Careless: a short review of Florida newspaper blog sites, by gimleteye

I was looking for background facts and went to the Miami Herald blog, “Naked Politics.”

Of course, newspapers sell newsprint and the new media can't get its hands around a working revenue model.

But can't you try a little harder, McClatchy?

Under categories in the Herald "Naked Politics": nothing on Florida Hometown Democracy—the ballot initiative that is sending shivers of anxiety through the development lobby. Nothing on the Urban Development Boundary, on energy, nothing on the environment or parks or public lands or quality of life, or even, the housing crash.

I did a quick search of the state’s main newspapers.

The Tribune Sun-Sentinel offers the best organized blog on politics, called “The Swamp”, but it is mostly national feed. (Still, it’s categories are substantive compared to the Herald’s).

So please, McClatchy and Herald execs: click here to read how to improve the Herald “Naked Politics”.

Two conclusions about the careless state of The Miami Herald political blog: first, since the Herald doesn't focus coverage on local controversies related to politics that are irritating to advertisers, why would they appear on a blog in the first place?

Second, that newspaper editors haven't figured out--and reporters, either, for that matter--how to manage time (ie. cost of reporting), balanced coverage, and what draws people to blogs as opposed to newspapers in the first place.

In conclusion, the Herald tag line for Naked Politics, “The raw truth about power and ambition in Florida”, is false advertising. Ambitious, but false.