USA TODAY DUMBS DOWN (Is that even possible?)

The Pulitzer Prize for the best investigative paragraph...

OK

So here's the situation: You have newspapers, magazines and TV stations that need more and more content as the web and iPhones continue to consume stuff all the time. At the same time, you have lower and lower revenues and consequently less and less to spend on creating that content. What do you do?

The answer is, you outsource.

But not to India

Instead, you outsource to the massive army of digital content providers who have been trained or are training themselves to fit that very need.

Makes sense.

(unless you used to be a full time journalist for a newspaper or a magazine or a TV network, in which case the solution seems pretty terrible).

Well, terrible or not, this is probably what is going to happen, and a big step in that direction was taken yesterday when USA Today announced that they were contracting with Demand Media to supply content for Travel Section.

Here is how the LA Times reported it today:

The arrangement calls for Demand Media to create and maintain a new travel section for USA Today's website called Travel Tips. The section, which debuted Wednesday, is populated by thousands of how-to articles created by Demand's editors and freelancers.

The LA Times also reported that the journalists who work for Demand Media are paid (ready for this one?) an average of $15 an article, or $20 for each video.  Let me repeat those rates again, but this time in bold:

an average of $15 an article, or $20 for each video

Did you get that?

Now, I went over to Demand Media's website, and I was not able to find any examples of the kind of video that you get for $20. I did, however (as they provide both print and video) get a sense of what kind of writing you get for $15 an article. All I had to do was read (or try to read) the copy on their website.

For example, when I clicked on the one that said, Learn More about how Demand Studios makes it possible for qualified writers, editors and filmmakers to create valuable content, reach an audience of millions, and make money", I got this:

Demand Studios helps digital brands profitably attract, engage and grow their audiences. Starting with proprietary technology to develop high value titles in designated topic areas, Demand Studios commissions vetted content assignments for our network of professional creators, who then put their passion, experience and skills into producing each assignment. This process is accelerated through a variety of online management tools and is overseen by a world class editorial team, resulting in content of the highest quality efficiently produced and value optimized.

Proprietary technology to develop high value titles in designated topic areas?

Resulting in content of the highest quality efficiently produced and value optimized?

Value optimized?

What the hell does that mean?

Incomprehensible corporate gobbledygook.

In other words, really bad writing.

Then I clicked on one of their videos on Livestrong, one of their "products" or was it a "brand"?

(I can't tell the difference. Can you?)

In any event, the video was as terrible as the writing:

You can't embed it, so I will give you the link: http://www.livestrong.com/video/1613-train-marathon/

This, in the video world, is what we call, Unwatchable Crap

(see how clear and direct my writing is. I don't refer to this video as “value optimized". I refer to it as "garbage".

Well, there you have it.

The future of USA Today.

Now, don't get me wrong. There's something interesting going on here. At The Travel Channel Academy, we graduated nearly 2,000 people trained to collect and produce travel stories.  We're very big on storytelling. Compelling storytelling.

Probably USA Today would be far better served making a connection with TCA. And they would get a far far far better product.

But not at $20 a video.

The world may have changed, but one thing remains the same: You get what you pay for.