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Newsroom Staffing

Over the past ten years, the traditional newsroom has become more adept at leveraging technologies more commonly associated with new media while new media is skillfully producing content that adheres to journalistic standards as evidenced by Josh Marshall’s Talking Points Memo winning the George Polk Awards for 2007 for legal reporting.

Ample conversations have been had on convergence, collaboration and integration of the newsroom, but regardless of the staff’s physical proximity, the organization should introduce a 24/7 news-desk where all news decision for all platforms are made. The news-desk should have equal representation from each platform and engage in new conversations over the handling of news:

• What is the optimal platform for the story distribution?
• How should the story be told across the varied platforms?
  • Is simple redundancy in publishing across the different channels adequate?
  • Should complimentary content be developed to further the story and take advantages of the unique strength of alternate channels?

Of the utmost importance is creating a competent news-desk that has the knowledge in how to compel and entice its audience to return frequently throughout the day through its varied distribution channels. Each return visit should yield consistent branding, voice and design to maintain a sense of familiarity, but more importantly provide completely new content assuring the reader as to the “freshness” and authority by which the organization headless news.

Wednesday: The Challenges

The tail wagging the dog

The adoption of the new media distribution channels offer newsrooms tremendous information previously unavailable in the form of a “two-way street” where the reader is engaging the organization. By providing the reader a sense of ownership though highly interactive, conversational or participatory elements, a sense of ownership, confidence and trust in the brand is fostered further enticing them to increased visits and engagement. Those readers that are engaged should be recognized not only on the new media channels, but also in traditional.

Take all feedback, whether from email, comments, discussion forums, or statistics as cues for newsroom “follows.” Allow the reader to become the newsroom’s ombudsman.

Sites without adequate participatory elements to allow for the free flow of conversation with the newsroom will force the reader to competitors, both local and global, or to simply build their own “soapbox” in the form of a blog or website. To those already lost, the newsroom should reach out by investing the time and the proper tools to provide them the means of voicing their opinion.

Tuesday: Newsroom Staffing

The Organization Mindset

Because of this prevailing state, MSM, regardless of their traditional core-competencies, must transform from television and radio stations, newspapers and magazines to a true media company. Only through fully leveraging the talents, skills and expertise of its staff can it not only withstand the economic pressures currently endured, but ultimately reaffirm itself as the definitive source for in-depth, enterprising, local news, opinion and information. This organization must recognize that the core service provided is not in its distribution channel, but rather in its news production.

Change needs to be embraced and initiated by top-level executives and communicated company-wide through education, enthusiasm and assurances. “Evangelists” must constantly communicate that this is not simply semantics but rather a core philosophy at the heart of the organization and that alternative distribution channels have unique benefits not only for the brand but for the employee as well:

• Television, Radio - Passive audience and core revenue stream
• Print - Detail oriented audience and core revenue stream
• Web - Engaged, community oriented audience with positive trending revenue growth
• Mobile - Service oriented audience with positive trending revenue growth

Monday: The tail wagging the dog

The prevailing mindset of those embedded within mainstream media (MSM) is one of a deteriorating and declining industry riddled with lay-offs and steadfast revenue-streams that have gone south. The Newspaper Association of America reported in March 2008 that, in 2007, the industry had its sharpest drop in advertising revenue of 9.4 percent. This attitude is so pervasive and so discouraging that it reinforces itself into a seemingly irreparable state of morale decline.

Terry Heaton, senior vice president of AR&D’s Media 2.0 arm which covers everything from the internet to mobile devices, makes an astute observation on his PoMo Blog paralleling this debilitating attitude permeating most MSM newsrooms to Elisabeth Kubler-Ross‘ five stages of grieving:

1. Denial
2. Anger
3. Bargaining
4. Depression
5. Acceptance

The good news is that most newsrooms are depressed having recognized that the industry has fundamentally changed, that the internet may be a viable focus of anger but unlikely to result in anything, nor will short term compromises, band-aids or negotiations. The nostalgic notion of the traditional newsroom is gone with those left standing faced with the challenge of accepting and adapting.

Friday: The organizational mindset