Web-first principle

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Under the designation of the Web-First-Principle or also the Online-First-Principle , the mass media make their contributions available on the Internet before they are later printed out . Publishing news on the web thus takes precedence over publication in print .

history

The Guardian and the Times were pioneers in this area . The principle established gradually, as the print products hour cycle 24 were tailored primarily to a so messages and messages that just before or after deadline will be deferred arrived until the next deadline had.

In the German-speaking countries , too , various magazines followed the principle, such as Spiegel Online or Welt-Online . It is noticeable that up until 2007 not a single newspaper in Switzerland used the online first principle.

In 2007, the editors of Die Welt , Die Welt Kompakt , Welt am Sonntag and Berliner Morgenpost came together in Germany's largest newsroom . These not only supply the individual print editions with Scoops , but also work for their online presence. Video posts are also posted here as short news bulletins , a podcast , blog section, web feeds, and reader comments.

Problems and challenges

The reactions to the web-first principle range from acceptance and enthusiasm to skepticism. Journalists fear more work because they have to write for both the Internet and print and also have to have additional technical knowledge. Another legitimate concern of many editorial staff is whether readers will continue to buy the print version when the news is available online free of charge in advance. Creeping erosion of the pressure drop is feared.

The loss of many print readers is offset by the prognosis of a gentle migration from print to Internet media. For the online editorial team , it is important to find a balance between risk and opportunity. For many online editorial offices, the web-first principle is therefore a balancing act between speed and quality.

organization

The web-first principle is usually accompanied by an editorial restructuring . Instead of the two separate editorial offices for print and online versions, a common newsroom will be set up. At the news desk , the editors decide which news is to be published when and where.

Basically it can be assumed that Web-First does not follow a generally valid principle, but rather flexible strategies and solutions are used. The trend is clearly towards Web-First, with no fixed rules as to when Web-First is used and when not. Each case is treated differently.

Possible guidelines to use for decision making:

  • The further before the print editorial deadline, the more web-first: If a message only arrives in the newsroom after the editorial deadline and thus well before the next, it is less usable for the print edition.
  • The less exclusive, the more web-first: If an article is not exclusive (e.g. court proceedings, premiere celebrations, etc.), it is more likely to be published online.
  • The more secondary topics, the more web-first: If an article is strongly linked to other (secondary) topics, it is more suitable for publication on the web.
  • The more the focus on topicality, the more web-first: for current news that should be published quickly (e.g. football results, court decisions, ...) the web is the faster, more flexible option.
  • The less background information, the more web-first: A good print article needs detailed background information; if these are not available, an article is more suitable for online publication.
  • The younger the target group, the more web-first: news and reports that appeal to a younger target group are more likely to be published online.
  • The more image-oriented, the more web-first: The web offers the possibility of adding any number of images or picture galleries to an article.

According to Spiegel [receipt?] , Web-First texts go through the same processing phases (job description, multiple proofreading, etc.) that currently also apply to the print editions. It is foreseeable, however, that multiple proofreading of web-first texts will tend to be an exception due to the high demands on speed and topicality.

The time with the highest number of visitors to a news site is from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., as this is perceived as a kind of office medium. The prime time of these pages is from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., as the employees often come back from meetings and take a break at this time - in contrast to a print editorial team, which is currently having its early conference at this time and on the editorial deadline at 5:30 p.m.

Thanks to the web-first principle, users' suggestions for improvement can also be implemented directly. It is important to subject websites to a usability test and to take eye recordings.

Websites that publish exclusively online are mainly financed through banner and keyword advertising .

Practical examples

At the same time as the Guardian , the London Times has been publishing with Web First since June 2006 . In the USA, the web has long been regarded as the faster medium for daily newspapers compared to print publications, sometimes also to TV and radio . In broadcasting the coming Web-first principle to a special role because broadcasting is itself a timely medium.

The Guardian puts reports on its website every weekday before they appear in the newspaper. Sports correspondents who work in different time zones no longer see anything unusual in the fact that texts first appear on the web and only then in the print edition. In the past, journalists often had to put up with a time difference of up to 36 hours. From then on, all foreign and local articles were posted on the Internet as soon as they arrived, instead of waiting for a publication date.

See also

Web links