Geographic scope of commentary makes a point
Tuesday, October 27, 2009THE ISSUE: The newspaper’s reach
OUR OPINION: Debate over editorial column illustrates how many readers T&D has
When two local Republican officials came under fire this past week for a written reference to Jews as examples of frugality, the debate went international.
A column by Jim S. Ulmer Jr., Orangeburg County chairman, and Edwin O. Merwin Jr., Bamberg County chairman, praised South Carolina U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint’s stand against congressional earmarks.
It didn’t take long for reaction to begin, with S.C. Sen. Joel Lourie among the first to condemn the comment and The Times and Democrat for printing it.
The matter has since been addressed by the two chairmen and the newspaper, which continues to receive feedback from around the globe.
Orangeburg’s Jay Pearson, writing in Friday’s T&D, made his point about the reaction coming from near, far and very far, indicating it appeared to be orchestrated to damage the Republican Party.
We don’t know of any underlying purpose, and those writing by the dozens are divided over whether the comment was offensive or whether the matter is much ado about nothing. But writing they are — en masse.
Pearson makes the point that the feedback gives the appearance The Times and Democrat has the reach of a USA Today. In fact, it does in today’s information age.
No longer are editorial columns — and much of the daily newspaper — seen only by those subscribing to the print edition. As much as the daily T&D has its unique qualities and material, TheTandD.com takes content to thousands upon thousands of others. Consider that 17,000 print editions are shared by multiple people daily. Add to them the 40,000-plus visits each day to the newspaper’s Web site, which translates to 16,000 different people. Our content is reaching more people than at any time in the newspaper’s 128-year history.
Amazingly, in the midst of a story such as the one that unfolded over the GOP leaders’ comments, the number of people visiting TheTandD.com soared.
On Monday, there were 23,649 visitors. On Tuesday, there were 25,247 and on Wednesday 18,526.
The reach is yet again evidence that those writing the daily newspaper’s obituary are way off the mark. These are difficult times for nearly every business, with newspapers and media in general no exception. But with newspapers remaining the leading source for local news and credible reporting overall, they will survive for sure — and prosper as demand for information continues to grow.
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