Jim Chisholm

So here we are reporting what could be the biggest economic downturn since the 1920s or indeed of all time. Nowhere is pessimism greater than in the pages of our own papers. That’s the starting point. Here’s a five-point plan on how newspapers should handle the current crisis:

-Keep it positive in the press: As in the 1920s, this is a downturn caused by bad bankers that affects people and not the reverse, and newspapers should focus on differentiating between the two. Businesses will continue to be successful, and newspapers should focus on reporting the good, rather than our natural inclination on emphasizing the bad.

-Promote newspapers’ selling card — quality: During crises newspaper readership increases, because we are far better at presenting the detail, than other media, such as TV or radio.

Now readers are turning to the Internet for detail. Newspaper brands must promote their supremacy in terms of quality reporting in print and online, and massively promote each within the other. It’s not just about in-media reporting. A cost-effective tactic is to ensure that when the broadcast media are reporting on an issue, the newspaper expert is the person interviewed. Broadcast media employ very few journalists. Newspapers can provide the specialist opinion they require, adding value to both brands.