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After more than a decade of adding products — from new sections to niche products in print and online — newspaper editors are identifying and separating what they must do and reducing or eliminating what they wanted to do when times were good, according to a survey conducted by the American Society of News Editors and American Press Institute. “It’s time for newsrooms to focus on finding ways to do fewer things well, instead of doing everything poorly,” says one editor. The survey also found “a sense of frustrated resignation caused by relentless cuts, uncontrollable mandates and constantly shifting goals; and, a determination to weather the storm, do good journalism and come out stronger on the other side.” || More findings:
* Editors struggle to “refine roles, strategies and tactics for moving newsrooms from once-a-day print publishing to continuously updated 24/7 news and information.”
* “Solid planning has gone out the window,” says one editor, “because we are constantly triaging the operation.”
* A big problem for newsroom leaders is reacting to wave after wave of staff cuts by realigning coverage with existing resources.
* Editors are frustrated by other departments’ foot-dragging. What slows us down, says one editor, is waiting for the culture in the rest of the company to change.
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