Advice from the Scots

Great quote from Mike Gilson, the editor of the Scotsman, via Juan Antonio Giner (from a Guardian blog written by Roy Greenslade):

Any media organisation today that doesn’t reach out to its audience and respond to what it has to say is a dying organisation. There is no sign of weakness in listening; rather it is a sign of the strength of the bond between the two.

The Scotsman is attempting to reverse big declines in readership. Among the efforts is a “readers panel” that will meet with reporters and editors about the editorial content of the paper. Will it work? Will it help? Who knows at this point. But it’s certainly indicative of the quickening panic within news organizations about the future of the industry. And it’s also a noble effort.

Does anyone out there in college media land have a reader panel that meets with reporters and editors? Any initiatives to better gauge the desires and feelings of those who share in your product (notice I didn’t call them “the audience”)?

Certainly, most of us in college media aren’t facing the economics of the industry at large, but good reader relations is something should all be encouraging, for our current publications, and our future employers.

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