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Published: April 13, 2005 1:35 PM ET
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WASHINGTON Young readers want news stories that make them feel to topics in this article.
informed, give them something to talk about, and remind them that
the paper they buy is looking out for their personal and civic interests. People
John Lavine
That, in a nutshell, are the findings of two studies conducted by the Bush
Monica Moses
Minneapolis Star Tribune and The Readership Institute of
Anders Gyllenhaal
Northwestern University on how newspapers can reconnect with young
readers, released this morning at a panel titled "Reaching Under-30s in Companies
the Core Newspaper" at the American Society of Newspaper Editors' Minneapolis Star Tribune
convention here. Readership Institute of
Northwestern University
American Society
The studies concluded that readers between the ages of 21 and 29 Editors'
have abandoned daily papers and prefer to get news online or from Northwestern's Readership
television shows like The Daily Show and even The Simpsons. But Institute
newspaper staffs can bring young readers back to dailies by
dramatically altering the way they write and package stories. The Concepts
stories have to be short, snappy, and irreverent, the studies said. young readers
front page
wire story
"We have to have ways to connect to the readers," said John Lavine, alter writing styles
director of Northwestern's Readership Institute, who explained the news stories
20% reduction in readership over the past three years by comparing
newspapers to old-fashioned 1950s-style coffee shops, out of touch Categories
with modern times and the interests of young people. Front pages
Editors
Coffee
"We need to be Starbucks," Lavine said, featuring journalism's Readers
equivalent of wireless hotspots, plush chairs, and innovative drinks Customer needs
customers want to buy.

The studies, which together polled 340 20-somethings, rated

respondents' preference for either a front and inside page of an actual
Feb. 22 issue of the Star Tribune versus two alternatives that were
never printed: an "improved," glitzier front -page made from stories Murdoch: Newspapers
that ran in the print edition; and a second prototype, called an Must Stop Fearing Web
"Experience Paper," comprised of articles selected from anywhere in KR Considers 'Miami
the Feb. 22 edition. The results showed that participants preferred the Herald' for Tabloid Switch
third "Experience Paper" prototype over the original and "improved" ASNE Panel: Young
Readers Want Very
 Different Writing,
Packaging
"It's a matter of taking news judgment from the editor's point of view
Little Agreement at
and turning it around into how the readers see it," said Anders ASNE Panel on 'Bias'
Gyllenhaal, the editor of the Star Tribune and a member of the panel.
Gingrich, Sounding Like a
"It's a different prism." Candidate at ASNE,
Predicts Strong Hillary Ads by Google
Instead of leading with a day-old story about President Bush's trip to Run in '08
Europe, in the third prototype the editors ran only a reefer on the front 78 Names to Be Added
page to an inside story. Instead, the prototype ran a below-the-fold, to Freedom Forum New York Times
mug-and-quote feature that polled area residents on exporting Journalists Memorial Newspaper
democracy. The editors also cut a three-column feature on a woman J-Prof: Chicago 'Red' Chicago - Get Home Delivery
who has run thousands of miles through the streets of Minneapolis Papers Succeeding for as little as $2.90 per
week!
and replaced it with two essays on Texas hold 'em ( "Should Poker be 'Financial Times' to www.nytimes.com
a Crime?" the lead headline asked) and a wire story on identity theft Launch Free Afternoon
accompanied by picture of Paris Hilton (pop culture sells). There's also Edition in U.K.
a list of five trivia nuggets that will help readers sound smart. (Number Group: Phillippines Is
1: "Pitchers and catchers report to spring training.") Most Dangerous Country The Contra Costa
for Journos, After Iraq
Times
When asked if the Star Tribune was shirking its civic duty by Free-Paper Group Metro Save 50%, $1.77 for 7-day
eliminating the Bush story from the front page, the panelists defended Moves Online, Aiming at delivery. Get weekends for
Classifieds only $1.54 a week.
the move by arguing that the Bush story was old and young readers
www.discounted-newspapers.com
would have already read about it from other news sources.
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"They say, 'Gee, I knew that already,' and that only shows how out of touch we are," said Monica
Moses, the Star Tribune's deputy managing editor for visuals.
Newspaper Archives
Moses said editors shouldn't be afraid to inject humor into their stories, use headlines in the form of Search Every Word in Old
Newspapers 24 Million
questions, or alter writing styles. A case in point: the author of a feature on Web logs that was
Pages; Years 1753 - 2004
published in the Feb. 22 issue altered it to read like a blog for one of the prototypes. NewspaperArchive.com

"We've got to quit being afraid of making a mistake," Moses said. "Publishing the same old boring
stuff is a mistake."

Andrew Ackerman (letters@editorandpublisher.com) is a reporter for E&P.

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