| When a newspaper company attempts to make significant changes, the effort is often met with resistance, as it is in most organizations. The Kansas City Star is no different. This study examines how change occurred during the evolution of the Star to an increased emphasis on its Web site, www.kansascity.com. The study describes organizational factors that drove the migration to online news, and examines how the newspaper made changes and adopted new roles in its newsroom and online department to create a successful online presence. To describe the changes at the Star, the findings were developed into a case study using data gathered in 2003 and in 2008. The data was gathered in interviews with the publisher, editors and reporters. The research shows that cultural barriers still exist in today's newsroom, and planning to deal with these barriers is critical to the success of a newspaper's change effort. |
