This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Nov. 10, 2010 - As Patch launches its community news sites in the St. Louis area, journalism circles nationally are buzzing with debate about whether this AOL initiative is good or bad.
Here at the Beacon, we say welcome to the digital neighborhood. We started our nonprofit regional news organization to provide more quality reporting of news that matters to St. Louisans. Any step by anyone that can further this goal is a step in the right direction.
Amid the turmoil that surrounds all news organizations, it's hard to say which efforts might hold keys to a promising future. With plans to hire 600 journalists and launch sites across the nation, Patch is a major player.
Patch seems to be taking an approach that is the digital equivalent of the Suburban Journal newspapers. Content on each site is aimed at one or two municipalities. It includes a heavy dose of feature material.
Like the Journals, Patch is a for-profit operation. Judging by the list of sites being launched, it seems more committed to providing news in affluent communities than poor ones. But it's too soon to judge Patch's impact or to see how it might evolve.
The national debate among journalists centers on whether Patch sites will prove to be valuable sources of information or content-thin vehicles for capturing ad revenue. Many homegrown hyperlocal sites, the digital equivalent of mom-and-pop corner stores, have sprung up in recent years to serve their neighborhoods. Their dedicated founders are terrified that Patch will supplant them.
Making money and doing good journalism are not mutually exclusive. Indeed, a news organization must be economically sustainable or it will eventually do no journalism at all. But the right motivation and the right business model are crucial for sustaining quality.
The motivation must include real commitment to serving communities with good reporting. The business model must allow newsrooms to develop understanding of and connection with the communities they serve. And it must give reporters the time and resources they need to dig into substantive issues.
What are AOL's priorities? Does it want to make money to serve communities with good journalism? Does it want to do journalism mainly to make money? Or does AOL think good journalism is the key to making money?
The answers to these questions will ultimately determine what kind of contribution Patch makes to those of us it aims to serve.