Newspapers and the Web

E & P has an interesting article on the effect of the web on newspapers and editors:

The same goes for small newspapers in far-flung regions of the country and the world. The size of the print circulation at such a daily loses much of its significance when a link on Drudge to an article on the paper's Web site can draw tens of thousands of clicks, perhaps even causing the site to crash from the unexpected surge.

Many print publications that publish on the Web now regularly send out tips and news alerts to major bloggers when a story of interest is posted online. Another growing practice among newspapers, noted recently on Editor's Weblog, is the regular online adaptation of print headlines to include hot keywords, making the article more likely to show up in searches.

And this about editors and the stories they choose to promote:

But their decisions are influenced more and more by the creeping democracy of blogs and news aggregators; when these sites jump on an issue, it gets noticed. And once the Web starts buzzing, newspapers ignore the issue at their own peril. Blog links and news-site hits are in essence an instant poll as to what is and what isn't important -- at least as judged at the grassroots. A quick glance at Technorati.com can instantly tell you what most people care about on a given day, even if it's just a passing fancy.

Even if Keller buries a story deep in the paper, it can get more hits (and thus be more important) than what he thought was worthy of page A1 that morning in print. The next day, having noted the reaction, and the spike in traffic, an editor like Keller can't help but reevaluate the importance of the story; people care, so it is (more) important. He can continue to dump stories about the issue deep in the paper, but in time the denial of the story's popularity and importance on the web will be seen by some as "bias." In fact, the newly redesigned New York Times site now features a greater emphasis on "most popular" lists, creating a counterpoint to the decisions of editors.

Read the whole thing.