#CCCC33 Journalism

I just came up with a new term:

“#CCCC33 Journalism”

It describes the increasing use of sensationalism and celebrity gossip among a ton of online newspapers to increase PVs and thus increase banner revenue. It’s derived from the term “Yellow Journalism” that describes a similar battle for circulation between Hearst and Pulitzer for thier New York newspapers in the 1900s.

“#CCCC33” is the hex code for a particularly dirty yellow that is in fitting with the tactics described above.

I mentioned this first over on Benji Lanyado’s blog post on the [future of journalism]. My predictions are:

1. More media outlets will move to the “Daily Mail Model,” publish more sensationalist, celebrity related nonsense in an attempt to increase PVs and squeeze every last drop of revenue out of CPM. Yellow Journalism in a Internet age, call it #CCCC33 Journalism maybe?!

2. Take the slightly more intelligent Sun or Daily Mirror option that ties profitable subsids like Bingo and Dating to cross subsidise the written word.

3. More and more journos will leave for the BBC.

4. Some outlets will ask for Government funding.

5. More outward media moguls will crop up, running papers at a loss to satisfy personal goals.