Leading newspaper lags behind online

How did Singapore's No 1 English language newspaper lose the battle for readers on the Internet? It is not even among the 20 most visited sites in Singapore according to Hitwise or Alexa, two website traffic trackers, as I wrote on July 25. The newspaper is trying to create a buzz about the new-look Straits Times we will be seeing online and in print from this Friday. I don't know why the printed newspaper is getting a remake, but blogs and more content will be added to the website because the Straits Times online is not getting as much traffic as it would like to have.

One reason why the Straits Times is the No 1 English language newspaper in Singapore but not as popular on the Internet is the difference in environments. The newspaper business in Singapore is a monopoly. The alternative freesheet Today is partly owned by the Straits Times' owner, Singapore Press Holdings. Newspapers require heavy investment -- printing presses, distribution networks -- and in Singapore a licence from the government which has to be renewed regularly. Constraints like these have worked in the Straits Times' favour: no challengers have emerged.

But the Internet is different. Anyone can create a website. Getting content is not difficult either. The Internet has other functions than those of the local newspaper and provides more niche content. There is more competition.

Opinion counts on the Net

Yet good newspapers and other news organisations can do well on the Internet. The BBC, New York Times, Washington Post and the Guardian are among the most popular websites in the world.

Why? For the answer, look at their menus highlighting their most popular stories. The most popular stories on good newspapers include not just hot news but analysis written by reporters and columnists. Columns by Paul Krugman, Thomas Friedman, David Brooks, Maureen Dowd feature regularly among the New York Times' top stories. Columns and commentary feature among the most-read articles on the Guardian and Washington Post as well.

The Straits Times also needs similar articles to attract more readers online.

They need not be as heavy as those on the Times, Post or the Guardian. Singapore has a different readership and political system.

Richer content will help too. Videos are popular everywhere. Online news sites thrive on interactivity. But just publishing breaking stories round the clock from various sources won't be enough. Had that been so, Drudge Report would have been the top news site. The fact that it isn't so shows news sites have to generate their own content. And columnists make a difference. 

Can Singapore's No 1 English language newspaper be one of the most popular sites online too? That is the real test of strength for the Straits Times. It has really faced no competition so far as a newspaper.