Another example why newspapers are struggling

2/6/09 -The Internet, YouTube and people’s access to the Web have shortened the news cycle (some call it the 24-hour news cycle) to the point that it is difficult for newspapers to compete.

Here’s the example:

• Yesterday morning, University of Tennessee football coach Lane Kiffin said at an alumni and booster breakfast that University of Florida football coach Urban Meyer violated recruiting rules. Kiffin basically called Meyer a cheater – a hefty allegation in the rule-sensitive NCAA circles.
• By 11 a.m., a Tennessee TV station posted on its Web site that Kiffin called Meyer a cheater.
• By 3 p.m. (and probably earlier) video of Kiffin’s speech was available on YouTube.
• By late afternoon, UF issued a statement saying Kiffin didn’t know the rules and that Meyer had been slandered.
• By day’s end, the Southeastern Conference had rebuked Kiffin and he quickly apologized.

A few years back, pre-Internet and YouTube, daily newspapers would have controlled this story. The day after the speech, a paper would run the story which might get picked up by other papers one day after that. And a few days later, the apology and rebuke would have surfaced. What I’m saying is that not too long ago, this story would have played out over the span of a week – driven by newspaper coverage – rather than playing out in hours over the Web.

This is just another example of how tough it is for printed editions of newspapers to compete in the age of the 24-hour news cycle.

--John