GlobalPost, founded by former Boston Globe correspondent Charles Sennott, has a mission to “redefine international news for the digital age”.  They have 65 correspondents in 40+ countries throughout the world as they believe in the tradition of correspondents actually living in the areas that they are reporting on. Remember that?

GlobalPost marries this traditional reporting with today’s technology. Reporters not only write pieces for the site but use audio and video to tell their stories.  Some of the stories and pieces that I have seen remind me of NPR but they have a distinct independent streak to them where you can tell that each correspondent is given a tremendous amount of freedom in their work.

The following is part of their mission statement:

We, the Founders of GlobalPost, are also acutely aware of the fact that quality journalism in America is threatened more profoundly today than at any time in our history from an unprecedented combination of forces: the transformational power of technology and the internet, the dramatic erosion in the economic underpinnings of the traditional media, and a steady migration of the most devoted consumers of news as well as younger people to new content platforms, most importantly the web.

The AP is reporting that two of Detroit’s daily papers are cutting home delivery to three days per week.  The Christian Science Monitor is now entirely web-based.  Many major newspapers (such as the Courant) are encouraging readers to seek further information on print articles to visit their own websites. 

With two of Connecticut’s dailies failing and several others experiencing extreme cuts to their workforce, it is evident that the progression towards the internet is gaining steam.  This must be on the mind of every major newspaper publisher.  For each decision that they make they must ask themselves how it will impact their online product.

The article relays how these types of operations have become watchdogs and have forced traditional news outlets to cover their stories.

“Their news coverage and hard-digging investigative reporting stand out in an Internet landscape long dominated by partisan commentary, gossip, vitriol and citizen journalism posted by unpaid amateurs.”

The Courant has to hunt up a new left-leaning columnist to replace Bill Curry, who ended his column last Sunday. How they do this will say a lot about how well they grasp the changing industry. One possible move would be to reach back toward such “old hands” as Michelle Jacklin and David Fink. They certainly know the territory. But a move like that is an admission that the Courant is stuck in “old news” thinking. The next four years will be about some kind of convergence of media, with a heavy emphasis on the online product. Would the Courant be better off looking for somebody with a little more digital expertise and orientation? (Maybe even somebody who likes to shoot, edit and upload video. But that might be asking too much.)

We at The Laurel aim to carry the torch of the Laurel Club by keeping the State’s media outlets in the limelight.  We will attempt to bring out what is going on in the Connecticut media and monitor its shifts in style and substance as well as its structural changes.

We invite all interested parties to participate.

Welcome to The Laurel!