First, let me say welcome to our friends at PoliticizeMatters. The blogosphere is a better place with you in it. Now, on with the show.
The Newark-Star Ledger today published an edition without any content from the Associated Press. There is some question as to whether this is a protest of new AP rates or simply a way to save some cash and see if any readers complain. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune recently told the AP that it will cancel its AP contract in 2010. In that case, the move was financially motivated. Interesting.
While newspapers have gone hyperlocal with their coverage, I always thought the AP model worked because papers could get a huge wealth of stories for a minimal fee. Maybe the fee isn't as minimal as I expected, though it's still cheaper than hiring large-scale staff. The rates themselves are based on what type of coverage the paper uses (breaking news, international, national, etc.). Ultimately, the AP needs these member papers as much as they need the AP, so I'm sure if several papers move to this model, then the AP will be forced to adjust its pricing structure.
The problem would be if the papers just decide to go with local and breaking news coverage. People already look only at the headlines -- if that -- as witnessed by the McCain campaign's effective headline-grabbing strategy. No one cares that McCain used the "lipstick on a pig" line to Hillary. They just know that McCain's people screamed about it when Obama used it on their campaign. This is a problem. Overall, we are no longer a society well-educated on the issues. We just know who we like and who we don't. That's what informs our decisions.
Certainly, if this no-AP policy were to come to fruition, people could go online and find out international news and major national stories and they can watch on TV, but I would argue that there is already a lack of awareness of what's happening in the world and in this global economy, America can't afford that.
Newspapers Spar with AP over Rates, Coverage
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