Former home of Headlines and Deadlines

Monday, 30 July 2012

11 thoughts about tolerance. (And why it's over-rated)

I'm starting to think social media has made me a less-than-tolerant communicator when it comes to certain issues. This is why:

1. I assume everyone has already seen whatever Twitter is buzzing about and so knows what I'm talking about.

2. "Because it's wrong" is not a comprehensive and thorough enough explanation of why I detest MSM plundering Facebook photos SO MUCH.

3. I feel uncomfortable if people I know personally have egg avatars. I also make this plain until they upload a photo in self-defence.

4. I forget Scribd is not a verb, and that using it does not auto-translate into "handy way to share and embed a pdf accompanying an article".

5. My heart may sink at Powerpoint but should remember any involuntary groan of anguish I emit when confronted by another sodding Prezi will cause the speaker to react negatively.

6. I work on the basis that linking to a source for more information has permeated Real World consciousness. And I get cross when that assumption is confounded yet again.

7. I assume general understanding that correct attribution of Flickr or Instagram photos to rightful, consenting owners is a basic principle of use. This should not be a water-on-stone issue.

8. Talking about adopting an Agile ethos may cause others to believe I want them to run around at speed. I should check for blank or anxious expressions before continuing the conversation.

9. Tweeting to colleagues sat 10 feet across the office is no substitute for a conversation - but it is often faster, more effective and easier.

10. I believe there is a special circle of Hell for people who copy others' thoughts on Twitter and pass them off as their own. By incredible coincidence, several people all thought of this bon mot on Saturday, for example...

I remember back at nine o'clock when this were all fields.

— ade (@ade) July 27, 201

11*. I don't understand why the internet seems to demand lists are made in 10s regardless of whether it's required or not. *frowns at Huffington Post and Mashable*

* See? I also have zero patience with anyone who would admit to doing something "because the internet demanded it".
My tolerance levels are not what they were. And, to be honest, that's fine by me.

Flickr photo courtesy of jcoolmoonster

Friday, 13 July 2012

A bit of MSM and hyperlocal co-operation goes a long way

I came across an exchange between the Daily Post and Wrexham.com on Twitter today that made me happy.
It makes far more sense for MSM and hyperlocals to support each other to get information out; the alternative is to pretend the other doesn't exist or - worse - denigrate the 'rival' source. The former is a MSM habit, the latter (in my experience) an indie one.

As far as I'm concerned, the main competition anyone trying to connect with content consumers faces is audience disconnect, distrust and apathy, not other information sources (whether those information sources are the BBC or the eyewitness tweeting).

Yes, I edit the Daily Post (the exchange below had nothing to do with me though) and I know we won't be unique in having candid, supportive conversations with other news organisations without getting precious.

But, as I say, it made me happy to see mainstream and indie teaming up to make sure a story was accurately and swiftly updated. And so I thought it was worth saving the moment here.
The Daily Post current version of the story is here and Wrexham.com's is here.

Thursday, 12 July 2012

Industry disruption and journalism - an enthusiast's perspective

Brian Storm, founder of Mediastorm, says to photographers: "Don't just take someone's picture - give them a voice..."

But this EJC video interview, hosted on Vimeo in HD, has a message that has relevance far beyond photographers - I think it's essential viewing for anyone working in a newsroom right now.

He says: "The tools are so great and the distribution is there for everybody... that's been disruptive... but it has also created enormous opportunities".

Opportunities don't come along that often - I worked as a journalist for around 12 years before email came along, and then the internet - the pace of acceleration since then has been astonishing and exhilerating.

Mediastorm is amazing; I remember watching a package they created (for the Washington Post, I think?) a few years ago, on US soldiers and their families before and after a tour of duty in Iraq - it was haunting and disturbing and compelling. It was also a piece of digital storytelling that didn't require any text beyond context-setting captions.

For me the best thing about Storm's video interview is his enthusiasm - the fact that he loves the innovation sparked by disruption shines through.

It's five minutes of inspiration I'd recommend watching

Brian Storm - 'Discusses Storytelling and Journalism' from European Journalism Centre on Vimeo.

Sunday, 1 July 2012

Journalism work experience debate (Storify)

I followed a good debate on Twitter today, when some valuable points were made regarding the pros and cons of doing unpaid work experience, and so I thought it was worth capturing the discussion via Storify.

Thursday, 28 June 2012

What does an editor do? ...

...It's not an 'Answers on a Postcard, Please' moment, or a rhetorical question (although I guess it's one many working in the news industry have asked, in varying tones of frustration, at one time or another).

For the purposes of this blog post, however, it is part of my MA dissertation I'm tackling on the Journalism Leaders course at UCLan.

When I embarked on the hunt for a topic which merited 20,000 words of my deathless prose I was interested in editorial responsibilities in terms of entrepreneurship, and innovation and change management.

Then, after it was gently pointed out that the dissertation deadline was September 2012, not - as my broad field of interest would have required - before the eventual collapse of the universe, I had to refine the topic.

It came down to this: What do editors do? What will they be required to do in the face of industry disruption, and what can the role become?

I'm not looking at broadcast media challenges and I'm mainly focused on the UKas the role seems to have different scopes and definitions in some other countries.

Also, it was partly fueled by the UK responses to the World News Future & Change Study (2010), where publishing executives discussed their strategic and operational goals and challenges for the immediate future.

Globally, responses post to the open-ended question: “What is the single most important change that has to be implemented in your newspaper over the next year?” included

  •    Content/journalism
  •    Leadership/management/strategy
  •    Convergence
  •    Internet/technologies
  •    Culture change

Internationally, there was a strong feeling existing leaders were unprepared for these next steps, but it was the UK respondents who saw leadership training/development as the logical solution.

So I'm approaching the issue from the point of view that if there is a stated strategic goal for change, and an understanding that editorial leaders need development to meet that goal, what competencies does an editor require now, and in the coming years?

It means I need editors to say, anonymously if they wish, what their present role entails, what their average day comprises, what areas they feel they need more development in, and what challenges they are facing.

I'm running a questionnaire on SurveyMonkey which, by the way, is a great sampling tool and gives you up to 10 questions free. I chose the market research template, and my questions are a mix of multiple choice, rating, ranking, comment and text.

You can find the survey here and if you're able to assist me by taking the survey, or pinging it around the interwebs to reach as many media executives as possible, you'll have my deepest gratitude. (And huge thanks to Hold The Front Page and the Society of Editors for kind assistance in highlighting it.)

Now I've got the topic sorted and am researching things, I'm nose-deep in interesting journals and papers (there are a lot of interesting papers and journals out there - it's daunting how many, to be honest).

I've created a Delicious Stack of some of the readings I've found interesting. It's the first time I've really found a Stack worthwhile and it may even lure me back to start using Delicious again more often.

Photo credit - the Cheezburger faries, of course.Where else are you going to get teh cute kitteh on keyboard photo from?

Thursday, 7 June 2012

Changing times: Making a 1940s newspaper (video)

I've been involved in lots of meetings and discussions about the future of local newspaper journalism recently, but when you're gazing ahead, sometimes it's nice to be reminded of where everything came from.

I saved this video so long ago on YouTube I can't credit whoever pointed me in at it, but it's originally from Archive.org and is part of the Prelinger Archives.

And it's a fascinating insight into another world (although it depicts a seriously male-dominated industry). Who couldn't fail to be charmed by a narrator who tells his audience: "'This reporter is in a hurry. He is GOING TO COVER A FIRE. Covering a fire is usually an exciting event" while the film cuts from a reporter hurrying away from his editor to a burning building.

Or "The editorial writer must be able to write on many subjects, but instead of merely reporting the news he analyses it and explains its meaning" all accompanied by an earnest editorial writer poring over the paper and stroking his chin before pounding his thoughts out on the old Imperial alongside him.

And, finally, "The country editor, unlike the city editor, must spread his attention over all aspects of the business. He must go out after local news himself, and from local merchants solicit the advertising... he must then write the advertising and the news and plan the layout of each issue".

The segment ends with the tireless country editor printing out his paper by hand; I wonder what he would make of the unmanned robots trundling around, doing jobs without any manual intervention, at our Oldham print works.

Thursday, 10 May 2012

The responsibility of learning

I always find the Pew Research Centre data fascinating - the information is all based on US findings, of course, but it's a wonderful insight into the way people think (and, given the right technology, operate).

The latest one - Learning in the Digital Age - is no exception. It's packed with stats and graphs, although my personal favourite slide is this one:

74% of smartphone users are sharing where they are and what they are doing there. A later slide says 52% of adults are on social networks (I would have probably guessed higher, probably due to my own bias)
If mainstream media organisations can't find a way to tap into these people - collaboratively, editorially and commercially - we may as well pack up and go home. Although some of the information pertains to libraries and librarians, it inevitably has resonance with me as a journalist.
Like this slide

From a media point of view, you could say "We report best passively..." has been replaced by "We report best actively" - the engagement, collaboration and transparency that newsrooms should strive for is just the same.
And, taking the last part of the sentence into consideration, I believe we should manage our own learning.
Training is vital, and no one should be expected to be able to produce edited video without having some idea of how to go about it but when it comes to learning about social media, data tools, mapping, sharing, online tools that make doing the job or telling the story easier/better/richer - from Audioboo to Zemanta- there is a responsibility to keep up with what's happening.

Learning on the job is part of the job. Whether it's listening to colleagues, reading tech blogs, following interesting people on Twitter (it even suggests who you should follow now, after all) or Quora, asking questions.... learning about the new tools of the trade comes down to putting your journalist abilities into good use.
After all, it is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.