I was reminded this morning of the power of immediacy that the Times' online product has over the printed paper.
News broke this morning that an 11-year-old Monticello boy was reported missing, last seen at 4 a.m. today. As we went to press, authorities were looking for the child.
The story is in today's paper, but as I was putting it on the page I couldn't help but think that it's very possible that the boy could be found by the time people read it. Certainly, you hope that he's found alive and well as soon as possible.
But because of the time lag between the story being put on the page and the readers having it in their hands, the Internet becomes a much more immediate and helpful delivery system for stories like this. I decided to post it online as soon as possible this morning, well before the printed edition hits the streets.
As I write this, we're also trying to track down a photo of the missing boy. When someone is missing, a photo is extremely helpful to the reader. It's too late to get it in today's paper, but we'll post the photo online if and when we get one. And, obviously, we'll update the story online as developments warrant.
The newspaper is great for getting in-depth and adding nuance to stories. The Web is best for getting news out quickly.
News broke this morning that an 11-year-old Monticello boy was reported missing, last seen at 4 a.m. today. As we went to press, authorities were looking for the child.
The story is in today's paper, but as I was putting it on the page I couldn't help but think that it's very possible that the boy could be found by the time people read it. Certainly, you hope that he's found alive and well as soon as possible.
But because of the time lag between the story being put on the page and the readers having it in their hands, the Internet becomes a much more immediate and helpful delivery system for stories like this. I decided to post it online as soon as possible this morning, well before the printed edition hits the streets.
As I write this, we're also trying to track down a photo of the missing boy. When someone is missing, a photo is extremely helpful to the reader. It's too late to get it in today's paper, but we'll post the photo online if and when we get one. And, obviously, we'll update the story online as developments warrant.
The newspaper is great for getting in-depth and adding nuance to stories. The Web is best for getting news out quickly.
