Shingo Ueji is a senior researcher at The Asahi Shimbun, the second largest paper in Japan and the world behind the Yomiuri Shimbun. It has a circulation of 8 million in the morning and 4 million in the evening. With 1 million subscribers, it has Japan's largest mobile phone news site. The Asahi Shimbun founded its Research Center a couple of decades ago to take advantage of the knowledge accumulated by reporters over several years about their beats. Journalists are assigned or choose a topic to
investigate that may affect the news organization. Veteran reporters and editors, who are usually 50 years old or more, are offered positions as senior researchers. They stay up to five years before moving back into the newsroom. Topics range from economics to social issues to technology. The reports, which take an analytical approach, are written for the news organization's top editors and board members. These managers use the information to assist them in making decisions about the organization's future, including expansion into new markets or businesses, workplace issues, and adoption of technology. Some of the journalists' reports are printed in an internal bimonthly magazine, which is distributed to Asahi employees. "We also sell 200 to 300 copies to intellectuals," Ueji says. Ueji joined about 20 other researchers in a section of the center that focuses on economic, cultural and environmental issues. He and some of his colleagues are examining the future of newspapers in Japan. The crux of the problem facing Japanese newspapers is that none charge for access to their sites. "They are wondering what kind of a business model they should adopt in the coming years," says Ueji. "At the same time, they are afraid of losing circulation and are struggling with the question of how they should differentiate their Web sites from the print newspaper in terms of content, relationships with customers, etc." Ueji wanted to investigate new media because he sees how swiftly it is changing the way Japanese obtain news. "The Internet has affected our traditional medium," he notes. "Since I work at a traditional newspaper, I think it should cope with this big change." He decided to look at the difference between the Web sites of Japanese newspapers and those of American newspapers, because he thinks that U.S. newspapers are adapting to the Internet more quickly than Japanese newspapers. Ueji joined The Asahi Shimbun in 1980 as a reporter at a local bureau in northern Japan. In 1985, he moved to the city news desk in Tokyo. He covered crime for three years, studied at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government for a year, and returned to Japan to report on tax issues. In 1994, he worked on the foreign news desk, then covered U.S. politics and government from Washington, D.C., for three years. He returned to Tokyo in 1998 to do a stint as assignment editor for science news, and then moved into the electronic and online news department in 2000.
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"I respect leading American newspapers for their energetic efforts and results in online news." |
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For a year, he was on one of five teams that produced a technology news show for satellite television. In April 2001, he moved to Asahi's newly created continuous news desk as assignment editor. He spent a year as assignment editor in the social services section, and then moved to the Research Center."I'm not a typical Asahi person," Ueji points out. "I've moved to many departments." During a recent three-week trip to the United States, he interviewed 25 reporters, editors and managers at the Newspaper Association of America, The New York Times and New York Times Digital, Gannett, Boston.com, Knight Ridder and Knight Ridder Digital, The Washington Post and washingtonpost.com, and at the annual meeting of the Online News Association in Chicago. Japan Media Review: What did you learn that will be useful to The Asahi Shimbun? Ueji: I learned that newspaper Web sites should not be a replica of a newspaper. We should provide news and information differently. We should not apply the same business model to news sites as we do to the print product. JMR: What do you think Japanese news organizations need to do in regard to the Web? Ueji: First of all, we should know that we are in the news and information business. What newspapers convey is not a paper, but news and information. As the Internet becomes a more and more important medium, it is nonsense to ignore it. We should use the Internet to reach those who don't read newspapers and make them our online customers. Also, we should invite them to start reading our newspapers. JMR: How do you think the Web will influence news organizations? Ueji: I think people, especially those who are heavy Internet users, are spending less time reading newspapers, and newspapers are losing some share in terms of media consumption. JMR: Is the United States ahead of Japan in new media? Or is Japan ahead of the United States? Ueji: I think, generally, that the U.S. is ahead of Japan. However, there is an exception. In terms of the wireless Web for cell phones, Japan is well ahead of the U.S. Millions of people download songs, called "chaku melo," to their mobile phones. "Chaku melo" is an abbreviation of "arrive" and "melody." Many people play games on mobile phones. You can also find good restaurants, weather forecasts, get directions, etc. On the newest models, you can even watch television. JMR: What will be the basics of the report that you put together on your trip to the United States? In other words, what are you telling your news organization's editor and managing editor? Ueji: First, Japanese newspapers should have more net-friendly content on their Web sites. They should consider introducing search engines such as Google, blogs, and live chats on their sites. They should have more links. I think online news sites such as NYTimes.com, washingtonpost.com, and Boston.com are good examples. Second, I was impressed by the registration system. No major Japanese newspapers have this system. Japanese newspapers should consider this as a way to increase revenues. I was also impressed by a collaborative effort by online and newspaper departments as we see in the "FlexAd" that Knight Ridder is selling. [FlexAds are an advertising program in which businesses can buy different combinations of print and online ads.] Third, I found American newspapers are more energetic than Japanese newspapers in using online news sites as a tool to get subscriptions and to increase customer service. However, I have to say that the U.S. newspaper industry is not a winner yet. Circulation of print newspapers has been falling down and Internet sites such as Monster.com have been taking away advertising money from print newspapers. As the Internet has matured, the newspaper industry was put into severe competition. JMR: From what you saw in the U.S., do you think the Asahi news organization needs to converge their TV, print and Web divisions? Ueji: Asahi has already been experimenting with convergence of print and TV in a local bureau. The bureau has been cooperating with a local TV station (one of TV Asahi's network stations) in reporting. I don't know yet if convergence is our future. I think we should need more time to judge, as even in the U.S. convergence is not prevalent. JMR: The Internet and other forces are changing the shape of journalism and media in Japan -- and worldwide. Where do you think changes we are seeing today will lead us? How will journalism in Japan be different in 10 years? Ueji: I don't have a certain image yet. However, just as the introduction of "We Media" says that citizens will produce half of the news by 2021, I feel that "civic journalism" and "participatory journalism" will have more power as more and more people are connected to Internet. The dominance of mass media in journalism may disappear.
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"I have to say that the (Web strategy of the) U.S. newspaper industry is not a winner yet. Circulation of print newspapers has been falling down." |
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JMR: To what extent do you think the mainstream press in Japan is satisfying the needs of the audience there? Are you doing everything you should be doing? How could you improve?Ueji: It's a hard question. Certainly, we are not perfect at all. At least, we should be a less "lecturer" to the audience and a more "facilitator of dialogue," as I think Dan Gillmor suggests in "We Media." JMR: Newspaper circulation is dropping in Japan -- as it is in the United States and in many other places. Why are readers letting their subscriptions lapse? Is there something they want that newspapers aren't providing? Is there something about newspapers in Japan that leaves some readers unsatisfied? Ueji: I'm not an expert on this issue. People have less time in reading newspapers than they used to probably because they have more things to do. They also have more media that they used to. I think these are major reasons. JMR: Some critics say that because of ties to government and advertisers "the dailies operated by Japan's five media powerhouses lack a tradition of hard-nosed reporting; their articles often faithfully retain the original spin of press materials released by government and business organizations." (See Japan Media Review story: "New Online Daily Gives Readers a Fresh Take on the News.") Can you comment on this criticism? Ueji: Although the Pulitzer Prize has never been given to Japanese newspapers, many Japanese journalists have been doing fabulous jobs. They have revealed political and business scandals as great journalists in the U.S. have done. Sometimes ministers and executives were forced to resign or arrested for crimes after Japanese newspapers published those stories. There might be some soft-nosed reporters, but there are a lot of terrific watchdogs. I think there are some ties to government and advertisers, but in general those ties have not influenced what Japanese newspapers report. I think it is the same in the U.S. JMR: Some have commented that traditional papers' political coverage focuses too much on "seikyoku" articles -- stories about interparty squabbles or on the rise and fall of politicians and their factions -- and should focus more on what proposed laws will mean to consumers. Is this a fair criticism? Ueji: I think it is a fair criticism. We have been trying to focus more, but we should do more. JMR: What are you working on now? Another aspect of new media? Ueji: I will start writing another report on how the career path of American newspaper journalists is different from that of Japanese newspaper journalists. I may also return to the United States to look into how online news sites are using Weblogs.
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