Weymouth: WaPo Needs "Fundamental Change"
From the NY Observer:
The Washington Post’s publisher Katharine Weymouth sent out an email to her staff this morning declaring that the business model for the paper would have to undergo a “fundamental change.” First, they’re going hyper-local! Washingtonpost.com is going to be recast itself as a local news and information site for people who live in or near the Beltway.
From Weymouth’s memo, as reported by the NYO
The three pillars of our strategy are:
—Being about Washington, for Washingtonians, and those affected by it
—Providing utility, engagement, and convenience for our local readers
—Extending our brand with new products and new platforms
My first reaction? I live in Washington, and I want my local paper to do more than just give me the local news. Nothing against “utility, engagement, and convenience,” but I wonder what this kind of journalistic locavorism will do to the Post, one of the few major U.S. papers still standing. Is going local the only way papers (not necessarily in print form) will survive?
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