Gillin | Problem: 'No one wants to pay watchdogs'

Social media author and consultant Paul Gillin has entered the important debate about why there aren't more bloggers watching major media. It's unfolding on yesterday's Nieman Journalism Lab post by Martin Langeveld: Adios, Gannett Blog; where are the rest of the watchblogs? From Paul's comment today:

It’s clear that Gannett Blog's success was a surprise to everyone, including Jim Hopkins. As activity exploded, he was faced with the difficult decision of whether to try to take the blog’s celebrity to the next level or keep it as an interesting sidelight. Jim tried to make a run at a sustainable financial model last fall through a kind of tip jar approach, but that ran into the same problems that all publishers encounter these days: people don’t want to pay for news.

Faced with the prospect of continuing to sustain the effort on a labor of love basis while also becoming a lightning rod for criticism, Jim made a reasonable decision in my view. If he’s been a little dramatic in winding down the operation, I can understand that. Gannett Blog has provided a valuable service for many Gannett employees for two years, but no one is willing or able to step up and support the effort. It’s not surprising that Jim is pointing out what they’re about to lose.

Whether or not you agree with the way Jim has handled comments from readers, it’s clear that this blog has taxed the limits of one man’s ability to give without compensation. He deserves thanks and respect for all he is put into the effort.

To address Martin’s comment about the lack of watchdogs, the problem is that no one wants to pay watchdogs. My own blogging activities on Newspaper Death Watch have consumed hundreds of hours of time over the last 27 months while yielding a few hundred dollars in advertising revenue and no meaningful business opportunities. That’s okay. I do it because I love it, but if my family’s livelihood were ever at stake, it’s the first activity I would have to jettison.

That’s where this story is also a microcosm of the industry. Newspapers are the watchdogs of our institutions, but their financial predicament makes that role less and less viable. It would be nice to look to the blogosphere for salvation, but those who choose a watchdog role must also face up to the realities of the market. New media has yet to figure out a viable financial model for watchdogs, and it may never do so. For the time being, we are increasingly delegating that function to people like Jim Hopkins, who can only give so much.

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