Focus Washington: Brian Kelly, US News

The print publishing world most of us have lived by for centuries is changing. Major news publications like the Chicago Tribune, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, even the New York Times are losing advertising and circulation. Take a look at the venerable news weekly magazines and it’s obvious how thin they have become. With that in mind, I invited U.S. News & World Report editor Brian Kelly to come to Focus Washington to talk about the changes he sees coming in the news business. His own magazine, once printed weekly, is now a digital weekly. It is, he is convinced, the future. The familiar news magazine commentary is more immediate and timely on the Internet, and it is the direction readers seem to want to go. Kelly sees it also as the future of print media, including newspapers, which have been late in understanding the impact of the Internet. It’s a difficult transition for readers who have found comfort in holding a newspaper or magazine in hand and riffling through the pages being pleasantly surprised by stories you weren’t looking for. Reading magazines and newspapers on the Internet is a much different experience, but it must be learned because that is where the news industry is going if it is to survive, and Kelly believes U.S. News will master this world and thrive.