New editor outlines challenges facing Times’ news coverage

addressed a town meeting breakfast last Friday (11/17) in Antioch. The breakfast gathering was hosted by Supervisor (Dist. V) Federal Glover. See photo gallery nearby.

During his comments, Keane described how the old, traditional newspaper business was attempting to respond to modern challenges presented by new technology and evolving preferences of customers and advertisers. Keane’s overview first recounted how Dean Singleton of MediaNews has come to own two thirds of the daily newspaper circulation in the greater Bay Area.

Keane then focused on how the newspaper industry, and the Times in particular, have responded over time to the Internet. According to Keane, newspaper people, when first confronted with the Internet, would exclaim, “whatever it is (Internet) we have to be there.” These days, Keane says the newspaper industry has had its “come to God moment” where execs realize they must do “online” different than hard copy by employing: multimedia, and social media tools including journalist blogs and online discussion groups.

Keane exclaimed that the “part-time blogosphere” was a poor substitute for a “full-time” professional press, which was essential for healthy democracy. Questioned about perceived editorial bias in the Times from attendees from across the left-right spectrum, Keane, admitting he was “married to print,” that everyone brought bias to the table, and that it was not a perfect system, proclaimed that people attracted to the newspaper business were somehow usually more “open-minded” and those are the people the Times tries to hire.

Keane insisted that the Times would expand local coverage by beefing up the local weeklies including the Transcript and Ledger-Dispatch, as well as expand its local news coverage commitment to the rapidly growing East County. “Online communities are essential,” Keane said. “Readers want news and information about the communities where they live and to deliver that news in the local papers and on our websites will be our footprint.”