The Brand Management Crisis Facing the Business of Journalism

The forces of new digital technology coupled with a debilitating recession have disrupted the profit-making ability of the business of journalism. Streamlining operations and experimenting with new business models are only partial solutions. Recognizing that most audiences and advertisers today regard news as a common commodity that is available from an array of acceptable sources—often for free—this article asserts that the true crisis stems from problems addressing not only operational effectiveness but, more important, problems addressing brand management.