SPORTS, THE NEWS BEHIND THE NEWS

John Burke comments the remarks of American sports editor Greg Bowers in Editor & Publisher:

"Sports journalism, actually journalism in general, is in a state of paralysis. Two things that have been constant companions in journalism through the years, have split apart.

"The first thing is reporting, getting out the news. The second is telling good stories, interpreting the news. They once went hand in hand -- news and writing. Now the first one is out and about before the second one can get its coat off.

Getting information to consumers has become a race. And it's a race that newspapers, by definition, are losing".

So instead of repeating the same news in the next day's print edition, Bowers realized that newsrooms needed to tell the story behind the news. Journalists must find the information that the public wants to know and give "depth. Perception. Interpretation.

The truth is, newspapers are in a particularly good position to play this new game. They just haven't realized it yet."

The INNOVATION take:

If American sports editors and reporters still think that they are in the yesterday´s news business, then they better look for another job.

Newspaper are becoming "viewspapers".

And journalists are becoming "journAnalyists."

The 24 hour Sport TV networks are the best that could ever happened to Sport newspapers... if they tell, of course, the news behind the news or exclusive news.

Go to Spain and Italy, where Sport newspapers are very, very successful.

Summer is the best time for all of them.

Sales boom.

When there are no soccer games!

Why?

Because after months of predictable news (soccer events and games are planned well in advance and the papers coverage can not offer many surprisess), summer comes with the real news: who is fired, who is hired...

Yes, we are not here to repeat the news of yesterday, but what if we publish our own exclusive breaking-news?

Readers go crazy!