Since the growth of online news sources and cutbacks in readership, daily and weekly print news cycles have altered dramatically. Newspaper journalists’ news pieces are frequently uploaded online some hours before ink ever meets paper. A lot of once-daily publications have similarly decreased their print schedule and they don’t print on a daily basis. Some have even evolved into weekly or bimonthly periodicals.
Historical Patterns
Before, newspaper agencies had three different cycles including the morning edition that would be released just after midnight, afternoon editions released during mid-to-late morning hours, and the weekly productions that depended on the print day.
The Internet and Social Media
These timings have changed significantly with the integration of social media. With the internet, it means publications and customers do not have to wait for different editions to run before they have access to news events. Digital media threw a wrench into the traditional standard news cycle that had existed for long.
Changing times
A thorough report may appear on the newspaper’s online within an hour after breaking, and that story will almost certainly be revised numerous times during the day until the version that appears in print is complete. It’s also not uncommon for such an article to be revised online first, before print edition hits stands the next morning.
Copy editors’ jobs have also evolved. While they continue to play an important role in rewriting and cleaning up material for print, several news outlets do not require all updates and summaries produced by reporters online or on social media platforms to pass through the copy desk before they are published. This improves the immediacy of the news, but it also leads to more fluid web pieces that are updated, explained, or rectified as required.
With the changing times, most newspaper publications have created web-first guidelines that mean publishing stories online is the main concern over producing multiple print editions. The final result is fewer newspapers published in a week and less focus on breaking news through print media.
