Even MKE Assistant Editor Sonya Jongsma Knauss, a 29-year-old former editor at the politically active weekly Riverwest Currents, seems to long for news in her newspaper.
“Obviously, it’s not a news publication, and I miss doing politics and local news sometimes,” says Jongsma Knauss.“There are many different things a publication can do, though, and it would be a mistake to try to do everything.”
Would it? Reviews are in for Journal Communications’ new weekly targeting readers 25 to 34 years old and the consensus is that “dumb and dumber” is no way to woo young audiences.
“It’s hard to imagine anything more trivial,” says a Journal Sentinel reporter.“They’re seeking the lowest common denominator.”
“Not only is it insulting, it underestimates what young readers are looking for,” says a local weekly newspaper veteran.
With a snappy name and slick design, MKE is a free tabloid launched in October because young readers are increasingly snubbing daily newspapers in favor of breezy Internet surfing and multi-task cell phoning. BusinessWeek reports that youth readership of dailies plunged 55 percent in two decades, forcing publishers to use lifestyle and entertainment freebies as bait.
If they boost readership and ads for the Yuppie crowd, publishers will dub them successful regardless of profitability, industry sources say. “It’s a very low-risk strategy,” one tells us.
Yet the Miami Herald killed its freebie Street Weekly in January, and others may follow if readers prefer smarter alternatives like Madison’s Isthmus over fluff and quick reads. Touting its lack of news and opinion, MKE instead offers snarky, lightweight stories like “Pimp Yo’ Pet” and “Rip and Tell: The Bare Facts on a Male Brazilian Wax.”
“It’s a joke,” a Journal Sentinel reporter scoffs.
Says MKE’s Jongsma Knauss: “Just because you look good and write in a shorter format doesn’t mean you’re fluff.”
THE THINK TEAM
Did O. Ricardo -Pimentel, Journal Sentinel editorial page editor, go too far when he launched a “Reader Advisory Committee” to deflect criticism that he’s out of touch with readers?
While it’s not unusual for papers to use such reader panels, it’s unheard of to use one exclusively for the editorial section.
The committee, made up of 10 JS readers from all walks of life, meets with the editorial board monthly for six months to discuss syndicated columnists, letters to the editor and editorials.
Some JS insiders applaud the move, arguing that Pimentel wants to bring the board out of its ivory tower so average readers can have the same access and input as powerbrokers.
“Lobbyists and politicians are constantly trying to influence the board,” says one Journal Sentinel veteran. “It’s refreshing to hear from regular folks.”
Critics, however, say it defeats the purpose of editorial boards. Pimentel did not respond to interview requests for this story.
Mike Needs, an outspoken fan of reader panels and a public editor at the Akron Beacon Journal,says his paper would “absolutely reject” such an approach.
“After all, the editorials express the institutional opinions of the newspaper, not the readership,” says Needs, who uses two reader panels at the Beacon.“It’s not that the editorial board doesn’t care what people think – they do – but the editorials never have been intended to be a consensus of public opinion.”
Indeed, it’s risky business for a newspaper to create the perception that its editorial board may be swayed by a focus group.
Interestingly, committee member Denise Chenevert says they were also encouraged to attend a board meeting. “They invited us to participate with our comments,” says Chenevert.
During their first meeting January 13, Pimentel asked them about the proposal to dock the USSDes Moines at the lakefront, says member Anne Chiu. “The majority in the room were against it,” she says.
Three days later, Pimentel published an editorial against the ship. “I think there’s a possibility they took into consideration what we said,” says Chiu.
