If the future of news is online, newspapers are still figuring out exactly what that means and the best way to go about it.
That’s the conclusion Douglas McIntyre of 24/7 Wall Street comes to after analyzing 25 top U.S. newspapers’ Websites.
McIntyre, editor of the financial news Website, gave A grades to only two: the New York Times, which he calls “the single best daily newspaper site in the country,” and San Francisco Chronicle, which he praises for its well thought-out use of interactive features, video, polls, special reports and blogs. The others ranged from A- for the Atlanta Journal Constitution and Detroit Free Press to a D for the Chicago Tribune, which he called “mediocre” with a confusing and overly busy homepage, and a D- for the Sacramento Bee. Here’s a snippet:
One former newspaper publisher wrote “A review of the main web pages from a dozen of the largest newspapers leaves one’s eyes glazed. They share a common flaw: too much packed into too little space, and few signposts for how to get through it.” The very best online sites avoided that.
Read McIntyre’s entire newspaper Website report card here.