The Daily could herald Journalism 2.0

For all its strengths, the print journalism industry has never excelled at the whole "online" thing. When they're not giving away their content in some misguided attempt to compete or draw traffic, newspapers and magazines are letting antagonistic trolls run rampant in the comments section.

Yes, it's been a rough 15 years for newspaper and magazine websites. (I'm putting the unofficial start of print journalism's online era at 1996, when the New York Times and Washington Post launched their respective sites.) And there's plenty of blame to go around. Everyone from the naïve publishers who decided early that freely displaying bylined articles was smart to stubborn reporters who refused to write for the web played a role in this boondoggle. For too long, websites were considered in afterthought and seen as something less than the publication's oh-so-official printed version. Advertising departments shared this view, meaning that website ads were routinely sold far cheaper than the Macy's sale announcement you saw on Page 7. This attitude also meant that newsrooms were slow to hire dedicated online workers, such as videographers and community managers. Such people were seen as unnecessary luxuries rather than essential to strategic competition in an evolving marketplace.

Would newspapers and magazines do things differently if they could go back in time? Of course they would. As slow as it's been to adapt, the print journalism industry learned much in the last 15 years. It's just not doing publications a lot of good in their current form. The industry needs a fresh start. And that's what it could get from The Daily.

Set to launch sometime within the next couple weeks, The Daily is the brainchild of print media mogul Rupert Murdoch. It's an app designed exclusively for Apple's iPad and will provide, for 99¢ per week, news content written and edited by some notable veteran journalists. Although details remain somewhat elusive, The Daily is said to have "a tabloid sensibility with a broadsheet intelligence." That's the fancy way of saying it'll be fun to read, but sharp, too.

News Corp. is serious about the endeavor, reportedly budgeting $30 million and hiring 100 people to work in the publication's bullpen. That impressive roster includes newsroom director Jesse Angelo, the former managing editor of The New York Post; opinion editor Elisabeth Eaves, a longtime journalist who once wrote a first-person account of stripping; and culture editor Sasha Frere-Jones, an esteemed New Yorker music critic. It's also worth noting the former editor of The New York Post's infamous Page 6 will oversee The Daily's coverage of Los Angeles. There's a sensible match if ever there was one.

Add to the equation a solid approach to social media and direct support from Apple and it becomes clear that Murdoch is going "all in" on The Daily. If it fails, it clearly won't be for lack of effort.

But I don't think it's going to fail. The Daily has such fantastic potential that it could herald a new chapter in the annals of journalism. Providing customers with an experience that is as interactive as it is intelligent, Murdoch's new publication is well positioned for success. Boasting an enticing, first-of-its-kind newness, it'll draw many eyes on Day One. If it can give those eyes a unique experience and captivating content, if it can foster dynamic discussions and give customers reason to revisit the app multiple times each day, and if it targets ads wisely and effectively, then The Daily is the true next step the print journalism industry so desperately needs.

With my hat kindly tipped to Mark Briggs, I think The Daily could finally bring about a truly refined and codified Journalism 2.0. No more tentative steps. No more piecemeal solutions. No more stumbling through the darkness. The Daily has been designed from the ground up for today's world and today's audiences. I think it represents the future for a profession near and dear to my heart.

This is why I can't wait to see The Daily — and why I hope it succeeds.