Foreign News: Readers want more

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Foreign News Readers want more
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Introduction

• Based on new research, focus groups, survey data,
  tracking data
• Introduce questions Thomas Hobbes and his
  mother- Hugo Grotius and his farther

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Conclusion

• September 11 pushed away emotional borders
  between outside and inside
• Globalization has been and is pushing away
  physical borders.
• News to meet needs And they want more

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Should we give readers what they want?

• What would newspapers look like if the readers
  were editing them? Common answers
• We wouldnt have any foreign news. People want
  local news or national news.
• Local news and utility Newspapers Two greatest
  Assets ( Research result USA)

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• What would newspapers look like if the readers
  were editing them? Common answers
• Drama rather than importance or relevance.
  Schröders hair colour not his programs
• All the correspondents to Toscana! -or Las Vegas
• What is know rather than unknown- Forget about
  Africa!
• And yet More international news. 2/3 say they
  are interested. 55 percent in US said that there
  is too little coverage of international news in
  the American media (1999)

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• Message from the audience at best unclear We
  dont really know.

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What do readers want?

• To each according to his own Needs
• Psychological The fear factor
• I need drama. I need positive stories. I need to
  feel informed. To know
• Practical The action factor
• I need to know about stocks. I need to know about
  the USA.. I need to know about terrorism

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The doctor and the postal worker

• Of course I am interested in the Middle East,
  but after ten hours at the emergency ward I need
  foreign news that is uplifting. I need stories
  about life in the Middle East The doctor
• I start with the foreign news every morning. I
  have employees from 10 different foreign
  countries. I need to know what is going on with
  them. The postal worker

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What This Means

• It is not easy
• Readers have no category for international news.
  It is useful or not.
• Readers want different things. It is our
  responsibility to provide that mix.
• Readers want different things from the
  international news in newspapers from what they
  get from the electronic media.
• What is new Globalization plus Sep. 11 Action
  plus fear. Need for more Need for follow up
  Argentina. Need for recaps.

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Next Steps

• More news is the challenge The wall
• Different news is the challenge Editing
• Practical AND emotional is the challenge

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Good news

• International news is read. It is wanted and it
  is needed.
• The key is not the number of foreign
  correspondents it is the editing. With more news
  I want more help from my newspaper.
• The key is how to respond to both action and
  fear.
• The audience has changed