UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI EXTENSION
SOUTHWEST REGION NEWS SERVICE
Contact: David Burton, civic communication specialist
Headquartered in Greene County
Tel: (417) 862-9284
E-mail: burtond@missouri.edu

Community Correspondents Moving From Newspapers to Web Blogs

According to one analysis, the end is growing near for community correspondents in small newspapers. Not because community correspondents are poorly read but because print space is a premium and reliable correspondents are getting hard to find.

Les Anderson, an associate professor in the Elliott School of Communication at Wichita State University, has been studying the decline of community (or country) correspondents in the small newspapers of Kansas.

Anderson believes community correspondents are a uniquely American trend that is in decline and will likely be gone in one more decade.

IN PRINT

“Weeklies and small dailies are the newspapers in which community or country correspondents have flourished since the early days of America,” said Anderson. “Their presence, and the stories they tell, are uniquely American.”

Unfortunately, the number of correspondents willing to write weekly for little more than postage costs and a free subscription to the newspaper are disappearing.

Numerous weekly newspapers in Missouri still have community correspondents who write about who did what in their community and who came over for supper during the week. In some instances, these “folksy” correspondents develop a strong readership and lead to subscriptions.

But not everyone thinks these correspondents are disappearing.

David Burton, civic communication specialist, University of Missouri Extension, takes a bit more optimistic view on the topic.

ON THE MOVE

While Anderson, and others like him, decry the disappearance of weekly correspondents, Burton suggests the trend of community correspondents is just changing, not disappearing.

“Current newspaper correspondents tend to be older women and many of them are putting their pencils away. But an entire new generation is picking up the same type of intensively local reporting and putting the information, along with their opinions, on web blogs,” said Burton.

So while most newspapers with correspondents report a rapid decline in the number of columns and correspondents, and with it some of the newspapers most loyal readers, younger readers are getting turned on to interactive web blogs.

Is there a way that the two can be integrated? Some media outlets have reporters who are doing daily web blogs and links for readers and listeners but what about newspapers that incorporate weekly comments or highlights from local bloggers themselves?

“The key is giving consideration to how local web bloggers can be incorporated into weekly newspapers. The trend has been for editors and bloggers to think of each other as competitors, but I think it is worth giving some consideration to how the two can work together,” said Burton.

BRINGING BACK CORRESPONDENTS

Anderson, a former newspaper editor and publisher, agrees that weblogs are the modern equivalent to country correspondents and deserve some attention and consideration.

“I think any forward-seeing publisher would be wise to cultivate both correspondents and bloggers. I think Weblogs are the key to hooking and keeping younger readers. So many of my former paper’s out-of-town subscribers, especially those with computers, are getting their newspaper online. Weblogs fit right in with that trend, I believe,” said Anderson.

But even with that, Anderson says country correspondents can’t be replaced.

“There’s still room for correspondents to cover what the newspaper doesn’t cover—all the personal goings-on among family and friends,” said Anderson.

There doesn’t appear to be any simple formula for bringing country correspondents back. The best thing to do, according to Anderson, is to try and cultivate them in places like senior citizen’s complexes or by letting correspondents focus on specific topics of interest, like gardening.

WHAT IS A BLOG

Blogging is a grassroots movement (started in mid-1990s) of online diaries and commentary. Today, it has become an art form enabling anyone to publish an idea of interest on any topic.

In fact, blogging is a phenomenon that is changing the traditional approach to the dissemination of information. Some futurists even see blogging as a challenge to the news media.

"I read about one person who started a web blog two years ago with just a few hundred readers and after a few months of hard work, he is now reaching 250,000 readers a month," said Chris Dean, coordinator of University of Missouri Extension’s Tri-Lakes TCRC in Reeds Spring, Mo.

Circulation of this magnitude rivals traditional news and opinion magazines. It also attracts advertisers and their money. This growth also means blogs have become a huge presence in opinion journalism. But not every blogger attracts big dollars, many of them are locally focused.

"Not everyone who keeps a journal is a journalist, but professional journalists often dismiss those who don't work in the traditional media. But for newspapers that are losing their local community correspondents, I think it would be worth taking a look, and seeking regular contributions from young and middle-aged bloggers," said Burton.

To learn more about blogs visit http://new.blogger.com or http://www.weblogger.com or http://www.globeofblogs.com where you can actually search for bloggers in your area.

For more information, contact David Burton, civic communication specialist, University of Missouri Extension at (417) 862-9284 or online at http://extension.missouri.edu/swregion/news.
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David Burton can be reached in the Greene County Extension Center at (417) 862-9284. A former weekly newspaper editor and public relations specialist, Burton has been with Extension for five years. He received a master's in communication (2001) and a bachelor's in political science and journalism (1988) from Drury University. In his position as civic communication specialist he edits Southwest Region News Service, conducts public issue forums, and provides other communication services for Extension in southwest Missouri.