Mission impossible? NewsXchange wants to redefine journalism
Over the past year, events such as Brexit and the US Presidential election have shaken public confidence in the media and prompted soul-searching within the industry about the role of news in society.
Journalists are asking: are we cultural storytellers, public intellectuals, or just talking heads? The conference’s keynote address is “Are we out of touch?” and will be delivered by leader of the UK Independence Party Nigel Farage.
Despite the turmoil (real and imagined), new opportunities to engage and interact with audiences abound, yet these shifts challenge and complicate the business models of traditional news organisations.
Mobile devices, app platforms and big data are shaping content and audiences in new ways. They are also giving rise to a wider array of formats and platforms, from video to Snapchat.
What will this mean in practice? NewsXchange participants can dig into the details of a mobile first-strategy with Yusuf Omar of the Hindustan Times, the Thomson Foundation’s mobile journalist of the year, and hear about the next frontiers of digital news from Andrew Morse, head of CNN Digital Worldwide.
In the big picture, journalism — along with its technical tools — will adapt to new forms of storytelling, new audiences and even a new definition of the news itself that encompasses different kinds of events and a more rapid pace of change. These are all scenarios that call for the flexibility and speed of innovation built into open source software.
Making the most of opportunities
At NewsXchange our colleagues Arne and Renat want to talk to reporters, editors and newsroom managers to find out about the latest trends in the journalism world and to see what journalists struggle with, especially when it comes to technical tools and how our software solutions can help.
We at Sourcefabric are working with national news agencies such as Australian Associated Press and Norsk Telegrambyrå, newspapers like Zeit Online and media organisations like MTV. Our engineers work with reporters and editors in newsrooms to create the best technology tools for the future of media.
In our partnerships with media organisations small and large, we have seen that quality tools are crucial for quality journalism. We think redefining journalism is not impossible — actually, we are already there.