I have a problem with Failing Fast. It’s a phrase that crops up in discussions around newsroom evolution, and in presentations at journalism conferences, and I have to wonder, did whoever first coined the phrase (in a non-Product context, at least,) really believe a failing quickly and moving on to the next thing a good thing?... Continue Reading →
Audience engagement and newsroom attitudes
Several years ago, when the words ‘content is king’ was everywhere, I remember Joanna Geary observing 'collaboration is queen’. I loved that. I’ve been thinking about Jo’s twist on King Content because the phrase ‘audience engagement’ is so prevalent right now, and I think that if collaboration is queen bee then being part of the... Continue Reading →
Dealing with witnesses: Why the Eyewitness Media Hub’s guidelines are so important for journalism
A while ago I was asked to join a group of journalists assembled with the aim of providing some input into Eyewitness Media Hub's principles for journalists working with UGC* - user generated content (or 'other people's words and images', as non-journalists might say). It was a privilege to be involved in the discussions and workshop... Continue Reading →
#formatDEN: Audiences, realities and goats in hats
Recurring themes in journalism conferences I’ve been following (and sometimes attended) this year are: Try innovating, not imitating (aka don’t be Buzzfeed-lite) Everyone is a reporter, so be a curator and editor Don’t be scared of failing Get developers coding in the newsroom At FormatDEN this week, these were raised but so were some others…... Continue Reading →
The end of ‘behind closed doors’ journalism
There are times in a journalist's career when you are going to have to approach someone who is not having the finest moment of their life, and ask them to help you. It might be calling on a grieving family, or approaching witnesses to an accident, or asking someone who has just emerged the loser in a tussle... Continue Reading →
CMS? It’s SEP
I was talking recently with a scarily smart colleague recently about what content/tech/social/CMS might look like in 2018, and I realised I was getting stuck around trying to jam new ideas of onto existing platforms. Way back when, in the heyday of print, everyone owned a printing press and managed their own platforms and distribution. In the 90’s I... Continue Reading →
Talking innovation, blockers and culture change at WAN-IFRA summit
I was amazed and delighted when WAN-IFRA contacted me recently to invite me to speak at the upcoming 13th International Newsroom Summit during World Publishing Expo in October, in Amsterdam. I said yes - what an opportunity to hear industry leaders from around the world talk about things I passionately want to learn as much as I can about! - and then... Continue Reading →
Innovations and ideas on the agenda for #fearlessDEN
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/475463981 Here's an exciting thing: The next DEN (Digital Editors Network) meeting is being held at Trinity Mirror Towers, aka One Canada Square, Canary Wharf, aka IN MY ACTUAL HQ. Having attended many DENs over the year (we even hosted one at the Liverpool Daily Post and Echo) it's exciting to be inviting the network at Canary Wharf, and... Continue Reading →
Newsrooms: Not what they were, but that’s no bad thing
Been catching up on some thinking around "what future for newspapers?" this week; this one by Michael Wolff was part-anguish and part-nostalgia and of the "on the one hand, [opinion], nevertheless, having said that [counter-opinion]..." school of writing. This one is a pretty unsentimental look at the issue from David Carr, of the NYT, which warns against the cosy sentiment that... Continue Reading →
The hook on which we are caught
These are some of my reflections on the Revival of Local Journalism conference, organised by the BBC and Society of Editors at MediaCity UK, and held on June 25. There are links to others’ posts and articles from the day throughout this piece. The Revival of Local Journalism conference (hashtag #localjournalism) on June 25 was... Continue Reading →
Alison Gow | Building the New 