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Make way for open source news
11-03-2009
by Ralph Averbuch
Compared to much of the world, Ireland is a leading nation of readers. However, just as we're seeing a slow attrition in sales of daily newspapers across the globe, the same is true back home. Meanwhile, in the US, Rocky Mountain News, by Irish standards a very big regional paper (1/4 million readers), shut its print title suddenly late last month, and there are increasing doubts about the long term viability of bigger titles such as the San Francisco Chronicle and LA Times. Meanwhile things are tough in the UK market with pundits predicting at least one of the big quality papers will fold along with a tabloid. Perhaps recognising the inevitability of this long term trend, newspaper proprietors everywhere have moved to focus on a future that's all about online. One leading champion of this approach has been the UK's Guardian, which, despite being a relatively small player in the UK quality press, behind the Times and Telegraph, has managed to be No.1 online for many years. Now the paper is leading where others may have no choice but to follow in creating what's best described as a form of 'open source' content redistribution. Recognising that the paper has vast quantities of archive material, much of which it hasn't the time or resources to tailor to every possible niche, the Guardian is making an API accessing this content available to anyone who wants to use it (provided they also carry ads supplied by the Guardian). It's a refreshing idea plainly aimed at maximising the potential financial return on the content. It follows the maxim that more eyeballs equals more revenues. Certainly it will present a real opportunity to open up new revenue streams for the paper, just as the old ones seem to be closing inexorably. Which, if any, of the Irish Press will follow the Guardian's lead?
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