This paper was presented at the Association for Education in Journalism and
Mass Communication in San Antonio, Texas August 2005.
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Print/Online Integration
Introduction
Newspaper companies throughout the United States began launching online
editions of their print publications in the mid-1990s, with little 
direction and less
knowledge about how online newspapers would meet a multiplicity of 
goals: building
new readers, increasing revenues, protecting the advertising base, 
and reducing the costs
of production and distribution. Early experiments were tenuous as 
newspapers explored a
variety of production models and staffing approaches as they sought 
the optimal
approach.1 The question of how to integrate the online function with 
the traditional
newspaper, and the degree to which they should be integrated, 
confounded many news
organizations with some instituting a complete integration approach 
and others opting for
separate operations.2 Now, a decade later, many newspaper companies 
still struggle with
the basic question of how closely — if at all — they should integrate 
their online
enterprise into the traditional newspaper organizational structure.
At one end of the continuum are integrated operations in which online staff
members work within the traditional newsroom and utilize the existing 
newsgathering
infrastructure to produce content designed for the Web. At the other 
end of the
continuum, online staff members function completely independently from their
traditional counterparts in an effort to create content unhindered by 
the traditional
newspaper model and mindset.
Criner3 said the question of which model to adopt should be a top 
priority because
institutionalizing the wrong model "can create an organizational gap 
that can undercut
credibility with advertisers and ultimately cause them to spend their 
money elsewhere."
Print/Online Integration
Zellman4 sees the need for "connective tissue" between print and online
operations" while Northrup5 insists the end-point destination should 
be "dot.ink" — the
journalistic and financial integration of print and digital media as 
a means of leveraging
the strengths and values of the core product with the potential of 
the Internet.
This paper presents the results of a proscriptive analysis of the 
factors influencing
the level of integration between the major metropolitan newspapers in 
the United States
and their online functions. Based on a telephone survey of news 
executives at major
metropolitan newspapers, the paper identifies the operational and 
production practices
and policies that are associated with variable levels of integration 
and the relative level of
news executives' satisfaction that integration has met management 
goals. With this
understanding, newspapers that have integration as a desired outcome 
will be better able
to institute operational and production practices and policies that 
meet their goals while
avoiding often costly and resource-consuming missteps.
Literature Review
Integration versus independent operations
In the 10 years that newspaper companies have been striving to 
develop profitable
Web sites, many have wrestled with the fundamental question of how to 
fit the new
media venture into the existing organizational structure, with some 
instituting one model
for a period of time only to eventually convert to an entirely 
different model.6 On one
hand, some organizations diversified their operations by creating 
separate new media
subsidiaries or investing in new media ventures that have functions 
similar to the
newspaper company. On the other hand are organizations that opted for 
integrating their
2
Print/Online Integration
new media venture into the core business. Criner7 says proponents of 
diversification are
prepared to let the new media venture compete with the traditional 
newspaper. They
typically believe that online services are fundamentally distinct 
from traditional media
and that the growth potential of new media is significantly greater. 
On an organizational
level, they often have labor union constraints that hamper the 
ability to alter job
responsibilities, and they often have well-defined hierarchies of 
employees with little
experience in collaboration. Proponents of integration, on the other 
hand, believe new
media will help retain and attract readers and advertisers. They 
often cite lack of financial
resources to create an independent new media unit, and they believe 
that online
capabilities are essential to the future of the traditional newspaper.
In his study of "integration versus independence," Zollman8 found that when
online operations are large, which he defined as more than 20 staff members,
independence might be the best approach. In smaller operations, 
integration along with
some measure of independence may be preferable. Irrespective of staff 
size, all
operations should share at least some level of integration to 
leverage the many synergies
in content development, advertising sales and marketing opportunities.
Singer,9 in her research on journalists' attitudes toward online 
media, concluded
that newspapers should more fully integrate online services with the 
traditional
newsrooms to help position online media as journalism (emphasis added) and to
encourage traditional journalists to start thinking seriously about 
how online services can
contribute to the newsgathering and reporting process. Semas10 
cautioned against treating
the online service as a separate product because print reporters will 
take little interest at
3
Print/Online Integration
exactly the point when he says thinking necessarily must shift from 
being a newspaper
industry to being an information industry.
Fish11 found that seamless integration of print and online functions 
helped his
Midwestern newspaper "down a road of creative partnerships with 
advertisers and other
media." Research and empirical evidence suggest several tactics to 
facilitate that
integration including: establishing a central desk to manage the 
handling of news among
multiple media; adding video, audio and animation to the newspaper's Web site;
encouraging newspaper journalists to gather additional materials for 
Web-only use as
they perform their traditional reporting duties; and understanding 
that, while the
newspaper may be the preferable medium for deep and contextual 
reportage, the Web
may be the best medium for breaking news stories.12
Physical and Operational Considerations
Northrup and others advocate physically integrating the print and 
online staff,
with some suggesting that Web employees be assigned to newsroom teams 
or beats.13
News meetings, which Northrup14 says are "among the most effective newsroom
management activities," must address stories as news events involving 
cross media or
they send a "powerfully bad message to the newsroom." Web editors 
have stressed the
importance of Web staff involvement in the planning of news and 
feature stories before
the reporting process actually begins.15
Industry analysts assert that Web producers in integrated operations 
often struggle
for respect16 and Singer's survey of 213 online and print editors 
uncovered online staffers
who perceived a lack of respect, lack of attention and lack of 
"buy-in" from their print
counterparts.17 While culture clash may account for some of the 
status issues, another
4
Print/Online Integration
issue may contribute: The belief on the part of some traditional 
journalists that integrating
multiple media is "a four-letter word" that will ultimately dilute 
the quality of
journalism.18 At least part of that concern may stem from a suspicion 
that newspaper
reporters will be asked to produce more content for multiple media as 
a way to trim costs
and reduce personnel,19 but anecdotal evidence suggests that 
integration does not result in
personnel cost-savings.20 Similarly, anecdotal evidence about whether 
integration
produces substantial advertising revenues is mixed, although it 
appears that cross
promotion — in which one medium promotes the content of another — is 
valuable for
enhancing both revenues and branding.21
The fact that many different models of integration are being tried by many
different organizations that all produce essentially the same product 
suggests an industry
in transition.22 Indeed, industry publications are replete with 
anecdotal information on
models of integration. This study quantifies the influences of 
various operational
practices and policies in an attempt to systematically determine 
which practices and
policies influence the level of integration. Moreover, this study 
identifies factors that
influence levels of newspaper executives' satisfaction that 
integration has met
management objectives — a question that has received scant research attention.
Hypotheses
Given assertions that at least some level of integration between the 
traditional
newspaper and the online service may provide beneficial synergies in content
development, advertising sales and marketing opportunities, it is 
important to determine
which operational and procedural practices and policies are 
predictive of integration.
5
Print/Online Integration
Since online editions of newspapers have established a decade-long 
history, it is further
useful to determine the degree to which newspaper executives are 
satisfied that
integration has met management objectives and the operational 
procedures and polices
associated with that satisfaction.
Previous research, professional trade journal articles and anecdotal 
observations
by new media analysts suggest four broad areas that indicate a level 
of integration:
organizational and management issues, communication and attitudinal 
issues, physical
proximity and equipment-sharing issues, and workflow and content issues.
Specifically, organizational and management issues include whether the online
site has a partnership with a news organization other than the 
newspaper, whether the
newspaper has a formal policy for promoting content online, the level 
of top management
commitment to integration, and the degree to which top management 
believes integration
will reach new readers or — negatively — dilute the quality of 
traditional journalism.
Communication and attitudinal issues include the perceptions of status between
the online staff and the newspaper staff, the frequency in which 
online staff attends news
planning and news budget meetings, and the level of online staff 
participation in both
daily news planning meetings and special-projects planning meetings, 
such as elections.
The physical proximity and equipment-sharing issues include whether there is a
"converged" news desk — that is, one central area that handles 
stories regardless of
medium and distribution platform.
Workflow and content issues include the extent to which the newspaper uses the
online service to break news, the extent to which both online staff 
and print staff generate
6
Print/Online Integration
material for exclusive online use, and the extent to which print 
staff edited copy
specifically for online use.
Finally, previous research suggests that newspaper circulation is 
associated with
the development of new resources, with larger circulation newspapers 
spearheading the
adoption of computer-related technology and its use in the newsroom.23
Thus, the following hypotheses are suggested for the present study:
H1: Respondents from newspapers with larger circulations will reporter greater
levels of integration between the traditional print newspaper and its online
counterpart.
H2: Organizational and management polices will influence perceived levels of
integration and management perceptions that integration has met its 
objectives.
H3: Communication and attitudinal patterns will influence perceived levels of
integration and management perceptions that integration has met its 
objectives.
H4: Physical proximity and equipment-sharing will influence perceived 
levels of
integration and management perceptions that integration has met its 
objectives.
H5: Workflow and content policies will influence perceived levels of 
integration
and management perceptions that integration has met its objectives.
Method
A telephone survey was conducted in September of 2003 to establish a baseline
measurement of current levels of integration between print newspapers 
and online
services in major metropolitan U.S. newsrooms. The survey contained 
forced-choice
questions about the four categories of operational and procedural 
issues thought to be
7
Print/Online Integration
associated with integration. In addition, Likert-type scale questions 
intended to examine
whether respondents thought integration of print and online 
operations would reach new
readers and — negatively — whether it would dilute the quality of 
traditional journalism.
Twenty journalists associated with newspapers that had online editions and
thought to be knowledgeable about operations and procedures 
participated in a pre-test
and were given the opportunity to comment on the veracity of the four 
broad areas of
questions thought to be indicative of integration. None of the 
journalists were part of the
survey group. E-mail messages introducing the project and requesting 
an interview
appointment then were sent to the top editors of 79 U.S. newspapers, 
which were a
combination of the national daily newspapers and the major 
metropolitan newspapers as
listed on Newslink. 24 The major metropolitan newspapers were the 
dominant local or
regional general circulation news publications for the 50 largest 
metropolitan areas in the
country, as determined by the U.S. Census Bureau. They were selected 
because of the
broad scope of their reach to large population bases, their presumed 
roles as industry
leaders and the likelihood that they would have resources dedicated 
to online ventures.
This list of newspapers represents a comprehensive census of major newspapers
organizations in the United States. Top editors (e.g. editors, 
executive editors and deputy
managing editors) were chosen for their over-arching knowledge of 
operations and
management commitment to integration. The editors of newspapers, as 
opposed to Web
sites, were chosen because the traditional newspaper typically 
functions as the "mother
ship" in setting policy and producing content.
When necessary, follow-up e-mail messages requesting participation were sent
and up to six follow-up telephone calls were made. A total of 63 
editors participated25 for
8
Print/Online Integration
a response rate of 79.7 percent. In addition to quantitative data, 
qualitative information
was recorded. The average length of the telephone call was 15 minutes.
Dependent measures
The two dependent variables were the perceived current level of newsroom
integration and the perception of the extent to which efforts at 
integration had met the
objectives the newspapers had hoped to accomplish. The survey 
question to measure the
level of newsroom integration was "To what degree would you say the 
online product is
currently integrated with the traditional news operation?" and was 
measured on a 4-point
scale (anchored by "not at all" and "fully integrated"). The survey 
question for the
perception of objectives met was "In your opinion, to what extent has 
integration met the
objectives you had hoped to accomplish?" and was also measured on a 
4-point scale
(anchored by "it has met no objectives" and "it has been completely 
successful"). The
two variables were moderately correlated (r = .54).
Independent measures
The independent variables were constructed to represent the five blocks of the
integration model outlined earlier. The first block, newspaper 
circulation, was considered
as an exogenous variable similar to demographics that would precede 
and potentially
influence organizational and staff communication patterns. 
Circulation figures for
newspapers included in the sample were obtained from the 2003 Editor 
and Publisher
International Year Book.
Five organization-level variables (i.e., variables that reflect the 
organizational and
leadership structure of the newspaper) comprised the second set of 
independent variables.
These were: the belief that integration would create new readers; 
partner relationships
9
Print/Online Integration
with other local news organizations; existence of a formal policy for 
promoting online
content; leadership misgivings about diluting the traditional print 
journalism product;
and, conversely, leadership commitment to integration. The new 
readers variable was
measured on a five-point Likert-type scale ("strongly disagree" to 
"strongly agree") in
response to the statement "Integrating print and online operations 
will reach new
readers." The partner relationships variable was an additive measure 
in response to the
question "Does your online site have a partner relationship with a 
news organization
other than the newspaper?" with prompts for "broadcast television 
stations," "radio
stations," "cable television stations," and "other." The promotion 
policy variable was a
yes/no question, "Is there an explicit policy regarding how the 
newspaper references or
promotes content found online?" The diluting print journalism 
variable was measured on
a five-point Likert-type scale ("strongly disagree" to "strongly 
agree") in response to the
statement "Integrating print and online operations will dilute 
traditional journalism."
And the management commitment variable was measured on a five-point 
scale (anchored
by "not at all committed" and "completely committed") in response to 
the question,
"How committed is top management in the traditional newsprint 
operation to integrating
the print and online products?"
There were two staff attitude and status variables in the third block of
independent variables. They were the level of perceived equality of 
status between print
and online journalists and meeting participation roles of online 
staff. The status measure
(perceived equal status) was re-coded from the following questions: 
"Do online staff
think print journalists have less status, equal status or better 
status?" and "Do print
journalists think online staff have less status, equal status or 
better status?" We created a
10
Print/Online Integration
variable that was an interaction term to capture the respondents' 
combined level of
perceived status between the two groups. This was done by reverse 
coding one variable
and multiplying it by the second variable.
Meeting participation was an additive index formed from nine questions. The
first question was "How frequently does online staff attend newspaper 
planning and
budget meetings?" with the following values: "rarely or never" = 0; 
"only for special
projects" = 1; "weekly" = 2; and "daily" = 3. Respondents who 
answered other than
"rarely or never" (91 percent) were asked four follow-up questions 
(which were coded as
"no" = 0 and "yes" = 1) for participation in two kinds of meetings (regular
planning/budget meetings and meetings for special print projects, 
e.g., election coverage).
The four yes/no questions dealt with whether online staff attended to 
learn what would be
in the print newspaper, whether they answered questions about how the 
online site could
contribute to news coverage, whether they made suggestions, and 
whether they jointly
participated in planning news coverage.
One variable, presence of a converged news desk, functioned as the 
fourth block.
This variable was a yes/no question, "Is there a multimedia or 
'converged' news desk, for
example, one central area that handles stories regardless of medium 
and distribution
platform?"
The last block, which focused on content and workflow procedures, consisted of
three questions. These were: "To what extent do online staff generate content
specifically for the online product that will not be in the print 
newspaper?" "To what
extent do print journalists generate copy or material for the online 
product that will not be
in the print newspaper (e.g., audio clips)?" and "To what extent does 
the newspaper use
11
Print/Online Integration
online as the medium for breaking stories?" Each was measured on a 
five-point scale,
anchored by "never" and "always."
Hierarchical regression models were used to test the hypothesized 
relationships.
Results
A summary of the descriptive data for variables used to test the hypotheses is
shown in Table 1. The two dependent variables, the perceived level of 
current print and
online newsroom integration and the perceived extent to which 
integration objectives had
been met, both indicated slightly positive perceptions, with means of 
2.76 and 2.51
respectively (both variables coded on a scale of 1 to 4). 
Additionally, two variables
(circulation and new readers) exhibited moderate to substantial 
levels of skewness and
kurtosis. Both square root and natural logarithm transformations were 
done and the
descriptives were evaluated.26 For circulation, the n-log 
transformation resulted in a
normal distribution and was subsequently used in the regression 
analyses. For new
readers, the transformations did not improve the distribution, so the 
original variable was
retained.
Overall, the hierarchical regression models explained moderate to moderately
high proportions of the variance in the dependent variables. Five 
blocks of variables
were entered in each model, with a total of 13 independent variables 
overall. For the first
dependent variable, perceived current level of print-online newsroom 
integration, the
total R-squared was .61 (See Table 2). For the other dependent 
variable, the degree to
which integration objectives were perceived to have been met, the 
total R-squared was
.52 (See Table 3).
12
Print/Online Integration
H1 predicted that newspaper circulation would be positively related to the
measures of successful integration. This hypothesis was not 
supported. As the beta
weights for circulation in Tables 2 and 3 indicate, circulation was 
not a significant
predictor in any of the regression equations for newspapers' current 
level of integration
or editors' perceptions that integration-related objectives had been met.
H2 considered organizational level variables, predicting that specific
organizational tactics such as establishing formal cross-media 
partnerships and
promotional policies, and perceptions about integration's possible 
effects on the
organization would influence perceived levels of integration and 
achievement of
integration objectives. This hypothesis was partially supported, with 
two of the five
variables entered at this stage significantly predicting the current 
level of integration and
three of the five variables significantly predicting perceptions that 
objectives had been
met. The organizational level variables explained 40 percent of the 
variance in current
level of integration, with the belief that integration will reach new 
readers (ß = .20,
p<.05) and perceived management commitment to integration (ß = .49, 
p<.001) being
significant predictor variables. For perceptions of objectives being met, the
organizational level variables explained 41 percent of the variance. 
Reaching new
readers (ß = .29, p<.01) and management commitment (ß = .47, p<.001) 
were again
significant in this model. Additionally, respondents whose newspapers 
had a specific
policy for promoting online content (ß = .34, p<.01) were also more 
likely to believe that
their newspapers were meeting their integration objectives.
H3 predicted that inter-staff attitudes and inclusion of online staff 
in editorial
meetings would influence perceived levels of integration and 
achievement of integration
13
Print/Online Integration
objectives. The two independent variables in this stage of the model 
were perceptions of
equal status between print and online staffs, and the degree of 
participation of online staff
members in newspaper planning and budget meetings. Moderate support 
was found for
this hypothesis. For perceived levels of integration, the block of 
variables was significant
(!R2=.08, p<.05), but meeting participation was the only significant 
predictor (ß = .26,
p<.05). The perceptions of relative staff equality were not 
significant. For perceptions of
objectives being met, both variables were significant predictors 
(!R2=.07, p<.05).
Perceived equal status was positively associated with objectives met 
(ß = .52, p<.05), and
online staff participation in meetings was also positively associated 
(ß = .22, p<.05).
H4 predicted that newspapers with converged news desks would be better
integrated due to having both print and online staffers in physical 
proximity. This
hypothesis was also partially supported. Respondents from newspapers 
with converged
news desks felt their operations were better integrated than did 
respondents whose
newspapers did not (!R2=.07, p<.01, ß = .29, p<.01). The presence of 
a converged news
desk was not, however, a significant predictor for perceptions that 
integration objectives
had been met.
H5 predicted that copy flow and content level factors would also affect
perceptions of successful print-online integration. This hypothesis 
was not supported.
The independent variables in this block were the extent to which 
online staff generated
content exclusively for the online product, the extent to which print 
journalists created
content specifically for the online product, and the extent to which 
the online product was
used for breaking stories. For newspapers in which online staff 
generated their own
content, respondents felt their current level of integration was 
lower (ß = -.22, p<.05), but
14
Print/Online Integration
the block of variables overall was not significant (!R2=.04, p=.17). 
None of the three
independent variables in this block were significant predictors of 
the perception of
integration objectives being met.
Discussion
Factors that influence integration
Efforts to integrate the print and online products at the major metropolitan
newspapers in the United States are well underway overall, although 
nearly one-third of
the respondents reported being integrated "to some degree" or "not at 
all." And according
to the executives who participated in this survey, their efforts have 
been moderately
successful.
The project looked at five areas thought to have an impact on print-online
integration: organizational and management issues, communication and 
attitudinal issues,
physical proximity and equipment-sharing issues, workflow and content 
issues, and
circulation size.
If newspaper management has integration as the goal, a key component is the
presence of a "converged" news desk, defined for the newspaper 
executives as "one
central area that handles stories regardless of medium and 
distribution platform." Clearly,
as empirical evidence has suggested, print and online editors working 
shoulder-toshoulder
and engaged in joint decision-making are predictive of greater levels of
integration between the newspaper and its online counterpart. In 
addition, the presence of
a converged news desk may send a continual visual signal to staff of 
both the newspaper
and the online service that integration is a management goal. But the 
presence of a
15
Print/Online Integration
converged news desk does not influence the likelihood that news 
executives will report
that integration has met management objectives for it. Despite their 
reported high levels
of commitment to integration, it is possible that these respondents — 
high-level print-side
journalists — still may view the converged news desk as a mechanism 
that siphons
resources from the print "mother ship" to some degree.
Online staff members at early online newspaper operations often were relegated
to the role of silent observer at news planning meetings, serving as 
information conduits
between the newspaper and the online service. In some operations, 
online staff adopted
somewhat more participatory roles as their presence became less 
foreign. This research
supports the belief among Northrup and others27 that online staff 
involvement in the
planning of news and feature stories before the reporting process 
actually begins is a key
component that will lead to more integrated operations.
Peterson28 notes that newspapers launched online services for a 
variety of reasons,
including a belief that they would attract new readers. Indeed, these 
results show that
another key component that influences levels of integration is the 
news executives' belief
that new readers will be attracted.
Industry observers including Northrup, Stevens and Fish29 suggest that having
print staff gather material for Web-only use and utilizing the online 
service for breaking
news during the newspaper's off-cycle will positively affect levels 
of integration, but
results here fail to support that belief. Editors at newspapers where 
online staff generate
their own online content felt their levels of integration were even 
lower, suggesting
somewhat of a two-staffs/two-operations approach.
Factors that influence management satisfaction that integration has 
met objectives
16
Print/Online Integration
As with factors that influence perceived levels of integration, the 
presence of
online staff during planning and news budget meetings was again found 
to be key.
Managers at operations where online staff are active participants in 
meetings are more
likely to report that integration has met their goals, which may have 
implications for
news organizations that have made the decision not to incorporate the 
online staff into the
news budget planning function.
Industry analysts have suggested that online staffs struggle for 
respect from their
newsroom counterparts and Singer30 uncovered lack of respect, lack of 
attention and lack
of "buy-in" from the print staff. The perception of the relative 
equality of status between
the print and online staffs was not a significant predictor of levels 
of integration, but it
was positively associated with managers' reports that objectives have 
been met,
suggesting that policies and practices aimed at equalizing perceived 
levels of status
between the two groups would be desirable.
As with factors that influence perceived levels of integration, managers who
believed that integration would reach new readers were more likely to 
report being
satisfied that objectives were being met. Qualitative evidence 
gathered from these editors
suggests an uncertainty about how integration will affect the future 
financial picture of
the news operations, but clearly, these managers are concerned with 
reversing the
circulation declines of the past 35 years.
Utilizing the newspaper to promote content available online was one of the
earliest — and least expensive — joint newspaper-online interactions 
and, indeed, having
formal policies for cross-promoting content influenced the managers' 
level of satisfaction
that integration was meeting objectives.
17
Print/Online Integration
Perhaps unsurprisingly, managers who reported a high level of commitment to
integration were more likely to be satisfied with its outcome. This 
finding — and the
subjective nature of management perceptions about the success of 
integration — clearly
suggest that further research is necessary to objectively quantify 
the degree to which
integration actually has met the multiplicity of goals newspaper 
executives hope to
achieve.
As was the case with levels of integration, having print staff gather 
material for
Web-only use, having online staff generate their own online content 
and utilizing the
online service for breaking news during the newspaper's off-cycle 
failed to predict
management beliefs that integration had met its objectives.
Garrison and Martin31 have used a circulation of 50,000 as the 
dividing point in
defining small and large newspapers. Because the definition of major 
metropolitan
involves market size — rather than relying solely on circulation size 
— the newspapers
studied ranged from a circulation of 42,219 to a circulation of 
2,136,068. Although past
research suggests that larger newspapers are technological leaders, 
the fact that the
circulation hypothesis was not supported here may be due to the fact 
that these
newspapers—collectively—were quite large, despite the broad 
circulation range. The
mean circulation was 324,280, with a median circulation of 242,391.
Finally, some traditional journalists and industry analysts have 
cautioned that
integration may have a deleterious effect, suggesting that 
cost-conscious executives will
require newspaper journalists to spend newsgathering and reporting 
time providing
content for the online product and thus diluting the quality of 
traditional journalism.
18
Print/Online Integration
Results of this study show that few news executives believe 
integration will have a
diluting effect and the issue was not significant in any way.
The fast-paced, competitive newspaper industry too often operates its 
newsrooms
without the benefit that quantitative data on practices, policies and 
procedures could
provide. Newspapers that seek to be fast and first can expend 
substantive amounts of
financial capital and personnel resources on initiatives without 
fully understanding either
the obstacles involved or the true potential outcomes. This research 
quantifies the
operational practices that influence both levels of integration and 
the degree to which
management reports being satisfied that integration has met their 
objectives. As a result,
newspapers that have integration as the goal — whether for audience 
satisfaction, time
efficiency, cost effectiveness, content synergies or any other — will 
be better able to
institute practices that can help meet those goals while avoiding 
costly mistakes.
Additionally, these findings suggest which operational policies and 
practices are most
likely to lead managers to report satisfaction that integration has 
met their goals.
Notes
1. Iver Peterson, "Commitments, and Questions, on Electronic 
Newspapers," The New
York Times, 26 February 1996, sec. D, p. 7.
2. Nora Paul, "Integrating Old and New Media Newsrooms," Poynter 
Online, 30 June
1998, < http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=5678> (5 
August 2004).
3. Kathleen Criner, quoted in an article by Lucia Moses, "Papers 
ponder how to integrate
Web sites," Editor & Publisher, 10 April 1999, 28-29.
4. Ande Zellman, quoted in an article by Kathleen Criner and Jane 
Wilson, "Managing
your new media circus," Editor & Publisher, 19 July 1997, 6.
19
Print/Online Integration
5. Kerry Northrup, "Preparing your newsroom for the digital world," 
Newspapers &
Technology, June 2002. < http://www.newsandtech.com/issues/2002/06-02/ifra/06-
02_dotink.htm>, (5 August 2004).
6. Bill Furlong, quoted by Moses, "Papers ponder how to integrate Web 
sites," 28-29.
7. Criner and Wilson, "Managing your new media circus," 7.
8. Peter Zollman, "The key question: Integration or independence," 
Online Technology,
April 2000, < 
http://www.newsandtech.com/issues/2000/04-00/ot/04-00_zollman.htm>,
(5 August 2004).
9. Jane B. Singer, "Changes and consistencies: Newspaper journalists 
contemplate online
future," Newspaper Research Journal, 18, no. 1-2 (winter/spring 1997): 17.
10. Phil Semas, "Lessons for Integration," presentation at Editor & 
Publishers'
Interactive Newspapers conference, 1998, attended by the author and 
available in
condensed form at Cyberjournalist.net
<http://www.cyberjournalist.net/news/000598.php> (5 August 2004).
11. John Fish, presentation at the Newspaper Association of America's Annual
Marketing Conference, 2002, < 
http://www.naa.org/presstime/JohnFish/>, (5 August
2004).
12. See, for example, Northrup, "Preparing your newsroom for the 
digital world"; Jane
Eileen Stevens, "Moving Online Into the Newsroom," Online Journalism 
Review," 3
December 2003, <http://www.ojr.org/ojr/workplace/1069284495.php>
(5 August 2004); and Fish's presentation to the Newspaper Association 
of America.
13. Northrup, "Preparing your newsroom for the digital world"; 
Melinda Gipson, "20
Tips To Improve Newsroom Integration," The Digital Edge, February 2003,
<http://www.digitaledge.org/DigArtPage.cfm?AID=4814> (5 August 2004); Stevens,
"Moving Online Into the Newsroom"; J.D. Lasica, "Keeping online 
staffers in exile,"
American Journalism Review 20, no. 4 (May 1998) 72,
<http://www.ajr.org/article_printable.asp?id=1791> (5 August 2004); 
and Newspaper
Association of America, "Opportunities in Anarchy: A Blueprint for 
Building Online
Services," 1995.
14. Northrup, "Preparing your newsroom for the digital world."
15. Gipson, "20 Tips To Improve Newsroom Integration."
16. Randy Dotinga, "Convergence Gains Critical Mass," Editor & 
Publisher, 12 May
2003.
<http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=18 

85814> (5 August 2004).
20
Print/Online Integration
17. Jane B. Singer, "Online staffers: Superstars or second-class 
citizens?" Newspaper
Research Journal, 20, no. 3 (summer 1999) 29.
18. Le Templar, "Convergence: We're coming together, but where are we going?"
Society of Professional Journalists, 11 November, 2002,
<http://www.spj.org/news.asp?REF=294> (5 August 2004).
19. Martha Stone, "The Backpack Journalist Is a 'Mush of Mediocrity'," Online
Journalism Review, 2 April 2002, 
<http://www.ojr.org/ojr/workplace/1017771634.php>
(5 August 2004).
20. Mark Glaser, "Business Side of Convergence Has Myths, Some Real 
Benefits, Online
Journalism Review, 19 May 2004, 
<http://ojr.org/ojr/business/1084948706.php> (5
August 2004).
21. Glaser, "Business Side of Convergence Has Myths, Some Real Benefits."
22. Rusty Coats, quoted in Stevens', "Moving Online Into the Newsroom."
23. Bruce Garrison, "Newspaper size as a factor in use of computers 
for newsgathering,"
Newspaper Research Journal, 20, no. 3 (summer 1999) 72; and S. 
Martin, "External
information databases in small circulation newsrooms," Newspaper 
Research Journal,
15, no. 2 (spring 1994) 165-160.
24. Newslink's list of "major metro newspapers" consists of 
"(m)ass-market newspapers
that publish a full range of regularly updated general news content 
online and in print in
an effort to serve as a dominant local or regional 
general-circulation news publication for
any of the nation's 50 largest consolidated metropolitan statistical 
areas, each with a
population in excess of 1 million, as determined by the latest U.S. 
Census Bureau
population estimates." Definition provided by Eric Meyer, associate 
professor of
journalism at the University of Illinois and Newslink Associates 
managing partner.
Personal communication on Sept. 18, 2003 and Sept. 3, 2004, 
<www.newslink.org> (12
August 2003).
25. Participating newspapers were: The Arizona Republic, Atlanta 
Journal Constitution,
Austin (TX) American Statesman, Baltimore Sun, Buffalo News, 
Charlotte Observer,
Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, 
Cincinnati Post,
Cleveland Plain Dealer, Columbus Dispatch, Commercial (TN) Appeal, 
Dallas Morning
News, Denver Post, Deseret (UT) News, Florida Sun-Sentinel, Florida 
Times-Union
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Grand Rapids Press, Greensboro News Record, Hartford
(CT.) Courant, Houston Chronicle, Indianapolis Star, Kansas City 
Star, Los Angeles
Daily News, Las Vegas Review-Journal, Los Angeles Times, Louisville 
Courier-Journal
Miami Herald, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Minneapolis Star Tribune, 
New Jersey Star-
Ledger, New Orleans Times-Picayune, Newsday, New York Post, New York Times,
Orange County (CA) Register, Orlando Sentinel, Palm Beach Post, 
Portland Oregonian
Providence (RI) Journal, Raleigh News & Observer, Richmond (VA.) 
Times Dispatch,
Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, Rocky Mountain News, Sacramento Bee, 
San Antonio
21
Print/Online Integration
Express-News, San Jose Mercury News, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 
Seattle Times, St.
Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Paul Pioneer Press, St. Petersburg Times, 
Tampa Tribune,
(CA) Press Enterprise, Detroit News, San Diego Union Tribune, USA 
Today, Virginian
Pilot, Washington Post, Washington Times and Winston-Salem Journal.
26. Barbara G. Tabachnick and Linda S. Fidell, Using Multivariate 
Statistics, 2nd Ed.
(New York: Harper Collins, 1989).
27. See, for example, Northrup, "Preparing your newsroom for the 
digital world";
Gipson, "20 Tips To Improve Newsroom Integration"; and Stevens, 
"Moving Online Into
the Newsroom."
28. Peterson, "Commitments, and Questions, on Electronic Newspapers."
29. Northrup, "Preparing your newsroom for the digital world"; 
Stevens, "Moving Online
Into the Newsroom"; and Fish's presentation to the Newspaper 
Association of America.
30. Singer, "Online staffers: Superstars or second-class citizens?"
31. Garrison, "Newspaper size as a factor in use of computers for 
newsgathering" and
Martin, "External information databases in small circulation newsrooms."
22
Table 1: Descriptive Statistics for Sample (n = 63)
Variable
Newsroom
Integration
Level
Perception of
Objectives
Met
Circulation
New Readers
Partners
Promotion
Policy*
Dilute
Journalism
Management
Commitment
Perceived
Equal Status
Meeting
Participation
Converged
News Desk*
Online Journ.
Create Online
Exclusive
Content
Print Journ.
Create Online
Exclusive
Content
Online Used
for Breaking
Stories
* = dummy variable coded as 0 = no, 1 = yes
s.d. Mean
.67 2.76
.62 2.51
303,293 324,280
.71 4.63
.90 1.02
.49 .37
.79 4.40
.92 4.11
1.26 2.20
2.62 7.40
.43 .24
1.00 3.44
.91 2.81
1.07 3.59
Standard
Error
.08
.08
38,211
.09
.11
.06
.10
.12
.17
.33
.05
.13
.12
.14
Print/Online Integration
Maximum
Value
4
Minimum
Value
1
4 1
2,136,068 42,219
5 1
4 0
1
5
5
4
9
1
5
0
2
1
1
0
0
1
4 1
5 1
23
Table 2: Hierarchical Regression Equations Predicting Current Level 
of Print-Online
Newsroom Integration
Equation 1
.18 Circulationa
New Readers
Partners
Promotion
Policy
Dilute
Journalism
Management
Commitment
Perceived
Equal Status
Meeting
Participation
Converged
News Desk
Online Journ.
Create Online
Exclusive
Content
Print Journ.
Create Online
Exclusive
Content
Online Used
for Breaking
Stories
.03 R2
R2 Change
a natural log transformation of original variable
Note: Cell entries are standardized regression coefficients. *p<.05, 
**p<.01, ***p<.001.
N=63
Equation 3 Equation 2
.05 .01
.19* .20*
.13 .11
.01 .09
.10 .12
.33** .49***
.13
.26*
.50*** .43***
.08* .40***
Print/Online Integration
Equation 5 Equation 4
.04 .05
.20* .21*
.12 .12
-.01 -.04
.03 .08
.20 .18
.08 .16
.30* .33**
.28** .29**
-.22*
.14
-.02
.61*** .57***
.04 .07**
24
Table 3: Hierarchical Regression Equations Predicting Perception of 
Objectives Met
Equation 1
.12 Circulationa
New Readers
Partners
Promotion
Policy
Dilute
Journalism
Management
Commitment
Perceived
Equal Status
Meeting
Participation
Converged
News Desk
Online Journ.
Create Online
Exclusive
Content
Print Journ.
Create Online
Exclusive
Content
Online Used
for Breaking
Stories
.02 R2
R2 Change
a natural log transformation of original variable
Note: Cell entries are standardized regression coefficients. *p<.05, 
**p<.01, ***p<.001.
N=63
Equation 3 Equation 2
.00 -.06
.29** .29**
-.12 -.11
.27** .34**
.10 .10
.34** .48***
.52*
.22*
.50*** .43***
.07* .41***
Print/Online Integration
Equation 5 Equation 4
.01 .00
.28** .30**
-.14 -.12
.21* .24*
.08 .09
.25 .26*
.62* .53*
.32* .26*
.16 .14
.10
.02
-.10
.52*** .51***
.01 .02
25