Hey, Teens – Wanna Try A Little Original Content?
As Lost Remote's Cory Bergman points out in a post on the project, "One of the big challenges for many TV sites is [they're] perceived by the public as a reference source for TV, not as a stand-alone news source." Projects like this are meant to address that very issue, says Mike Sims, CBSNews.com director of news and operations. "It's a brand differentiator," he says – a way to set the site apart from the competition.
But do readers care about original content? CNN.com, for example – where original content from Web site staff is hard to find – has far higher traffic than CBSNews.com, according to Alexa.com. There are a number of factors that go into traffic statistics besides original content, of course. But it's telling that none of the network-affiliated news Web sites have made a significant investment in original reporting from their staffers, more often relying on partnerships with other news outlets or their network news divisions for unique content. CBSNews.com staffers had to work on the big project in addition to their regular duties, often in their free time. Other than here at Public Eye, no one at the site was hired to primarily produce completely original work.
"Much of the original reporting that's done is done by CBS News," notes Sims, pointing to "Only on the Web" content that Lara Logan recently produced from Darfur. He also says that original content is just one of CBSNews.com's selling points – free broadband video, columnists, and the "Only on the Web" video and text, in addition to other features, make the site unique. Do readers notice? "In subtle ways they do over time," says Sims.
Interestingly, Sims says the big project wasn't about traffic – it was "the right thing to do for our staff."
"To give them a project that they're emotionally and intellectually invested in is really valuable," he says. Certainly, journalists who are able to produce original content – as opposed to spending most of their day repurposing wire service copy – are more likely to be content in their jobs. Sims says the project was conceived about two months ago, with the knowledge that there would likely be a news lull going into the summer, giving the staff more time to work on original stories. More such efforts, he adds, are on the way.
Steve Safran, president of Safran Media Group and managing editor of Lost Remote, sent me an e-mail arguing that network news sites are still struggling to find their way, despite "cool" initiatives like this project. "Network news sites have yet to take full advantage of their own Web sites for original content," he writes. "Sure, they put up plenty of text - but that's not what makes a site original or worth visiting. What they should be doing - and what some are starting to do - is putting up plenty of original and interesting content that is true to its own medium. There is still too much 'forcing the old medium into the new one' going on. Sites that appeal to the younger demo don't try to do that. They instinctively grow with the strengths of the medium, rather than force old models upon it."
Safran also says that Web sites, not broadcasts, should be the focus for news organizations. But that would fundamentally shift the way newsgathering is done, and it would mean that Web staffers would function more like traditional reporters than they presently do. Broadcast news organizations have increased their investment in the Web significantly in recent years, but they do not, at present, seem poised to take such a dramatic step.