Speeding news past the paper

[icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu]

Timeliness marks the sharpest contrast between writing for print and online.
This is according to Laurie Busby, a print editor at the Orange County
Register's Web site, who has written for both mediums. “Sometimes it’s very
hard for reporters to get the story and the photos in on time, especially if
they are working on three stories in one day,” Busby said. “If something
happened at 7:00 a.m. it may not get printed until 5:00 p.m.” She said when a
reporter writes online; he or she can get the story to the reader much
faster.The story can also be updated throughout the day, which does not happen in
print. Busby said that most of ocRegister.com readers are “work users,” in
that they read the news online while at work and usually possess a shorter
tension span than those who read the paper. In Busby's opinion, online
readerstend to make the assumption that what they read online is a condensed version
of what is in the paper, regardless of whether this is the case or not. “When
writing online you need to appeal to a niche,” she said. Online readers have
come to expect continuous daily updates of a story and they want the ability
to link to additional sources.

Source:
http://www2.ocregister.com/ocrweb/ocr/homepage.do