Newspapers aim to ride 'Trump Bump' to reach readers, advertisers

The Trump administration's combative view of traditional news media as the "opposition party" and "fake news" is turning out to be the best hope in 2017 for newspapers struggling to attract more digital readers and advertisers.TheNew York Times, the Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal and Gannett Co are building on the online readership they gained during the 2016 presidential election by marketing unbiased reporting as a sales strategy.


The risk, however, is whether those new readers will attract advertising dollars to the newspapers, some of which have been criticized for having political leanings.


An Edelman survey of more than 33,000 people in 28 countries shows trust in the media is at an all-time low at just 35 per cent.


So far, there is reason for optimism among newspaper executives and investors.


The New York Times, which President Donald Trump has referred to as "failing" in his Twitter messages, added a record 276,000 digital news subscribers in the last quarter and sees digital ad revenue up 10 to 15 per cent in the current quarter.


The company said it expects to add 200,000 digital subscriptions to its news products in the first quarter.


The Wall Street Journal added 113,000 digital subscriptions in its latest quarter, an almost 12 per cent jump. The company said that January's numbers were even higher, but it declined to provide figures.


Financial Times digital subscriptions jumped 6 percent in the fourth quarter to 646,000, while digital subscriptions at Gannett's USA Today Network, made up of 110 newspapers across the country, grew 26 per cent to 182,000 in the fourth quarter.


In addition to the proliferation of "fake news" websites that publish false stories for propaganda purposes, another challenge for traditional media is hostility from Trump who has on occasion described their reporting as "fake news."


Republican Trump's close adviser, Stephen Bannon, told The New York Times in an interview in January: "The media's the opposition party" and not the Democratic Party.


'No tilt'


To win over advertisers and readers' trust, The Wall Street Journal ran ads online and in print during the election. One featured a pin ball machine with the tagline, "No Tilt. Campaign coverage that's on the level."


The paper has run ads after the election to highlight its content as "created, curated and checked in a real newsroom."


The New York Times, which is focused on increasing its subscriber revenue, in January launched its "Truth" campaign consisting of online ads urging readers to sign up because, "Truth. It needs your support."