19/09/2008

When I was in Edinburgh recently, I was without a regular internet connection for ten days. Relying on The Scotsman and the radio for my news I can’t remember when I felt so cut off from the world.

Normally, I live in the middle of nowhere in Ibiza with just my wife, the web and my dog for company. Ages ago, I stopped buying the cut-down, over-priced early editions that pass as British newspapers. Now I grab my news from a multiplicity of online sources almost without thinking.

I used to think that meant I was missing out without my daily fix of newsprint. Now I know I’m not. The UK papers on sale here in Spain aren’t that inferior to the full-sized British versions. It’s a slow death by economics.

So-called ‘quality’ newspapers have always relied on advertising for the majority of their income and classifieds were the biggest earner. That means jobs and property. The reason I was back in Edinburgh was to sell my flat (perfect timing or what?). All but one of the too many estate agents I spoke to told me not to bother advertising in The Scotsman. Whether you’re looking for work or a home, the web’s the place to go.

Now you could argue the only difference between the web and a paper is the medium. People will always want news and be willing to pay for it in one way or another. I really hope that’s true. But even if ways are found to make news websites profitable, screens and dead trees are hugely dissimilar media.

For a start, websites don’t need subs, at least as they exist at the moment. The reason is simple. The key role of subs on newspapers is in getting words to fit a finite space whether that’s copy, headlines or captions.

Unlike a printed page, there is effectively no restriction on the size of a web page. If you want to run every word in the Bible in one place there’s nothing to stop you. In the interests of the reader there could be an editorial decision that no story should be longer than 700 words, but in terms of readability there’s little difference between say 500 words and 600 words. The missing hundred words won’t leave a space.

Even the most satisfying task of the sub, headline writing, is effectively rendered obsolete by the web. What are required online are labels that will be picked up by search engines, not clever plays on words.

There is still a role for editors to clean up after reporters, checking facts and using the tricks of the web trade to make the site more readable. But subs as we know and love them will soon be as obsolete as compositors.

At the same time there’s little need for newspaper offices in the brave new digital world. That’s just the logical conclusion of a process that began decades ago. When Fleet Street disappeared, part of the financial equation was that journalists could work more efficiently behind the walls of, say, Fortress Wapping. For one thing, it’s much cheaper and quicker to interview somebody on the phone than jump in a taxi and meet them face to face.

Now, almost all journalists have their own computers and potential access to the office network via broadband internet. So why waste money on premises?

There are arguments that a move to this virtual working system would improve newspapers. A reporter filing from home is far more likely to find stories in their local street, pub or shop than in a city centre office filled with other hacks. The money saved on rent could even pay for more journalists.

Of course I’m not so naïve as to believe this is what will actually happen. Any savings are likely to be used to prop up profits, not to improve quality. I certainly don’t like it, but I’ll be very surprised if there are many newsrooms left in five years with more than a handful of staff.

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Nick Clayton believes that, in the digital age, writers should be able to work anywhere they can get a dial tone. To prove the point, he lives in Ibiza with his wife, dog, swimming pool, several computers and a broadband connection. Only the last two are strictly necessary for his productivity.

His book, 'The Guardian Guide to Working Abroad', was published recently. Nick continues to write a weekly gadget column for The Scotsman where he was technology editor during the first internet boom. His other work is generally less conspicuous, but better paid, producing white papers, press releases and other copy for a variety of mainly techie outlets.

And occasionally, he gets to give his middle-aged perspective on Ibiza's nightlife, glamour and entertainment, notably for Pacha Magazine.

Comment: I wouldn't like to read the first newspaper produced without subs - and I speak as a writer. Unlike Nick Clayton, I wouldn't dream of advertising a house only on the web or chaining myself to dragging a laptop everywhere so that I can get my daily news only from the abbreviated stuff on sites. Had computers been invented before newspapers, imagine the hype which would have been given to the production of the first, carry everywhere, instantly readable, newspaper! There is no fix like that from a pile of morning fresh papers. Dorothy-Grace Elder.

Comment: Nick Clayton's contention that the key role of subs is to make things fit is ludicrous.
Yes, sometimes I cut stories because I don't have space for all 500 words. But I also cut stories because they're overwritten, no good, repetitive, boring or nonsensical. Likewise, I wouldn't leave bad copy on a page just because it filled the hole, I'd cut it and redesign to fill the gap.
Why does Mr Clayton think that these quality controls are irrelevant on the web?Just because you can run all 400 words of the press release your junior reporter has cut, pasted and (barely) re-written doesn't mean you should. Sam.




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