What's NEXT in Newspaper Youth Pages?

Youth Media Reporter Spotlight

OSI

Cliff Hahn

Youth Media Reporter

February 1, 2003

For the last few years, newspapers have been searching for ways to improve their appeal to young readers. Even while most surveys show an increasing percentage of young people get their news from online sources, newspapers are still struggling with the right mix of youth content, both created by and intended for a younger audience. (For a sampling of "youth news" pages in newspapers across the US, use the link at the end of this article.)

Though, historically, these projects have had meager results, recent efforts seem more promising. The Chicago Tribune has had some success with their RedEye tabloid, aimed at Gen Y readers. Another such recent experiment is The Seattle Times' NEXT, a weekly opinion page launching in late January, 2003. Colleen Pohlig, Assistant Editorial Page Editor of NEXT, answered a few questions about the project for the Youth Media Reporter.

Youth Media Reporter: Can you tell me a little about the NEXT project and why the paper started it?

Colleen Pohlig: The Seattle Times has been concerned that fewer young people are regularly reading the newspaper. NEXT meets two Times' goals: we're giving young people a forum to voice their opinions, and we're working to ensure future readers.

YMR: What value do youth voices bring to the adult mainstream media?

CP: I would drop the word "adult" from references to the mainstream media because young people who read newspapers find many things that interest them, whether it's news and op-eds or club listings and sports. What's lacking is news and opinion that pertains specifically to them. That's why we're starting NEXT. The Seattle Times recognizes that we need to offer a diversity of voices that reflect our community - diverse in age, religion, ethnicity, social and political views and so on.

YMR: Is there an audience for youth views? And what is the audience - youth,
adults, or both?

CP: The answer is a definite yes. Newspapers, including The Seattle Times, haven't done a good job of consistently including young peoples' voices in daily news coverage or in giving them a forum to voice their own concerns and thoughts. Several papers across the nation have "teen pages" or ad-driven tabloids targeted at young people - and that's a start. With NEXT, we plan to spotlight youth voices every Sunday within the Times' op-ed section. It will be a weekly page dedicated to smart social and political commentary by young people. While the target audience clearly is young readers, I'm confident others will also be interested in what young people have to say.

YMR: Why hasn't the mainstream media been more successful in presenting youth voices?

CP: Newspapers need to do a better job of including young people in daily news stories as well as inviting their thoughts as guest writers. We need to remember that young people, largely because of the Internet, are incredibly plugged-in, well traveled, smart and interested in debating ideas. Their ideas and views matter.

YMR: What are some of the obstacles?

CP: Time and resources mostly. Speaking as a former education reporter, it's tough to get access to schools and young people, especially when you're on deadline with a story and it's a controversial topic. Another obstacle is the lack of resources that newspapers and editors put toward covering youth issues. Few major metro newspapers have "youth beats," reporters who do nothing but hang out with young people and write about their issues.

YMR: What can Youth Media groups do to be more attractive to the mainstream
press?

CP: Young writers must do their homework! A lot of stories you see in youth publications tend to be off-the cuff, knee-jerk reactions with no real context or well-thought-out arguments. At The Seattle Times, opinion pieces that are well researched, relevant and have a point catch our eye, regardless of age. For example, last fall when the Boy Scouts dropped an assistant Scoutmaster for being an atheist, we ran a guest column by a high school senior who supported the Boy Scouts decision in our op-ed section.

YMR: Any suggestions for Youth Media groups on approaching newspaper editors?

CP: Again, most editors want smart, well-researched and well thought out commentary. It shouldn't matter the age of the contributing writer.

YMR: What can the mainstream media do to present more youth voices?

CP: Newspapers should research their own communities to see what their particular needs are. A separate tabloid could work for one community's youth while an opinion section within the newspaper could better fit another community's youth needs. Demographic data is helpful but newspapers should get out and ask young people what would attract them to their pages. And whatever newspapers do to increase readership among young people, they should also do it online. More young people are reading newspapers online than in print, and editors need to wake up to that. NEXT will be one print page weekly, but we'll also have a huge web presence and will run more stories and letters to the editor online than in print.

YMR: What is your hope for the NEXT project?

CP: That it generates buzz as the smartest, most authentic and provocative forum for young people in the Northwest. But we need to earn that reputation first. Give us a few weeks.

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