Theprintedition,
however,alsorelayspertinentinformationinmoresensationalizedmanner;the
articleisalsomoredetailedthanitsonlinepredecessorat337words.Thisarticle
wascategorizedasadaptation,asitwasanupdatetoapreviousonlinestory.
Representation.BATVanHearingMayRevealGrandJuryTargetappeared
onlineonDecember19,2011inanewsformat.Theonlineversionwaswrittenby
BrianRogersandwas311words.Theprintversion,however,appearedasan
editorialwrittenbyLisaFalkenberg;thearticleruns818wordslong.Furthermore,
theprinteditionincludesaninfographicthatsaidtheeditorialcouldbefound
exclusivelyinprintandontheiPad.Thisarticlewasclassifiedarepresentation,as
theprinteditiondepictsanewpointofviewfromtheonlinestory.
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS 50
Unique:Web.ThestoryGabbyGiffords,MarkKellySpottedonDateNightis
anexampleofanarticlefoundonlyonlineonDecember19,2011.Thisarticleisalso
classifiedasahumaninterest,asitisnothardnews,aneditorial,orafeaturearticle.Unique:NotfeaturedonWebsite.ThearticleFewerJuriesSelectDeathas
PenaltywasfoundonA1ofTheHoustonChronicleonDecember19,2011;itwas
notfoundintheTodaysNewsorLatestNewssectionsoftheTheHouston
ChroniclesWebsite.
Thefollowingfourgraphsexhibitthecontentanalysisbreakdownforthe233
onlineandprintarticlesevaluatedandcodedoverthethree-dayspan(seeFigures4,
5,and6).Itshouldbenotedthattheratiosbetweencategoriesisfairlyconsistent
throughoutthethreedays,implyingthatthetrendsnotedinthisstudyare
representativeoftheHoustonChroniclesnormaloperatingsystems.
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS 51
Figure4.OnDecember19,2011,attotalof80articleswereevaluated.Thearticles
appearedintheTodaysNewsorLatestNewssectionofTheHoustonChronicles
Websiteoronthefrontpage(A1)oftheprintedition.Thearticleswereplacedinto
oneoffivecategories:repetition,adaptation,representation,uniquetoWeb,andnot
infeaturedsectionofWebsite.Forthisday,35%(28)ofthestorieswereonly
featuredontheWebsite,while30%(24)ofthearticlesfellintotherepetition
category.Additionally,20%(16)ofthestorieswereclassifiedintotheadaptation
category,and10%(8)intotherepresentationgroup.Finally,amere5%(4)ofthe
storiesevaluatedwerenotfoundintheTodaysNewsorLatestNewssectionof
TheHoustonChroniclesWebsite.
30%
20%10%
35%
5%
ContentAnalysis-DailyHoustonChronicle
12/19/2011
Repetition
Adaptation
Representation
UniquetoWeb
NotFeaturedonWebsite
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS 52
Figure5.OnDecember20,2011,atotalof85articlesweresurveyedfortheday.The
articlesappearedintheTodaysNewsorLatestNewssectionofTheHouston
ChroniclesWebsiteoronthefrontpage(A1)oftheprintedition.Thearticleswere
evaluatedandclassifiedintooneoffivecategories:repetition,adaptation,
representation,uniquetoWeb,andnotfoundintheTodaysNewsorLatestNews
sectionoftheWebsite.Atotalof33%(28)ofarticleswereuniquetotheWeb,and
28%ofstorieswereclassifiedasbeingintheadaptationcategory.Additionally,24%
ofthenewsstorieswereconsideredtobeintherepetitioncategory,and12%were
intherepresentationcategory.Finally,3%werenotfoundintheTodaysNewsor
FeaturedNewssectionoftheWebsite,onlyonthefrontpageofthenewspaper.
24%
28%
12%
33%
3%
ContentAnalysis-DailyHoustonChronicle
12/20/2011
Repetition
Adaptation
Representation
UniquetoWeb
NotFeaturedonWebsite
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS 53
Figure6.OnDecember21,2012,atotalof68newsarticleswereevaluated.The
articlesappearedintheTodaysNewsorLatestNewssectionofTheHouston
ChroniclesWebsiteoronthefrontpage(A1)oftheprintedition.Thearticleswere
evaluatedandclassifiedintooneoffivecategories:repetition,adaptation,
representation,uniquetoWeb,andnotfoundintheTodaysNewsorFeatured
NewssectionoftheWebsite.Thisdaysresultsvariedfromtherest,as32%ofthe
articleswereclassifiedasadaptation,whileonly29%wereuniquetotheWebsite.
Atotalof27%ofthestoriesfellintotherepresentationcategory,andonly9%were
foundtobeintherepetitioncategory.Finally,3%ofthestorieswerenotfoundin
theTodaysNewsorLatestNewssectionoftheWebsite,appearingonlyonA1
forthatday.
9%
32%
27%
29%
3%
ContentAnalysis-DailyHoustonChronicle
12/21/2011
Repetition
Adaptation
Representation
UniquetoWeb
NotFeaturedonWebsite
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS 54
RQ1:InwhatwaysdoesTheHoustonChroniclesprint-andWeb-basedcontent
reflectidealsofmediaconvergencethroughrepetition,adaptation,
representation,and/oruniqueness?
TheHoustonChroniclesprint-andWeb-basedcontentreflectstheidealsof
mediaconvergencethroughtheconceptsofrepetitions,adaptation,representation,
and/oruniqueness.Duringthethree-dayevaluationperiod,theresearchshowed
thateachmediumbothprintandonlineeffectivelyworkedtopushreaders
eithertotheWebsiteortheprintedition.Atotalof233,thesumofprintandonline,
articleswereevaluatedoverthree-daytimeperiod.Ofthosearticles,50were
classifiedrepetition;62asadaptation;36asrepresentation;76asuniquetothe
Web;and9storiesfromthevariousfrontpageswerenotfeaturedontheWebsite,
onlyinprint.Suchavariationamongstoryselectionshowcaseshowthepublication
usesitstoolstopromotemediaconvergence.
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS 55
Figure7.Atotalof233newsarticleswereanalyzedoverathree-dayperiod.The
articlesappearedintheTodaysNewsorLatestNewssectionofTheHouston
ChroniclesWebsiteoronthefrontpage(A1)oftheprintedition.Eacharticle,
whetheritappearedinprint,onlineorinbothmediums,wasevaluatedand
classifiedintooneoffivecategories:repetition,adaptation,representation,unique
toWeb,notinfeaturedsectiononWebsite.Theresultsshowedthat33%(or76)of
allthearticlesevaluatedappearedonlyontheWebsite.Atotalof27%ofthenews
storiesfellintotheAdaptationcategory,while21%ofthearticleswerecategorized
asrepetition.Finally,15%ofthestorieswereconsideredtobeclassifiedas
representation,andonly4%ofthestoriesevaluatedwerenotfoundintheTodays
NewsorLatestNewssectionofTheHoustonChroniclesWebsite.
21%
27%
15%
33%
4%
ContentAnalysisOverviewHoustonChronicle
12/19/11-12/21/11
Repetion
Adaptation
Representation
UniquetoWeb
NotFeaturedonWebsite
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS 56
RQ2:InwhatwaysdoesTheHoustonChronicleutilizeitsWebsiteforcontent?
Thestudyrevealedthat76ofthe233articlesanalyzed,roughlyone-third,
overathree-dayperiodwerefoundonlyonline.Suchahighvolumeofonline-onlystoriesallowsthepublicationtoencouragereaderstovisititsWebsitemultiple
timesthroughouttheday.Thepublicationalsoachievesthisthroughthefactthat
38%oftheonline-onlyarticleswereconsideredtobehuman-interestarticles
storiesthatwouldmorelikelyappearonPeople.comratherthaninanewspaper.
Suchstoriesgenerallyrevolvearoundcelebritiesorotherfeature-likeconcepts.
ThesearetheideasthatkeepreadersreturningtotheWebsite.Forexample,the
articlesThinkYouWantaniPhonewithLTE?ThinkAgain,ElfonShelfGets
Creative,StoresWinterWonderlands,andLivingLargeinTinyHomesareall
classifiedashuman-interestarticles.
RQ3:InwhatwaysdoesTheHoustonChronicleutilizeitsprintpublicationin
termsofcontent?
TheHoustonChroniclereservesitslarger,morein-depthstoriesforprint,
oftentimeswaitingtopublishthestoryuntillateatnightaftermostreadersare
asleep,allowingthepapertohitthenewsstandsearlyinthemorning.Atotalof67.5
percentofarticlesappearintheprintpublication.Ofthatnumber,a46%ofthe
storiesareadaptedforprintorappearonlyinthepublication.Onlynineofthe
articlesthatappearedonthefrontpageswerenotfoundonlineamere3.9%.
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS 58
Figure8.Thearticlesfoundinthecategoriesofrepetition,adaptation,and
representationareeachoneofapaironeisonline,andoneisinprint.Therefore,
thecomparisononprintandWeb-basedcontentappearstobetheexactsameona
numericallevel.However,eacharticleisdifferentunlessitiscategorizedas
repetition.Thegreatestcomparisonintermsonnumbersappearsintheunique
category.OnlyninearticleswerenotfoundintheTodayNewsorLatestNews
sectionsoftheWebsite.
25
31
18
76
25
31
18
9
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Repetition
Adaptation
Representation
Unique
ContentAnalysis-Comparison
Web
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MEDIA CONVERGENCE OF NEWSPAPERS 59
CHAPTERFIVE
Discussion
Newspapersarenotdying.Thepublicationsareanoldmediumexistinginanever-evolvingworldofnewmedia.Asaresult,thenewspaperindustryhasbeen
forcedtoaccommodatethewhimsofthenewsmedia,asitpertainstothe21st
Centuryinthiscase,thewhimofimmediacy,morecommonlyknownasthe
digitalage.WithAmericaproducingmorethan206.2millionInternetusersperyear,
thenewspaperindustrymustfindawaytorelatetoitsaudienceonmorethanjusta
dailybasistryhourly(Mashable,2011).
Thenewspaperindustryssolutiontoitsimpendingdeath:theInternet.
Manymodernnewspapersproduceane-editionor,attheveryleast,activelyupdate
theirWebsite.Itshouldbenoted,however,thattheinformationfoundonthe
Websiteisnotsimplyregurgitatedfortheprinteditionbutisusedasatoolto
promotemediaconvergence,astheresearchforthisstudyproves.
ResearchQuestion1:InwhatwaysdoesTheHoustonChroniclesprint-and
Web-basedcontentreflectidealsofmediaconvergencethroughrepetition,
adaptation,representation,and/oruniqueness?
Inaword,yesistheanswertothequestion.TheHoustonChronicle,asa
publicationandInternetguru,doesreflecttheidealsofgoodmediaconvergence.
TheWebsitepushesreaderstothenewspaper;additionally,theprintedition
effectivelyencouragesreaderstovisittheWebsitetoviewphotogalleriesand
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relatedarticles.TheorganizationexudesexpertiseinInternetandnon-Internet
relatedinteractivitythatshowthepublicationmeasuresitssuccess.The
frameworkforevaluatingthearticlesallowstheeffectivenessofmediaconvergencetobeseenthroughoutthepublication.Theresearchconductedforthisstudy
showcasedtheidealsofmediaconvergence,aseachnewsstorywasevaluatedand
placedintoacategory.Thecategories,inasense,measuretheconvergence.
Thefirstcategoryoftheframeworkisrepetition.Articlesinthiscategory
appearexactlythesameinbothmediawithoutanyalterationsoredits.Secondly,
articlesmayhavebeenclassifiedintheadaptationcategory,allowingthe
publicationorauthortomakeminoradjustments.Inthiscase,articlesweremostly
editedforgrammar,cohesionand/orspaceconstraints.Insomecases,anupdateto
thestorywouldbeincluded.Thirdly,articlesmaybegiventheclassificationof
representation,meaningthattheWeb-andprint-basedarticleswerenotsimilar
enoughorexpressedadifferingpointofviewonthesamesubjectmatter.Finally,
thearticleswereevaluatedintermsofuniqueness,appearingonlyonlineor,in
somecases,anarticleonthefrontpageofthepaperdidnotappearintheTodays
NewsorLatestNewssectionsoftheWebsite.
Twoconclusionsmaybedrawnfromtheseresults.Thefirstbeingthatan
argumentcould,infact,bemadeonthebasisoftheideathatTheHoustonChronicle
mainlyusesitsWeb-basedcontentnotpurelyforinformationalpurposes,butto
promoteinteractivitywiththeaudience.Thisargumentisfoundedbythereality
thatatotalof35%ofthe233articlesanalyzedappearedonlyontheWebsite.Most
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ofthearticlesthatwerefeaturedonlyonlinewereeitherbreakingnewsstories,
wheretheeventiscurrentlyunfolding,blog-stylearticles,focusingmainlyon
humaninterestsubjectssuchasthearticleAhomewithanamazingpoolthatappearedonlineDecember21,2011.Additionally,severalofthearticlesthatwere
featuredonlyonlinewerephotogalleries,allowingtheprinteditiontousethespace
moreeffectively.
Theblog-likestoriesandphotogalleriesaretwoconceptsthatpromotethe
interactivitytheory,asbothideapullreadersinandcaptivatethemforacertain
amountoftimeespeciallythephotogalleries.Oftentimes,aninvitationis
extendedtoreadertosubmithisorherownphotosand/orcommentsonasubject.
Forexample,thearticleHoustonatheist:ChristmasisntjustforChristianson
December22,2011endswiththeHoustonBeliefWebProducercallingforreaders
towriteinwiththeiraffirmationoftheauthorsopinionorofferarebuttal.This
articleresultedin73Facebooksharesand10retweets,aswellasseveralhundred
commentsonthecommentboard.
Thesecondconclusionpertainstothelifebloodoftheprintjournalism
industrycredibility,credibility,andcredibility.Itisagivennowadaysthat
everythingthatappearsinprintwillalsoappearonline.However,itisnotassured
thateveryitemthatappearsonlinewillappearinprint,whichleavescredibilityof
themediumtoquestion.Ifeverythingappearsonline,butonlyselectitemsappear
inprint,doesthatnotlendtotheideathatprintmaintainsitscredibilitywhichis
akeyfactorinnewsreportingovertheInternet?
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InadditiontotheWebsitesroleintheconvergencecircle,italsoallowsa
somewhatimpersonalpublicationtheverynatureofnewsprinttobecome
personal.TheWebsiteconnectsthereaderstothewriters,tocelebrities,tootherreaders:theWebsiteshowcasesthehumanrelationaspect.TheWebsiteeffectively
executesthisbyfeaturingarticlesthatareconsideredtobehumaninterestoras
thoseinthebizliketorefertosuchasfluff.Sometimesthesearticlesarereferred
toasevergreenarticles,asthecanbepublishedatalmostanytime.Ofthe233
articlesthatwereanalyzedforthisstudy,76werefoundonlyonline.Atotalof38%
oftheonline-onlyarticleswerecategorizedashumanintereststoriesthatpique
thereadersinterest;nothardnewsorfiller.Severalofthehuman-interest
entriesonlinewerephotogalleriesavisualconnectionwiththereaders.The
ChronicleusedvisualaspectoftheWebsitetoenticevisitorstoclickonthelink.
Furthermore,thephotogalleries,oftentimes,calledforvisitorstosubmittheirown
picturesofevents,thuspromotinginteractivityontheWebpage.
ResearchQuestion3:InwhatwaysdoesTheHoustonChronicleutilizeits
printpublicationintermsofcontent?
TheHoustonChronicle,forallintensivepurposes,isnotanewormodern
newspaperinthesensethathepaperhasexistedsincetheearly1900s.The
HoustonChronicleknowshowtoeffectivelyputtogetheranewspaper.TheChronicle
istheHoustonsonlymajornewspaper.
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TheHoustonChronicle,intermsofcontent,carriesfivesectionsona
consistentbasis:news,cityandstate,business,sports,andeditorial.Additionally,
thepublicationalsorotatesinsectionssuchas:flavor,andentertainment.Eachsectionvariesinthenumberofpagesthatisrepresented.Typically,thenews
section(Asection)ofthepaperisthefullestgrouping,followedbycityandstate,
business,andsports,respectively.
Thesinglemostimportantpageintheentirepaperisthefrontpage,orA1.
Thispageholdswhatisdeemedasthemostimportantornewsworthyinformation
intheentirepaper.Thisisthepagethatcapturesthereadersattention.Itswhat
getspeopletopickupthepaperand,hopefully,purchaseit.Generally,
approximatelyfourtosixarticlesbeginonthefrontpage.Eacharticleiscategorized
accordingtonewsvalue(negativity,proximity,recency,currency,continuity,and
uniqueness)andarrangedonthepage.Everythingaspectonthefrontpageis
designedtoconveytheimportancelevelofeacharticlefromthetypeface,tothe
pictures,tothewhitespaceonthepageaswellasthecolorsused.Typically,the
largerphotodenotesthemostinterestingornewsworthystory.Thisstorycanbea
featurestory.Howevertheboldfacedfontsforheadlinesdepictthemost
newsworthystoryonthepage.Thefrontpagealsoincludesteasersatthetopofthe
page.Theseteasersaresummariesofthemostimportantarticlesontheinsideof
thepaper.
Thearticlesfoundinthenewspaperrangefromhardnewsstoriestofeatures
tosports.Thebulkofthearticlesinthepaper,though,fallintothehardnewsor
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newsstorygroups.Moststories,though,involvesomesortofhumaninterestthe
storybehindthestory.Becausethereislimitedspaceineachissueofthepaper,the
mostnewsworthyarticlesaregivencredence.Thearticlesthatappearinthepaperarenottheexactsamearticlesthat
appearonline.Mostthearticlesthatappearinbothlocationsareadaptedtofittheir
medium.Generally,thestoriesfoundinprintareamorein-depthversionofthe
onlinestory.
Whatthismeansforthenewspaperindustry
Throughoutthisstudy,severalthingshavebecomecleartotheresearcher.
Someobservationsareconclusionsregardingthenewspaperindustry,whileothers
areideasrootedinadeepdesiretowitnessthesuccessofprintjournalism.
Newspapershavelosttheirvoice.Newspapersaredeepinthemidstofan
identitycrisistheirvoicehasdisappearedintoaseaofimmediacyand
convenience.Newspapersarerootedinhistoryandtradition,butunfortunately
printjournalismcustomscannolongersupporttheindustry.Mostofwhatthe
newspaperindustrybelievedaboutprintjournalismisfading.Whatwasconsidered
themainsourceofnewsinformationhardlyregistersinthemindsofmost
Americans,asthevoiceofnewspapershasbeenrelegatedtoaminorbliponthe
radaramere140characters,tobeexact.
Inallreality,eventhelifebloodofjournalismtodiscoverandreportthe
truthisatstake.In1972,amanknownasDeepThroatcameforwardto
encourageBobWoodwardandCarlBernsteintofollowthemoney.Thirty-seven
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yearslaterin2009,AustralianInternetActivistJulianAssangesimplypublishedthe
WebsiteWikileaks,disclosingsecretsoftheAmericangovernmentandeffectively
bypassingconventionalmedia.InthecaseofWikileaks,newsorganizationswerenottheonesthatbrokethestoryaboutallegedgovernmentsecrets.Instead,the
newsmediawasforcedtocoverthefactthatAssangeleakedpotentiallytop-secret
informationtotheworld.Individualsnolongerconfideinnewsmediatorelay
sensitiveinformation.Businesses,smallandlarge,andthegovernmentusedtofear
whatapublicationwouldsay;theywereconcernedwhattheprintedwordswould
dototheirimage.Now,corporationsaremoreconcernedaboutwhatcitizensare
tweetingandtalkingaboutontheirFacebookfanpagenotallpublicityisgood
publicityanymore.
Onethingisforcertaininregardstoprintpublications:newspapersareno
longertheleadingsourceforbreakingnews.Infact,newsorganizationsingeneral,
includingtheirWebsites,arerarelyasourceforup-to-the-minuteinformation.Any
realnewsjunkie,self-proclaimedorprofessional,getshisorhernewsupdatesin
140charactersorlessmorecommonlyreferredtoasthesocialnetworkingsite
Twitter.Thenewesttrendinnewsmediaisnotleadingthepackininformation
dissemination,but,rather,playingcatchupand,oftentimes,citingTwitter,
Facebook,orothersocialnetworkingsitesassources.Socialmediaisnowthe
leadingsourceofjournalism,threateningwhatthoseinthebusinessrefertoas
journalismethics.Asingletweetorstatusupdatemayalteradaysnewscycle.This
alternatenewsformatposessomeissuesfornewsmedia.Thelargest,perhaps,
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beingthedeclineofprintcirculation,asmostpeoplearenotwillingtopayfornews
orinformationthatcanbeobtainedwithoutcostviasocialanddigitalmedia.
Butsocialmediahasstolenmorefromnewsmediathanitsconsumersanditsrighttoreportonissuesfirst.Ithascommandeeredthenewsindustryschief
tool:socialconversation.Therewastimenotexceptionallylongagowhenreading
thenewspaperwaspartofmostindividualsmorningroutine.Readingthe
newspaperusedtobeaformofsocialinteractionbecausemanypeoplewould
discussthenewsthroughoutthedayatworkorsocially.Morethanlikely,though,
peopledonotwalkintotheirofficeandask,Didyouseethepaperthismorning?
anymore.Rather,themorelikelyconversationlookslikethis:Hey,didyousee
whatJohnSmithpostonFacebooklastnight?orDidyouseethatSnookie
announcedshewaspregnantlastnightonTwitter?Newspapersandnews
organizationsarenolongerasourceofsocialconversationsafactthatmaybeto
thedetrimentoftheindustry.
Newsorganizationshavetriedtograspthisnewregime,buthave
ineffectivelyimplementedtheprocedures.Whenbreakingnewsoccurs,news
organizationspostatweetandFacebookcomment,directingreaderstotheWebsite
toreadthefullarticle.Mostofthetime,thenewspaperwillcarryalonger,morein-
deptharticlethenextday.Currently,newspapersareasimilarreplicationofthe
contentfoundonline.But,whywouldaconsumerpurchaseaprintpublicationthat
hasnearlythesameinformationthattheonlineversioncontains?Theywillnot
purchaseinformationthatcanbeobtainedforfree.Newspapers,iftheywantto
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survive,mustevolve.Theymustbedifferentthantheironlinecounterparts.Print
publicationscannolongercompetewiththe24-hournewscyclebecauseeventheir
onlinepartnersarestruggling.ThenewsindustryshouldtakesomecuesfromsocialmediaWebsitesinordertosurviveinanerawheresocialmediareignssupreme.
SocialmediasitessuchasTwitterandFacebookhavethesocialawarenessand
interactionthatpeopleseemtothriveon(Sabremedia,2012).Newsorganizations
mustfindawaytoreplicatecommunityinterest.Newspapersmustbecome
conversationstartersonceagain.
Alackofsocialconversationregardingnewsmediamaysuggestthat
consumerstrustinsuchorganizationsiswavering.Insinuatingthatthepublics
trustinnewsmediaisalsoshifting.Consumersmustbeabletotrusttheirnews
organizationsbecausewithoutcredibility,thenewsmediaisnothingmorethanwell
researchedblogarticles.Conversely,theconceptofcredibilityinnewsorganizations
maybeloosingitsvalueamongnewsconsumers.Forsome,newsisnews.Itdoes
notmattertotherecipientifthesourceisfromalegitimatenewssourceorifitisan
unsubstantiatedclaimfoundonFacebookorTwitter.
Limitationsandweaknesses
Theresearcherisapprisedthatthisstudyhaslimitationsandweaknesses.
First,theresearcheracknowledgesthatlongerstudywouldbemorebeneficial,asa
three-dayevaluationonlyallowsforasnapshotoftheHoustonChroniclesprint-and
Web-basedcontent.Second,theresearchwasfocusedononlyonenewspaperand
itscoordinatingWebsite.Toeffectivelyunderstandnewspapersasawhole,more
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thanonepublicationshouldbeobserved.Furthermore,morethanonepublication
ineachmarketshouldbeobserved,asnewspapersdifferdrasticallydependingon
circulationsize,budgetaryconstraints,andlocalimpact.Third,thetimeofyearmaybeclassifiedasaweakness,astheevaluation
periodwasduringtheHolidayseason.ThisprojectwasresearchedinlateDecember,
rightafterThanksgivingandbeforeChristmasandNewYears.Additionally,the
politicalracefortheRepublicanprimaryfortheupcoming2012Presidential
electionwasinfullswing.Atthistime,TexasGov.RickPerrywaslistedontheballot.
Sucheventsmayhaveimpactedtheresultsofthisstudy.
FutureResearch
Thetopicofnewsmediaisabroadone,especiallyinthefieldsofmedia
convergenceandsocialanddigitalmedia.Therefore,suggestionsforfutureresearch
include:examiningtherateofconvergence,examiningsocialanddigitalmedia
usageinregardstonewsmedia,examiningconsumersreactionstosocialmedia
versesprintmedia,and,finally,conductingbothquantitativeandqualitativestudies
inbothfieldspertainingtonewsmedia.
Duringthisstudy,ithasbecomeincreasinglyclearthatastudyontherateof
mediaconvergenceisdesperatelyneeded.Thereisasayinginthefieldof
journalism:thenewsneversleeps.Thesentimentistrueinregardstothefactthat
lifeneverstops,nordoestheactofnewsgathering.However,therecomesacertain
timeofdaywhentheupdatedinformationonnewssitesslows.Thestudycould
broachthequestions:
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Whydoestheinformationslow? Shouldtheinformationslowsincethisistheeraofthe24-hournewscycle?
Isthereamethodtomediaconvergencei.e.doesthestorystartonasocial
mediasitesuchasTwitterorFacebookthenprogresstotheorganizations
Website,andthen,finally,publishedintheprintedition?
Inconjunctionwiththeideaofconvergence,andin-depthstudyconcerning
theusageofsocialanddigitalmediaamongnewsorganizationswouldberelevant.
Thestudyhasseveraloptionsofcompletion.Forexample,onecouldevaluatethe
socialmediausageonsitessuchasTwitterandFacebookinaccordancewiththe
AgendaSettingTheory.
Additionally,astudyfocusingontheuseofdigitalmediatablets,iPads,
nooks,etc.wouldbebeneficial.ThedocumentaryPageOne:InsidetheNewYork
TimesreferstotheiPadasthesaviorofprint.Ifthisistrulythecase,astudy
shouldbedonetoevaluatetheusesandgratificationsofdigitalmediapertainingto
newsorganizations.
Furthermore,astudyexaminingtheusageofsocialandprintmediain
regardstothetheoryofUsesandGratificationswouldbebeneficialtothefield.
Socialmediahasovertakentraditionalmediaandleftprintmediainaquandary.A
studyofthisnaturewouldlendinsightastowhetherconsumerspreferthetwitter-
sizednewssnippetsversesfull-lengthnewsstoriesinthepaperformere
convenienceordetermineifthesmallerstoriesaremoregratifyingtothereader.
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Finally,astudyfocusedonthecredibilityofsocialmediawouldalsooffer
insightintotheprintjournalismindustry.Thepotentialstudywouldexaminethe
credibilityassociatedwithsocialmedia.Across-platformstudy,includingnewspapers,wouldbeaninterestingcomparisonamongmediums.
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CHAPTERSIX
Conclusion
Itistruethatthestateofnewsmediaisinflux.Whatisnottrue,however,isthatprintmediaisdying.Itsmerelytransforming.Thepreviouslyconceivedrules
anddefinitionofprintjournalismarechanging,evolvingtofulfillnotonlytheneeds
butalsothedesiresofnewsconsumers.Newsisnotastagnantfield,norcanone
expectthemethodforwhichoneobtainsinformationtoremaindormantandone-
dimensional.
Thisstudyhasshownthatprintmediamaystillhaveaplaceinthecurrent
societyevenwiththeadventofsocialanddigitalmediaiftheindustrycan
recreatethesenseofcommunityitoncehad.Newsorganizationsaretryingfinding
theirfootingonceagain.Todothis,theymustestablishmethodsformodernnews
reporting.ThisstudyhasshownthattheHoustonChronicleusesitsprint-andWeb-
basedcontenttoreachitsreaders.However,theprocessneedstoberefinedto
securethefutureofthejournalism,bothprintandonline.
Throughoutthisstudy,theresearcherhasmadesomeobservations
regardingthenewsindustry,suggesting:
Newspapershavelosttheirvoice.Theirfutureisunclearfortheprintmedium,but,inreality,thewholefieldofjournalismisatstake.
Circulationisdecliningamongnewspaperscountrywide;asreadersarenotwillingtopurchaseinformationwhensocialmediasitesare
resourcesforfreenews.
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Newspapersarenotlongertheleadersourceforbreakingnews.Newspapersoncepridedthemselvesonbeingthefirstpublicationto
breakthestory.Now,evennewsWebsitesrarelyawardedtheopportunitytobreakthestoryTwitterclaimsthatvictory.
Newsconsumersneedtoknowtheirpublicationsarecrediblebecausewithouttrust,readerswillnotpurchasenewspapers
NewsWebsitesmustdoabetterjobofincorporatingvideosandphotographsintotheirsites.Thiscreatesaneedordesirefor
consumerstorevisitthenewspublicationsWebsite.
WiththeadventofsocialmediaWebsites,newsmediaisnolongerasourceofconversation.Newsorganizationsmustconstructawayfor
thenewsmediatorecreatethesocialaspectofjournalism.
Asolutiontomonetizemustbecreated.Theplanshouldnotbetomonetizetheprintpublication,buttomonetizetheindustryasa
whole.
Newsisnolongerone-dimensional.Printmediacannotexistinitsoriginal
form.Rather,itmusttransformintosomethingalltogetherdifferent.Theykey:
mediaconvergenceintheformofcommunity.Eachformofmediainteractsand
communicateswithitsaudienceinaslightlydifferentway.Newspapersmust
redefineitsvoiceandcommunicationstrategies.
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