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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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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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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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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environmentanddisruptingthenewspaperindustry.

Abetterwaytoseewherenewopportunitiesareemerging.

Aclear,practicalprocesstoshapetheproductsthatwillunlockthese

opportunitieswhileminimizingcostandrisk.

Astrategicgameplanoutliningwhatnewspapercompaniesshouldstrivetobecomeandsomeofthemostpromisingopportunitiesthey

couldpursue(NewspaperNext,2006,p.2).

ThisstudywillexplorehowtheInternetimpactstheprintedjournalism

worldinacontentanalysisofprintandWeb-basedcontent.


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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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(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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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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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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majormediacompanies.

Circulationfornewspapershasbeensteadilydecreasingforthebetterpartof

thedecade,hittinganall-timelowinSeptember2009(seeFigure2).Thestruggleismostlyrelatedtoadecreaseinadvertisingrevenue,whichcausednewsoutletstobe

forcedtolayoffofreporters(seeFigure3).Belowaresomegraphs,depictingthe

trendsofnewsmediaforthepastdecade(TheStateoftheNewsMedia,2010,n.p.):


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Figure1.Newspapercirculationhassteadilydeclinedsince1990withtheadventof

theInternet.


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Figure2.Newspaperrevenuehasbeendeclining.TheInternetplaysalargepartin

thisbecausemanyindividualsbelievethenewsshouldbefreeandrefusetopayfor

suchservices.Additionally,thecostofadvertisingintheprintindustryhas

continuedtoclaim,forcingadvertiserstorefusetobuyspacefordeclining

circulation.Furthermore,advertisersarenotinterestedinpayingtheexorbitant

pricessetforthbynewsorganizationsforonlineadvertising.


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Figure3.Duetothefactthebudgetsaretighter,employmentinthenewsroomshas

alsodeclined.


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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Evaluationperiod:_____________________

Headline:______________________________________________________________________

PrintAuthor(s):__________________________(NewsSource);

WebAuthor(s):__________________________(NewsSource)

Webwordcount:______;printwordcount:______

Weblede:______;printlede:______

Similarphrases/elements:ALL

Location:

Printsummary:__________________________________________________________________Web

Summary:__________________________________________________________________

Category:_____________________


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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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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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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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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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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%


12/20/2011

Repetition

Adaptation

Representation

UniquetoWeb



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Figure6.OnDecember21,2012,atotalof68newsarticleswereevaluated.The


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%


12/21/2011

Repetition

Adaptation

Representation

UniquetoWeb



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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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Figure7.Atotalof233newsarticleswereanalyzedoverathree-dayperiod.The


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



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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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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

Print

Web


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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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