MediaBlog

Από τον Juan Antonio Giner

The newspapers of the future?

The future of newspapers?

Well, let’s start the revolution as Mao said, with one first step.

And my “revolutionary” suggestion is very easy:

No more boring front pages.

After we do that, we can do more, of course, but this is very crucial.

Many of today’s front pages around world are just…

Boring.

Dull.

Depressing.

Garbage.

Yes, real garbage.

Who does this terrible job in these newspapers?

Theese front page editors or designers must be fired.

On the spot!

This is what is killing our industry.

Not internet.

Not Google.

Not MySpace.

Not Television.

Not Radio.

We!

Our poor news judgment.

Our lack of visual journalism.

Our boring, dull and depressing front pages.

Lok at these ones just from today:

You can do perhaps this in New York…

But not in Puerto Rico…

Hillary is going to sunny Puerto Rico and they select a picture of her with a winter coat.

What the hell is this?

Who writes these creative headlines?

Crucial vote?

Are you kidding me?

A green cover.

Yes, green fields.

So you know, they are green.

Yes, green.

Something really new.

Yes, a very compelling way to wake up your readers.

With things.

Like fields.

But what about we?

What about people?

What about real persons?

What about emotions?

What about human interest stories?

What about passion?

What about humor?

Anything but front pages with nothing to say!

Are you ready for more surprisses?

Well, look at this tremendous front page:

More green.

With politicians!

Posing politicians.

Is this a shocking picture?

No really.

It’s a boring one.

Who cares about them except their PR spinning people?

But, wait a minute, please, I have more and worst stuff to show to you.

Look at this!

Yes, yes, more politicians!

Happy ones.

Smiling but not too much.

Happy to know each other.

We are so fortunate to see them… shaking hands.

What an unique picture!

A Pulitzer one for sure.

Readers must be rushing right now in Shangai to get a copy of this paper.

A collectors issue for sure… of how bad a newspaper front page can be, my friends.

But, again, wait, wait, I have more wonders of the world.

Now from Belgium:

A front page just words!

Words.

Words.

Words.

In the most visual multimedia graphic Century of the human history.

The book-newspaper front page!

Again, readers must be really excited in Belgium.

This must be a sold out issue…

But if you are not interested in words, here is your paper in the same newsstand:

Well, green is the color of the day.

In Belgium too.

In a popular newspaper the readers are offer no pictures but this dramatic, compelling, unique and outstanding graphic…

They need to enter this front page at the International Malofiej Infographics Awards… and win the worst graphic of the year.

What a shame!

Let me finish just with three different front pages, all of them from the same country, and all of them also from today.

They are not exceptional but quite good compared with all these previous garbage.

And it shows different approaches to make your paper more appealing

First this one that goes from the front to the back.

Second, this from Salzburg that promotes reader’s pictures.

A front page done with the partnership of an advertiser, both audiences, readers and advertisers, will be happy today with this poster.

And third this simple but elegant, interesting and well done infographic.

So, let’s hire these Austrian front page editors.

They are doing quite better than the rest.

And now a final word:

I just wanted to be funny… but. I am sorry, this is a very serious issue:

The daily failure to engage, connect and involve with our front pages readers and advertisers, our CLIENTS!

And our daily front pages are our best marketing tool.

And it’s not just a design question.

Sometimes they are very bad because they don’t have real neews or real stories to tell us.

That’s the problem.

The solution?

Hard news.

Amazing stories.

Great pictures.

Smart graphics.

Good headlines.

Journalism.

Just jorunalism, my dear.

Journalism.

Period.

That’s has been and will be always the real revolution.

The future of newspapers.

And the newspapers of the future.

Let’s not be confused.