Convergence reversed

With Internet use growing, many news organizations moved toward convergence, that is, they stopped being print-only or TV-only and tried to find ways to do everything, all available on the Web. But my conversation with an editor of new media for some Massachusetts weeklies, and this article on Poynter today about the Christian Science Monitor, point toward why this trend may be reversed soon: not many people take advantage of the videos online. They're a better place for runaway commenting. Even if they do get a bunch of views, it's nowhere near the cost it takes to develop them.

At least for now, it appears most viewers and readers are still separating their news consumption; they're either going to read it or watch it, and probably not at the same place. I wouldn't guess that this trend will continue, as most people will just end up using the Internet, but I would guess that this will lead to news organizations picking their poison and doing either one or the other. As niche markets rise on the Web, a news organization would do better to be known for its video or its articles than poorly try to do both.