Prescription for newspapers: take 10 and call me in the morning

Mark Potts, who is quickly becoming a must-read in my daily stroll through the mediablogosphere, posts a great list (we love us some lists!) of things he would do if he ran a newspaper: NewspapeRx.

He has detailed explanations of each point, but here’s the short list:

1. Make the Web the primary product.
2. Local, local, LOCAL!
3. If it’s widely available elsewhere, don’t waste time re-creating it.
4. Zero-base the news operation.
5. Get the readers involved.
6. Lose the editorial page.
7. Expand the advertising base.
8. Rethink the classifieds.
9. Find new ways to serve advertisers.
10. Take chances. Innovate. Be fearless about trying things—and killing things.

These are all things the professionals should be doing. But I’d argue that college media organizations should be doing them as well, since we’re training the future of journalism. And the future of journalism looks more like it will be in the hands of those who innovate, not procrastinate. Take a look at Potts’ list. Read the commentary, and substitute your campus media name brand for the generic “newspaper” in Potts’ original.

The money quote at the end: “Let’s face it: The single biggest innovation in print newspaper journalism in the past decade or so is…Sudoku. Newspapers can and must do better than that to survive.”

UPDATE: Read further thoughts here - Don’t kill them too quickly.

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