Ouch! There's even more discussion over on BuzzMachine, where Jeff Jarvis says that it's okay to get rid of "commodity news and crappy sections" so that reporters can "concentrate their precious and dwindling resources on what matters, which I still believe is local reporting." (For the record, I don't disagree.)

But what I refuse to let go of is the notion that cutbacks in staff and production is ultimately the best near-term business strategy for newspapers. Because it's not. Cutting back is not how my very successful non-media journalism friends would approach our industry's problem, and that's not how I would plan for the future of my news organization. I believe very strongly that if newsroom culture changed for just a month, to allow free-flowing brainstorming and fast-track implementation of new strategies, we might just find a workable business model that doesn't necessarily involve scrapping entire sections of the newspaper or laying off a quarter of your staff.

It's 4th of July weekend. In the spirit of unshackling the newspaper industry from the tyranny of outdated business models, I've decided to hold a contest. I'm proposing a 30-Day Newsroom Innovation Challenge. I'm willing to offer my consulting services to help a beleaguered newsroom through the process of innovation. I will meet with your newspaper's publishers, editors, web-site and print-side staff and even your local readers. I'll facilitate brainstorming sessions and devise a set of strategies that you can implement right away to help monetize your content and motivate what's left of your staff. At the end of our 30 days together, we should hopefully have short-term and long-term plans for publishing your content and for stabilizing your resources.

And I'll do it for FREE. Start to finish, beginning to end, for a month. Hell, I'm not even going to charge you for materials! My goal here is to show newspapers that there is another way to financial solvency, because I'm damn tired of hearing about my talented friends losing their jobs each and every week.

What's the catch? I'm only going to work with one news organization, and it has to be based in the United States. Before I start, I'm going to want you to promise to check your old thinking and old workflow at the door and be willing to start fresh. And I'll probably blog about our progress every now and again, so if your newspaper is against that sort of thing you're out of the running.

This is a contest. If you're interested, send me an email answering the following questions. Heck, you don't even have to write everything out. If you want to get creative and post a video somewhere for me to watch, that'll work too. I'm going to make a decision by July 18th and announce that morning. That gives you two weeks.

1. Your name, full contact info and news organization

2. Why do you need my help? What are the biggest problems facing your newspaper?

3. If I work with you, can you guarantee that for 30 days, decisionmakers will be willing to try new ideas? (It won't be anything radical in the short term, like scrapping production of the paper in favor of a brand new million-dollar website. But if I suggest holding a meeting with 20-somethings to get their thoughts on your product, we've got to at least give it a shot.)

4. This one's important - did you clear this through your boss (and his or her boss)? Are they willing to take 30 days to strategize new business, content and production models for the future?

5. What do you hope to gain working together?

Conditions: Sorry college newspapers, this time I'm only going to work with the pros. You have to be at a newspaper in production - we're not going to resurrect the dead or help launch a new product. You also can't be currently negotiating a consulting project with my company.

Send your entry to info [at] webbmediagroup [dot] com (and not my personal email address).

So far, I've heard one story about this on our local NPR affiliate - facts, only - and zero uproar from the community. The Sun's section isn't the first to go - the Cincinnati Enquirer and Denver Post cut their sections. Meantime, I was talking to a group of editors a few weeks back, and one was lamenting the absence of her paper's features section. Her publisher had taken the damn thing away permanently, and none of her readers appeared to mind. There wasn't a single letter to the editor, not a whisper of complaint.

To me, this message rings loud and clear. Demands of news consumers have evolved, our economy has changed, and our industry has done little to adapt. Rather than continuing to slash staff, why not focus instead on developing a new business model? A smaller staff commanded to produce news in the same old way, relying on the same old ad network, ain't going to fix the problem.

I was thinking about some very successful businessmen I know, and what keeps their businesses well in the black when the economy goes sour. They each offer a product or service that's in demand and will always be in demand. Well, that's not so different from the news. It'll always be there to report, and I can't imagine a time or circumstance when citizens wouldn't want to know what's happening.

Those successful businessmen are somehow vertically integrated. They own the widget patent, they make the widgets, they own the supply chain. One company manufactures its own stuff in a single building, where they control every aspect of production. That same company distributes the product into stores that it owns. It even creates all of its own advertising, using employees as actors/ models.

The newspaper business isn't that different, I'd argue. News is gotten, vetted, written, edited and paginated all in one shop. In many cases, it's also printed in the same place or a place nearby, using newspaper company employees and machines that the company owns. Then the papers are distributed by drivers who work for the company and drive company trucks.

Now here's something that differentiates the successful businessmen I know from the newspaper industry: Those biz guys aren't afraid to take risks. They'll stick to their core concept or product...but they pour resources into R&D. They anticipate what might be the next industry disrupter. They embrace technology early. They don't operate as mega-bureaucracies, but instead as benevolent dictatorships where fresh ideas can be implemented without first having 50 meetings between various department heads.

The glacial rate of change in the newspaper business has a lot to do to these vast hierarchies and long tradition of sticking to what's been done. Sometimes, the wrong folks are promoted from within and become key decision makers - but they may not be forward-thinking enough, or willing to take chances. Add that to meeting upon meeting upon meeting and it could be six to 12 months before a new anything is tried. That's a shame.

Sam Zell holds the keys to some legendary news products all over the country, and the workforce - what's left of it - still claims some exceptionally talented journalists. Cutting more positions may temporarily solve budget issues, but what will really help in the long run is changing the culture of news organizations.

• The old business models no longer work. People really like using Google to advertise.
• Mobile will be big. It'll be really big in the next few years, when everyone starts using smartphones and mobile broadband.
• We're in the middle of a "media evolution."

Seriously, why are we still discussing the various particulars of where we're at? Why not talk in detail about moving forward?! So many of these conferences are really just support groups for downtrodden media folks.

The fact that qtl works beautifully and elegantly to help me with international sites isn't why I'm writing about it today. All I do is highlight a character or word, and a small window pops up - that I can control and interact with - that displays the information.

Here's how qtl, and other tools like it, impacts journalism.

You see, after I installed the tool, I noticed that whenever I highlighted a word the qtl window appeared and offered me various choices: a dictionary, a Wikipedia entry, the ability to search that word instantly on Google and Yahoo. It also pulled up content tagged with that word on Flickr, YouTube and Amazon.

What I'm getting at here is that via qtl, your website may be displaying content from other sources - content that you've never seen. Have a look at what I found on the Baltimore Sun's site today:

The thing is, I installed qtl independently. It's a third-party application that delivers content. I happen to find it incredibly useful, but when I highlight a word, I get content displayed on the Sun's site that isn't necessarily approved by editors there.

I was speaking at the Punch Sulzberger program at Columbia last week, and we had a short debate about hyperlinked content and whether it mattered if I could access additional content via the Sun, even if the Sun didn't place it there. My position is that as a user, I love qtl's features and the ability it gives me to find more content and context regardless of what the editors fed to a particular site. But looking from an industry perspective, I'd be weary. It takes control away from the content providers. Example: what newsroom would publish, verbatim, copy from a Wikipedia article without first vetting it?

Qtl isn't the first or only third-party linking content tool that's driven by users. I can guarantee that you'll start to see more just like it.

I'd like for newsrooms to start evaluating these kind of tools, learning more about how they function and then developing smart ways to either exploit - or block - that technology on their own terms.

We've just announced all of the panels, hands-on classes and group discussions for this year's international Online News Association conference in Washington, D.C. We're offering more than 40 different sessions on a variety of topics - there's truly something for everyone involved in digital media (that includes academics, students, book writers, site designers and even consultants!). The full list of speakers, superpanelists, keynoters and class instructors will be announced mid-June.

Sessions are organized into six tracks, though you're welcome to attend any that appeal to you. They include:

* How'd They Do That? We deconstruct several well-known digital media projects and show you how to recreate them, soup to nuts.
* Teaching & Learning: Learn how to write your first syllabus, adapt emerging tech trends for your classroom, be a better student and more!
* My Digital Beat: Harness data, mine untapped digital resources and more to help you do daily reporting for your beat
* Emerging Tech: Learn all about the Semantic Web, QR codes, interactive data and more...and apply it to journalism!
* Be an Evangelist: Catalyze positive change in your newsroom, create training programs and harness digital tools for everyone!
* Multimedia Learning Lab: 10 hands-on classes focusing on granular-level topics. Spend an hour and learn a new skill.

Our goal this year is to have all participants walk away with three big ideas and a handful of new skills. We're also offering pre-conference daylong training workshops, networking events, a night at the Newseum and more.

I'm charing this year's conference, so if you have any questions please ping me. Registration is now open - hope to see you there!

Shirts are retailing for $19.95 (includes a $4.99 shipping charge) and the site looks to be powered by Spreadshirt.com, a custom T-shirt store not unlike Cafe Press.

I'm all for ingenuity, but here's a question: that tire story came from KMBC-TV 9 in Kansas City, which has a partnership with CNN but is actually an ABC affiliate. Who owns the rights to that headline? Can you rev-share a T-shirt?

(HT: Brian Woolf, the new husband.)

Newsware is the latest entry into and ever-expanding tricked out news story space. You can play the (wham!) NewsBlaster, an "RSS-fed online game involving a race against time to smash orbs holding live msnbc.com news headlines." Or try the Spectra, to create a 3D spinning environment fed with the latest headlines. You can even change the headlines using your own web cam. No, I'm not making that up: "In one viewing state, viewers with webcams trigger movement of the content and categories of headlines based on the motion of their body and the color of their clothes."

While I think these tools are certainly impressive and wildly creative, I have to wonder how spending resources on this is advancing the story. Or journalism, for that matter.

For example, I've been following the Dmitry Medvedev story on MSNBC. Two hours ago, he was sworn in as Putin's successor, but there wasn't any video showing the it. (To be fair, there were two analysis videos from NBC Nightly News, but that was it.) There are a few references to blogs and an interactive map. But the map and blog links take me away from the story. There were no hyperlinks besides related MSNBC content...and while the "Ice bar opens in Portugal" story sounds intriguing, what I'm really after is as much information as I can glean about what Medvedev's swearing in means for me here in Baltimore and for our increasingly icy relationship with Russia.

There's certainly a balance that needs to be accomplished. Gimmicks will draw in a temporary crowd, but content that offers rich context and depth will make them stick.

For example, I was looking up mydigimedia's site traffic and noticed that someone had been hitting me from plantronics.com. I hovered over the word "Plantronics" and - viola! - a window opened with all sorts of information on the company. It saved me the step of physically typing in P-l-a-n-t-r-o-n-i-c-s-dot-c-o-m, and I was essentially able to find out basics about the company without any effort.

I've been following Apture and you'll see it all over this site... And we're now trying to figure out the many applications for contextualization services for publishing and journalism.

But I think the new iPhone - and by new, I'm talking about the 3G model that's supposed to drop next month - will cause a paradigm shift. Other manufacturers are already following suit, enabling their phones and data plans for maximum Internet access.

So I'm going to start researching and planning instead for something I call "small screen journalism." Content that's meant to be collected, published and seen using the Internet, but on a 480 x 320-pixel screen. That might be video, it could be an interactive timeline or map, a photo album or a text story with layers of other content.

Publishers should start thinking about how to optimize their content for the small screen.

The problem now is that if I offer hyperlinks, you have to leave my site and click from page to page to page. But what if I wanted to offer more related content, all without making the user leave my page?

Here's an example. Let's say that I'm a reporter at the Baltimore Sun covering American Idol. (If that ever happens, someone please shoot me. Right between my eyes.) Yesterday's opening few graphs look like this:

On tonight's American Idol, we'll learn who the final four are. And, I'm sure, hear some explanation for Paula's seeing into the future moment last night when she started evaluating Jason's second song when he'd only sung once thus far. (Here's the story that's been making the rounds today.)

Host Ryan Seacrest says he's still out of breath from last night's show because of its fast pace and that more than 45 million votes were cast.

First up: The group sing, a tribute to Neil Diamond.

One external link, not much context. If I wanted to know more about Paula or Ryan or Neil Diamond, I have to hop off the site and start clicking elsewhere.

Here's how Apture changes things... I'm going to use it on the same three graphs. But the context and the user experience is infinitely more fulfilling:

On tonight's American Idol, we'll learn who the final four are. And, I'm sure, hear some explanation for Paula's seeing into the future moment last night when she started evaluating Jason's second song when he'd only sung once thus far. (Here's the story that's been making the rounds today.)

Host Ryan Seacrest says he's still out of breath from last night's show because of its fast pace and that more than 45 million votes were cast.

First up: The group sing, a tribute to Neil Diamond.

Apture is in very soft launch now - but when it's fully deployed, watch out. It's going to help piece together the web in an entirely new way. This is Web 3.0, the "semantic" web, whatever you want to call it. And journalists ought to take notice asap - we need to think about content in multi-dimensions.

Then again, I know editors who are still discussing endlessly whether or not there should be hyperlinks at all on their websites.

Amy. Out.

• gather reporting, leads, sources for your particular beat
• serve as a virtual meeting space for reporters, editors, producers and publishers worldwide
• build a vibrant audience around a specific topic, such as the Chicago Cubs

More on this subject over at IJNET, where I have a new column out today. Don't just discount social networks as an entity because you've had a bad experience with MySpace or think Facebook is a passing fad...

I haven't seen a real newspaper-to-streaming-newscast success story yet, at least not beyond the Studio55 project at the Naples Daily News, which basically looks and feels like a regular television morning news broadcast and not necessarily an interactive web video experience. There are individual examples of how to make compelling video - David Pogue at the Times, Dana Milbank at the Post - but I'm wondering what will make StribTV stand out.

In a memo to her staff, Editor Nancy Barns asked for help:

Some of you will (very soon) be tapped to produce content for Strib TV; certain content is a natural fit. However, we also will need people to host the shows, and read our newscast. If you think you have a voice and or a presence on camera, here's your chance to shine. We haven't determined exactly how we are going to audition people, but we are asking for names of people who would be interested. This is open to anyone in the newsroom, or in the company. Email Will Tacy or Cory Powell if you are interested.

I'm all for getting in the sandbox. I firmly believe that every journalist should play with all the digital media available and that they should feel empowered to take advantage of new publishing tools.

But auditioning print folks for on-camera reporter spots? Here's another example of adapting technology - in this case, video distribution via the web - but not adjusting personnel to meet the new challenges of your project. Why not find folks who've produced video for the web and use them? The Minneapolis/ St. Paul area is gigantic - surely there are some talented multimedia people who understand the nature of digital video? If StribTV must be staffed by reporters in the newsroom, then they're going to need lots of training. And I'm not talking about how to operate a camera or even how to make your voice sound great on camera.

It's not about reading the newscast or trying to fill space with commentary. It's about creating content that makes sense on the web and not duplicating what's already being done by your local network affiliate. That takes real creativity. And ultimately, it means approaching the web with a digital perspective first, not the perspective of a print journalist who's trying to play catchup.

My hope is that StribTV succeeds and sets a new example for other print-based publications to follow. But it doesn't sound promising.

Here's a roundup of the Twitter apps we're using over at WMG. When applicable, I've also indicated how to apply them for use in journalism.

Want a better handle on microblogging as a viable communication platform? Have a look at this study from the University of Maryland (shameless plug - they're just up the street from us). Their findings aren't necessarily earth shattering - we connect with others because we either have something in common or want their knowledge - but the paper does a great job of explaining how we stay in touch, digitally.

In order to get started, create a free account at Twitter.

TwitterFeed - Got a blog? This will automatically updated your posts to your Twitter account. Use it for journalism: If you're not sure how to effectively Twitter at your news organization, create a basic Twitter account - like BaltimoreNews. Then, you can automatically send out announcements of your new blog entries to everyone who's following you.

Twhirl - This is a nice desktop application that allows you to update and read your Twitter account. Use it for journalism: This application really functions more like an instant message client. Still, it can help reporters stay on top of breaking news.

PocketTweets - This tool enables you to post and read tweets via your iPhone.

Twadget - If you're a (blech) Vista user, this is a gadget that will track and send all new tweets from your account.

Twitter Tube Tracker - Track the status of London's Tube trains and get delays sent to Twitter.

TwitterGram - Tired of just sending out 140 characters? Use TwitterGram to send mp3s tweets. Use it for journalism: This could be a fantastic way to share breaking news audio reports. You might also consider using it to send out quick advertisements every X# tweets.

TwitterLit - This application will send out the first line of a book and a link to Amazon. It's part trivia - can you guess the author and title? - but mostly a marketing ploy to get Twitter users to buy more stuff on Amazon. But it's effective - and lots of people are using it. Use it for journalism: Mimic this application for use in your own newsroom. Tease new stories. Use quick-hit trivia to drive traffic to your site. What about promotions? Selling photos or archived video?

TwitterLocal - Filter out tweets from just a certain area. Use it for journalism: Reporters can use this as source material to find out what's happening within a certain range of miles, postal code, state, city, etc.

TwitterCal - This application allows you to add events directly to your Google calendar.

Twittervision - I wrote about this last year... Twittervision displays random updates from people around the world. It's a bit like watching an aquarium, and it's addictive. Want to get included? Add TwitterWhere, which will automatically post your tweet location.

Yahoo! Pipes - Now optimizes your Twitter RSS feed.

Twitzer - Want more than 140 characters? Twitzer works with Firefox and will allow you to type in longer posts. Be warned, though. Twittering is meant to be is micro-sized, and some of your followers may not want long, rambling posts from you.

TrackThis - Track your FedEx, UPS, USPS and DHL packages.

Twubble - Want to follow more people but not sure where to start? Twubble will make recommendations based on who you currently follow and your geographic location. Use it for journalism: This is a good way for jurnos to get started using Twitter, especially if they're not sure who to start following just yet.

TwitterTroll - A workable search engine for Twitter feeds. Not comprehensive, thought. Use it for journalism: Try running a search for people, information on a story, etc. You won't find tweets at Google.

Tweet Scan - This is another search engine for tweets. Use it for journalism: Requires login to get full access to all the tools, but it can definitely be used as a reporting tool. Again, you're not quoting directly from folks - just looking for leads and additional context to aid in the reporting process.

Twitbar -- For our Linux friends, a Twitter client for Gnome users to post from the Deskbar.