Where's the innovation?

Today's frustration: Why do newspapers just sit back and watch other people invent things that revolutionize communication? Why not stop trying to find ways to save the print product and get creative with an eye toward the future?

Facebook? Twitter? Craigslist? These are all things that could've been invented, or at least popularized and cultivated, by forward-thinking newspapers. But the problem is that most newspapers weren't even aware that Twitter and Facebook existed until well after they became part of the cultural vocabulary. Even then, newspapers did what they've always done when it comes to innovation: Sit back and do nothing and claim, with self-righteous blabbering, that their 20th century way of disseminating information is the best and only "true" way to do it.

Only within the past year or so have newspapers as a whole started to see the benefits of having a Facebook profile and/or sending out tweets to connect with readers and drive traffic to their online home. At least they're doing it, but too little, too late. And there are still editors who aren't convinced that using Twitter is not somehow hurting the paper.

Why do newspapers continue to sit on their behinds and watch themselves lose readers and revenue? Who in the industry is spending significant time trying to come up with the next big thing? I know, I know: The print product is still what makes the majority of the money. I get it. But why not at least experiment a little, try something new, take a chance? I'm not asking for wholesale change overnight, just solid evidence that you're making a determined effort.

It still baffles me that every layoff, every furlough and every other cost-cutting measure is designed to make the financial picture jibe with a broken business model. It's a model that is never going to work again. Period. Way past time to try something new, guys. But what's driving the stubbornness? Is it greed? Nostalgia? Stupidity? Probably a combination of those. If I didn't know better, I'd swear that some people at my paper believe that one day people will wake up and realize they've made a huge mistake relying on the Internet for news, communication and commerce.

"What was I thinking? I do want to pay for an ad in my local paper instead of posting to Craigslist for free. ... I do want to get 12-hour-old news on my doorstep every morning instead of getting it instantly online."

A corporate big wig came to my paper once and was asked how the traditional newspaper business model can be expected to survive in the 21st century. The response (I'm paraphrasing, but it was close to this): Well, we've only really lost employment ads, classified ads and real estate ads, so if you think about it, we've not really lost that much.

In other words: Our lifeblood broke up with us, but we're pretty sure it'll leave that new hottie and come back. So we're just going to stay home and sit by the phone. Wouldn't want to miss the call.

Let me know how that turns out.

Once the powers that be realize they're fighting an unwinable battle, the new era can finally begin. It will be different, and it will be painful at first. But true progress is seldom pain free.