Obsolete Defined: Washington Post Online

As the New Year begins, I am thinking about many things in our world undergoing seismic changes, including the news business. The newspaper industry in the United States is in deep trouble. On New Year’s Eve, another paper stopped printing. I read a recent report that nearly a dozen daily newspapers may cease printing a traditional paper version within the next couple of years. And, I cannot help but believe that some newspapers are their own worst enemy. Let me explain.

I grew up in the Washington, D. C., area reading The Washington Post, a once great newspaper. But, like other daily papers in America, the Post has seen advertising revenue stream to the Internet in recent years, and the paper’s executives – a somewhat clubby clique of insiders and pals of CEO Don Graham – cannot quite seem to figure out what to do in order to puff-up either the newspaper or its online version. In a move that defies logic, especially during financially challenging times, they have two separate news operations – the paper, and the paper online. Bad idea.

In a world when a newspaper’s online site can appeal to greater audiences, the Washington Post online has not changed much in appearance in the last five or six years. It’s polite to call it, boring (see the screen shot at the top right) … like something out of the early days of Internet sites. And, the Post cannot figure out what it wants to be.

A couple of years ago, the Washington Post online launched an initiative to be viewed as a “national newspaper.” Never was, never will be … but the person in charge at the time thought that if enough press releases were sent out, the faux branding might stick. At the time, I wondered if a newspaper sends out a press release, who would pay attention. Obviously no one.

Then, the Post online wanted to hand out digital cameras to kids and community groups in the Washington area to become a metro newspaper. The idea was to have kids and locals report news and send photos to the paper’s online site. Really dumb idea, especially about the cameras, but good intentions about becoming a darn good metro paper. It’s not.

Next, the Post tried to run a radio station, Washington Post Radio. It soon failed.

The Post spent a lot of money with a PR firm to create a “mobile” Washington Post online version for people who get their news online through an iPhone or Blackberry. But, that is something any blogger can achieve through a special feature called a “plug-in” within about ten minutes, and for free. Sort of reveals how little the execs know about the Internet. Nothing.

Today, look at the Post’s online site, and it has no real identity or personality. I mean … it’s really bad. It does not reflect either a community, major city, metro area or region. It’s just an amateurishly designed site with huge white empty spaces in the right column … I guess where advertising would go if they had any.

Additionally, when there is breaking news in the Washington area or most anywhere else in the world, the Washington Post online is generally the last to post an update or send out an email alert, constantly being beat by even a local all-news radio station, WTOP.

I think if the Washington Post were located in any other city but the nation’s capital, it would soon shut its doors, including online. For the paper that broke the Watergate scandal, I guess greatness has a time limit, and the Washington Post is past its “sell by” date.