Media and content in the digital age

Newspaper Industry

The overall system and structure of newspapers, including their production, distribution, and revenue generation methods

Two sources of revenue for newspapers

The two main ways newspapers make money: advertising and circulation

Advertising

A source of revenue where businesses pay newspapers to display their ads to readers

Local classifieds

Ads in newspapers offering local goods, services, and job listings

Local or retail advertising

Advertising targeted at local markets, typically from smaller businesses

National advertising

Advertising targeted at a larger, national audience, typically from larger businesses

Circulation

The number of copies of a newspaper that are distributed or sold

Decline in revenue

A decrease in newspaper revenue, largely due to digital competition and changing consumer habits

Classifieds

Replaced by digital ads, these are traditional printed ads for goods and services

Fragmenting: long tail programmatic advertising

A shift towards more niche advertising through automated systems

Shifting readership trends: nobody reads hard copies

The decline in print newspaper readership as more people turn to digital sources

Circulation revenues have morphed into digital subscription revenues

The shift from physical paper subscriptions to digital subscriptions as a main source of revenue

History of newspapers in the US

Colonial Era

Publick Occurrences, 1690

The first published newspaper in the colonies, shut down due to criticism of the French king

New England Courant, 1721

A newspaper by James Franklin, shut down for not being approved by the crown

John Peter Zenger, 1735

Zenger was acquitted of libel for publishing truths, a key moment in press freedom history

Expensive paper meant only the rich could read it

Early newspapers were costly and mainly accessible to the wealthy

Post independence

Newspapers after the US gained independence, often published by political parties and focused on opinion

First amendment adopted in 1791

The US First Amendment, guaranteeing freedom of the press

Steam-powered printing press (1814)

The invention of the steam-powered printing press, which improved printing efficiency

Paper mills made rag paper originally using cotton rags

Early paper production used cotton rags, later transitioning to wood pulp in the mid-1800s

Newspaper for Early enablers

Factors that made newspapers more widely available, such as industrialization and the rise of urban centers

Industrial revolution

A period of rapid technological and industrial growth that helped newspapers thrive

Migration from rural to urban centers

The movement of people from rural areas to cities, creating more demand for newspapers

Increasing middle class, more literate, different reading tastes than the elite's

The rise of the middle class with a growing interest in newspapers, especially for political news and shipping updates

Steam-powered rotary press

A more advanced printing press that helped make newspapers cheaper and more efficient to produce

The penny press

A cheap, widely distributed newspaper model popularized in the 19th century, such as The New York Sun

Benjamin Day's The New York Sun, 1883

A major example of the penny press, priced at 1-2 cents

Increased popularity and circulation led to increased advertising revenues

The rise in circulation from cheaper newspapers allowed more ad space and revenue

The REAL birth of the press as a watchdog

The period in history when newspapers began to hold authorities accountable, investigating corruption

News Deserts

Areas where local news coverage is minimal or nonexistent

About 2,500 local news operations have closed down in the last 20 years

The decline in local news outlets, with many closing due to financial struggles

70 million people live in a news desert

The population in areas where access to local news is severely limited

Three alternative business models for local news

Different strategies used to sustain local news: cooperatives, non-profit conversions, and government support

The cooperative

A business model where members buy in and may have editorial influence over a publication

Non-profit conversion

Turning a for-profit newspaper into a non-profit organization, often for tax advantages

Texas Tribune and AP News

Successful examples of news organizations using non-profit models

Government support

Financial assistance or funding provided by the government to support local journalism

Public Broadcasting stations receive about 50% of their funding from CPB

Public broadcasters, like NPR, receive government funding, which supports news operations

US spends $3.16 per person on local news, Germany $142, Botswana $18.38

A comparison of how different countries allocate funds for local news

California passed a law dedicating $25 million to support local reporting

In 2022, California provided funding to support underreported and underrepresented areas in local news

Direct support

Government funding given directly to local news organizations

Tax incentives

Financial benefits given to news organizations to support local journalism

Paywalls

Online barriers that limit access to content unless a subscription is purchased

Hard paywalls

A paywall system where all content is inaccessible without a subscription

Soft paywalls

Paywalls that allow some content to be accessed for free, like article summaries

Metered paywalls

Paywalls that limit free content, offering a set number of articles per month before requiring a subscription

5-10% of readers convert to subscription

A statistic showing the low percentage of readers who transition from free to paid content

Misinformation: MISTAKE

Information spread unknowingly that is false or inaccurate

Disinformation: DELIBERATE

Intentional false or misleading information spread to deceive others

Fake news

False news stories created with the intention to mislead

Confirmation bias

The tendency to interpret information in a way that confirms one's pre-existing beliefs

Misinformation becomes disinformation when intentionally spread

When misinformation is spread with the intent to deceive, it becomes disinformation

Disinformation: misleading or biased information

False information that misleads people, often with an agenda

Popular in war/government: Cold War

Disinformation was commonly used during the Cold War for propaganda

Propaganda can be disinformation

Disinformation may be used as a tool of propaganda to influence public opinion

Confirmation bias is SUBCONSCIOUS

A bias that operates without conscious awareness, affecting how we interpret new information

A 2018 MIT study found that fake news spreads faster and wider

Research showing that false information spreads more rapidly than true information

Fake news is just made up lies

A description of fake news as entirely fabricated information

Fake/Hoax news

Fake news that is deliberately made up, often for sensationalism

Misleading

Content that gives a false impression or is intended to deceive, like "the nuns with rifles"

Mimic

Fake news designed to appear like legitimate news sources to make money

Satire

Humorous or exaggerated news, like "The Onion," which is not meant to be taken as fact

Clickbait

Headlines designed to attract attention and clicks, often misleading or sensationalized

Alternative facts

A misrepresentation of facts or a selective interpretation of information

The rise of motion pictures

The development of film as an art form, starting with Eadweard Muybridge's experiments

Eadweard Muybridge set up many cameras at a racetrack

Early experiments in motion photography, leading to the development of film

Movies didn’t arrive in a flash

Movies evolved gradually through technological advancements and societal changes

The movie industry did not always have 1st amendment protection

Early films were not fully protected by free speech laws

The Star System

The Hollywood system of creating and promoting stars to enhance a film's appeal

A films

High-budget films featuring glamorous stars

B films

Low-budget films produced quickly, often shown in theaters before A films

Theatrical films

Films made primarily for release in movie theaters

Box office receipts

The total money collected from ticket sales in theaters

Rentals

The net share of box office earnings collected by distributors

Blockbusters

Films that gross over $200 million at the box office, typically with high production budgets

THE MAJORS

The five major Hollywood studios: Disney, Universal, Paramount, Warner Brothers, and Columbia Pictures

Film production firms

Companies that make movies

Film distribution firms

Companies responsible for distributing films to theaters

Independent producers

Independent filmmakers who are not affiliated with major studios

Scriptwriters

Individuals who write the scripts for films

Talent agencies

Agencies that represent actors and negotiate contracts

The pitch

A brief presentation of a film idea to potential producers or studios

Elevator pitch

A very short, concise version of a pitch

Treatment

A detailed outline of a movie concept presented to executives

On spec

When a movie script or idea is created without prior approval, hoping to attract a buyer

Green light

Approval from executives to move forward with production and distribution of a film

Guilds are unions for freelancers

Organizations like the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) that represent film industry workers

Talent compensation

The pay structure for actors and crew, including upfront salary, royalties, and residuals

Up front salary

The initial payment to an actor or crew member for their work on a film

Back end salary

Additional payments based on the film's earnings, often as royalties or profit-sharing

Participation

The royalty or earnings an actor or crew member receives if a film is profitable

Residuals

Ongoing payments for work on a film, as negotiated by guilds like the Writers Guild of America

Line producer

The person responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of a film set

Completion bond companies

Insurance companies that guarantee the completion of a film's production

Release dates

The scheduled dates for a film's official release in theaters

Day-and-date release

A simultaneous release of a film in theaters and on online platforms

Block booking

The practice of forcing theaters to book multiple films as a package

Release patterns

Strategies for distributing a film, such as exclusive, wide, or saturation releases

Platform release

A staged release strategy where a film starts in limited theaters and expands depending on reception