RJI news
Can structured news reinvent archives and reimagine objectivity?
In earlier posts I have reviewed the long-term potential of structured journalism to make newsrooms economically sustainable, empower news consumers and future-proof journalism as a profession. However, journalism is not just another business. Its economic and market success is important not only to its shareholders, customers and employees, but also to society in general. Journalism, … Continued
Small paper, small city undergoing big changes in Virginia
For a century, the Culpeper Star-Exponent — whose predecessors date to 1881 — served a small community that changed relatively little. Today, the newspaper is dealing with rapid change in its central Virginia market. Since 1980, Culpeper County has more than doubled its population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, mostly with commuters to the … Continued
How to make online news ‘brain friendly’
Online news can work with or against the brain. When RJI Fellows Alex Remington of The Washington Post and media researcher Paul Bolls applied brain science principles to news design, readers’ comprehension, recall and engagement increased. We interviewed the researchers (audio below) to learn how to make articles “brain friendly.” It’s all about the “reading path,” says Remington. “Classify the … Continued
Screen size and age affect how smartphone owners get mobile news stories
2015 RJI Mobile Media Research Report 4 Owners of large-screen smartphones (phablets) are much more likely than owners of standard-size smartphones to frequently use multiple approaches to access news organization content on their smartphones, according to the latest Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute mobile media poll. The survey also found that smartphone owners between the … Continued
Unholy alliances, superheroes and the ‘drunken walk’
A not-so-subtle theme kept cropping up this week at the Collaboration Culture Symposium (#rjicollab) at the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute: a superhero theme. Speakers conjured up images of caped crusaders in search of new alliances to fight the evils that have befallen The Fourth Estate. Those evils have eroded and disposed of the neophyte … Continued
Serving Hispanic readers is a matter of trust
A recent issue of Nuevas Raices, the Harrisonburg, Virginia, weekly newspaper that serves Hispanic readers in the Old Dominion, had just one small coupon ad. “We don’t trust them,” explains owner Fernando Gamboa, who says his 14,000 readers worry the coupons, standard in U.S. papers, won’t be redeemed. His readers have grown up in countries … Continued
Victor Hernandez: 50 Things We Learned From the Collaboration Culture Sympsium
Victor Hernandez, Banjo Victor Hernandez is a digital journalism strategist and new media thought leader with keen eyes and full attention toward the big picture of tomorrow’s rapidly changing media landscape. Hernandez is the director of media innovation at Banjo as well as an RJI Fellow, exploring the impact of wearable technologies on newsrooms. Hernandez worked extensively … Continued
Matt Booher: Being Data-Driven Has Little To Do With Data
Matt Booher, Scripps Media Digital Matt Booher brings more than 15 years of experience managing Web analytics implementations and digital marketing measurement strategies. As director of digital insights at Scripps Media Digital, Booher leads insight development for the Scripps core broadcasting digital operations and new business development teams. Booher’s previous agency experience includes client work … Continued
Edward McCain and Katherine Skinner: From Collaborative Action to Collective Impact
EDWARD MCCAIN: [Slide 1, 00:00] How many people here saw the film “Spotlight”? [Looks at hands raised.] I mean, I would think so. As you were sitting there, did you notice how many times — and how central a role — the news archive, the morgue, played in that movie? Would that story have been the … Continued
David Gehring: Establishing Industry Symmetry to Drive Economic Change
David Gehring, Relay Media David Gehring advises news media companies in Europe and the U.S with a focus on platform partnership strategy. Previously, Gehring worked for Guardian News and Media as VP of partnerships. At GNM, Gehring focused on developing and launching the Digital News Initiative with Google and seven other participating European news publishers. The goal of the … Continued