Newsrooms become 'information centers'

Last week the country's largest newspaper chain got rid of all its newsrooms.

"Wha'?" some might say.

What happened on May 1 at Gannett -- which owns USA Today and about 90 U.S. dailies -- is transforming their newsrooms to "information centers" accommodating the needs of the audience with the (developing) skills of its staffers.

It could be a win-win -- if the chain figures out how to create revenue from the increased investment and workload.

For now, the move to 24-hour local and multimedia centers is filled with exciting possibilities.

For press critic John Burke's take on this, see
http://www.editorsweblog.org/analysis//2007/05/countdown_to_cape_town_managing_the_info.php