How many times do we have to say it?

Again, a blogger has nailed the news industry where it hurts. Ryan Sholin at Invisible Inkling lists the 10 obvious things about the future of newspapers you need to get through your head. The posting is a few days old, and several bloggers have already linked it, including Jeff Jarvis, who quoted the whole thing.

There is a generational component to this debate, but lots of us old journalists are trying to make these points, too. Sholin's list is right on the money, though, with points like these:

2. It’s not Craig’s fault. Newspaper classifieds suck and they have for years. Either develop simple database applications with photos and maps to let your users actually find what they’re looking for, or partner with a good third-party vertical who can. Anything less is a waste of your time.

And the one I like best, of course:

5. You don’t get to charge people for archives and you certainly don’t want to charge people for daily news content. Pulling your copy behind walls where it can’t be seen by readers on the wider Web. Search rules(my emphasis). Don’t hide from it.

Here's a great example of why news needs to be available online: The New Yorker is taking a beating from several bloggers about a Paul McCartney story that isn't on their website, only in print. Here's Rachel Sklar at The Huffington Post:

The point is, the New Yorker is doing the same thing with this McCartney article as it did with Remnick's massive piece on Bill Clinton last fall: Rendered it effectively non-existent online. Sure, people may write about it (that's how I found out about it, via my excellent and insightful mesh colleague Cynthia Brumfield), but that doesn't translate into pageviews or, less cynically, the chance to read an excellent article about Paul McCartney.