From Product to Service: The Diffusion of Dynamic Content in Online Newspapers

Abstract

This study documents a steady increase in dynamic journalism on the Web sites of twenty-four U.S. newspapers, including a sharp rise in 2006 of multimedia elements, particularly video. This trend was particularly apparent for newspapers in our sample with print circulation between 100,000 and 120,000. While traditional news categories are the most common source of dynamic content, the growth over time is coming from coverage of weather, sports, crime, and accidents. There also appears to be a rise in hourly updating of softer news.