The Newspaper That Changed The Industry

USA Today

I'm going to make a confession. After all, we're supposed to be brave and honest, right?

I like...

Oh, this is tough to write-especially when I tell you that I have a degree in journalism, am a second-generation journalist, and pursued journalism as a career from the time I was 11 years old.

So here it is: I like USA Today.

Wait, wait, wait!! Don't go away and write me off as hopelessly shallow, illiterate, and unlearned ostler just yet. Let me tell you why I like it.

First, USA Today changed all newspapers around the country-yes, even the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. It was innovative and forced journalists to think not only about what words they were writing, but how those words would look on paper. Newspapers were becoming endangered species as more people turn to radio and television for their news. Newspapers had to be able to compete and USA Today found a way. They introduced color, graphics, and strong design features. They summarized news stories so that they could include a greater variety of stories. They challenged the annoying habit of jumping every story and made their writers write to fit, rather than guaranteeing them space for every ramble.

Second, USA Today listens to its readers. So much of what many Web sites thrive on was first made popular by USA Today. They were the ones that started the daily unscientific polling of its readers. They encouraged reader feedback on articles. They listened. They found a way for a static medium such as print to be interactive-and that on a national level.

Third, USA Today is a very targeted national newspaper. They're not trying to reach the person who has several hours on a Sunday to devote to the reading of the newspaper. They recognized that people aren't reading much anymore. If they were going to capture the attention of these indifferent readers, they would have to do it quickly. The skill that it takes to tell a long story concisely is incredible. USA Today remains the top choice of most hotels because their guests perfectly define USA Today's target market: They are the business people who want the news in quick nuggets over breakfast before going to their morning meetings. They are people who want news from back home and can find it in the daily summaries of news from every state.

There is nothing intellectual about USA Today, but that is part of its charm. USA Today has no pretensions. It is a colorful paper meant to communicate the top stories to a very busy reader.

So while I'll save my newspaper subscriptions for local papers, USA Today remains my paper of choice when I travel or want a quick news fix.