The ability to direct readers to vast amounts of information is what most distinguishes electronic newspapers from the traditional model, says Neil Budde, editor of the Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition. Paper newspapers are severely limited by space and publishing costs. Many readers who are already overwhelmed by information may find the promise of more data a hollow blessing, of course. And indeed, the goal of electronic newspapering is ultimately to ease the consumer's data burden. Readers interested in everything from chess tournaments to obscure medical news will be able to have customized information automatically delivered to their computer screens along with the day's top news stories.
Most online newspapers have popular chat areas where readers can converse with writers and editors.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution , with its Access Atlanta on Prodigy, even expects to use some of its readers as volunteer reporters to gather neglected minutiae like bowling scores and school lunch programs. Journalists and publishers disagree about the value of interactivity. He routinely puts his electronic mail addresses at the end of each column and spends two hours or more a day wandering through cyberspace. Reporters and controversial columnists could wind up as online personalities, much like those in talk radio, says Rosalind Resnick, publisher of Interactive Publishing Alert , an industry newsletter. However much the public enjoys a kaffeeklatsch, the crucial question for electronic publishers is how to make a profit, and few of the newspapers flirting with cyberspace dare yet to dream of glory.