Two outlets weigh in on the efforts John Paton is making to convert his newsrooms to digital-first operations.
At the risk of self-serving (he is leading the proposed new ownership team under Paul Godfrey at Canwest Publishing, where I am employed), it's important to look at the work undertaken to transform his organizations.
The Poynter Institute looks at the results of his Franklin Project, in which newsrooms were asked to meet the needs of audiences by developing digital journalism using free tools. The three newsrooms proved ingenious in finding new techniques and software to tell their stories differently.
Then Earl Wilkinson, the executive director of the International Newsmedia Marketing Association, posts a profile of Paton and his approaches.
In essence, they are:
1. Mobile first, online second, print curated last.
2. Organizational culture akin to digital culture: transparent, crowdsourced, collaborative, flat.
3. Upward management on digital revenue, downward management on print costs.
At the risk of self-serving (he is leading the proposed new ownership team under Paul Godfrey at Canwest Publishing, where I am employed), it's important to look at the work undertaken to transform his organizations.
The Poynter Institute looks at the results of his Franklin Project, in which newsrooms were asked to meet the needs of audiences by developing digital journalism using free tools. The three newsrooms proved ingenious in finding new techniques and software to tell their stories differently.
Then Earl Wilkinson, the executive director of the International Newsmedia Marketing Association, posts a profile of Paton and his approaches.
In essence, they are:
1. Mobile first, online second, print curated last.
2. Organizational culture akin to digital culture: transparent, crowdsourced, collaborative, flat.
3. Upward management on digital revenue, downward management on print costs.
