Starting in January, The Washington Post’s print editors will take a greater role in shaping stories as they develop online as well as on paper, Post Executive Editor Leonard Downie Jr. tells Reuters. The move follows similar shifts towards integration, like that

undertaken by a dozen Gannett papers late last year. After finding that breaking news on the Web and updating for the newspaper draws more people to both those media, Gannet created its “Information Center,” which brought news teams from the print side and website together, along with an interactive component allowing consumers to influence coverage. The New York Times is integrating its newsrooms. At WaPo, the two will remain separate but the print newsroom staff will be expected to have more online sensibilities. The new emphasis includes added focus on updating breaking stories through the day and ensuring print reporters make it a priority to add video, audio or commentary to the page.
Why all the fuss now? With print ad revenues falling, reliance on online ads growing and consumer habits changing, interaction and integration are likely to take on even greater importance as newspaper publishers update their survival plans.
Related: @ ONA: WaPo’s Len Downie: Print Worries About Online Were “Ill-Founded”
—Forget The Future—Web-Alike Newspapers Are Here Now