Newspapers need more crusaders

Plenty of good ideas exist for newspapers from outside the United States. The Media Management Center’s Michael Smith writes about Las Últimas Noticias and how it embraces the idea of engaging readers in conversations about the news. London’s Daily Mail comes up frequently in industry blogs. The latest is notice of its recent “Banish the Bags” campaign to eliminate environmentally hazardous plastic grocery bags. Scroll down this page and note some of the features of the Guardian’s campaign--extensive coverage of the environmental impact, an online petition, a wallchart for school/home highlighting key points, a free reusable grocery bag for every reader.

What this showed, though, is how a newspaper can still act as a crusader. This kind of advocacy can re-establish newspapers as important community citizens, improve credibility and, ultimately, boost readership. People still respond to important work. Newspapers are best equipped to make these important things happen. They must make this a priority and reassess other tasks. They must funnel their resources into things that are going to make a difference.

The efforts can be scaled up or down. Every community has something that needs fixed or praised.