This distinction is crucial. Much is being made of the death of news, but the loudest voices making this argument all come from the traditional news industry. No surprise then that all this hot air is merely code for the increasing irrelevance of newspapers. But this should hardly be a surprise to anyone. Indeed, the surprise is that a nearly century-old business model still has some life left at all!
It is clear that there are two major flaws that must be addressed in order for the news business to return to profitability. One is a matter of journalistic process, the other is a more fundamental retooling of the news mindset. Both contain massive inefficiencies and for the most part, have failed to take advantage of the major technological shifts of the last decade.
It is clear that there are two major flaws that must be addressed in order for the news business to return to profitability. One is a matter of journalistic process, the other is a more fundamental retooling of the news mindset. Both contain massive inefficiencies and for the most part, have failed to take advantage of the major technological shifts of the last decade.
For the most part, journalists operate as independent entities and “sell” a finished product to newspapers, a sort of ongoing freelance entrepreneurial relationship. But as is the case in most production processes, there are efficiencies to be realized through the division of labor.
Not being a journalist, I can only speculate on the form a division of labor would take. What is clear however is that as more and more information is becoming available via the internet, the difficult task has become not dredging up information, but simply making sense of it all. This is almost certainly more efficient when tackled by a team than by an individual.
The second opportunity for the news business is more of a philosophical shift. Journalists are hell-bent on accuracy and a polished product, a holdover from a time when an article had to actually go to press and stand on its own for a full 24 hours. But real time updates are a reality of the web, so a transition to a more informal “work-in-progress” mentality seems inevitable (Great article on this “product vs. process” war here).
Journalists have also not fully adjusted to the realities of a world where they are no longer the sole expert on their beat. In the case of the Gulf Oil Spill, much timely information has bubbled up into the blogosphere (sorry couldn't resist!) from people on the ground with access and technical expertise a journalist could never match. In such cases, what is needed is aggregation and verification rather than traditional reporting; again a process more efficient when performed by a large (potentially crowd-sourced) group.
Not being a journalist, I can only speculate on the form a division of labor would take. What is clear however is that as more and more information is becoming available via the internet, the difficult task has become not dredging up information, but simply making sense of it all. This is almost certainly more efficient when tackled by a team than by an individual.
The second opportunity for the news business is more of a philosophical shift. Journalists are hell-bent on accuracy and a polished product, a holdover from a time when an article had to actually go to press and stand on its own for a full 24 hours. But real time updates are a reality of the web, so a transition to a more informal “work-in-progress” mentality seems inevitable (Great article on this “product vs. process” war here).
Journalists have also not fully adjusted to the realities of a world where they are no longer the sole expert on their beat. In the case of the Gulf Oil Spill, much timely information has bubbled up into the blogosphere (sorry couldn't resist!) from people on the ground with access and technical expertise a journalist could never match. In such cases, what is needed is aggregation and verification rather than traditional reporting; again a process more efficient when performed by a large (potentially crowd-sourced) group.
It seems clear therefore, that a wholesale transformation away from publishing stand-alone, polished pieces is inevitable. Journalists should not be afraid to publish what they know, even in a fragmented form, and enlist their readers to help verify and add new information. This reporting model is far more efficient and timely than what comes out of a traditional news-making process, and fits well into the chaotic give-and-take environment of the web.
In closing, the key to seeing what the future of the news business might look like is to imagine that we had to reinvent the entire process from scratch. The tools and technologies developed over the last decade would play a much larger role than they do now.
I am convinced that all the elements of a profitable news industry are already in place. What still needs to happen is a major shift in attitudes toward news and how it is produced. There are almost certainly huge opportunities for those who figure out the recipe first.
In closing, the key to seeing what the future of the news business might look like is to imagine that we had to reinvent the entire process from scratch. The tools and technologies developed over the last decade would play a much larger role than they do now.
I am convinced that all the elements of a profitable news industry are already in place. What still needs to happen is a major shift in attitudes toward news and how it is produced. There are almost certainly huge opportunities for those who figure out the recipe first.
No comments:
Post a Comment