SLA News Industry in Crisis

News Industry in Crisis: 

News Industry in Crisis Summary of findings from three New Directions for News conferences and “Newsroom Training: Where’s the Investment?” sponsored by the Council of Presidents of National Journalism Organizations and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

Where news is going Why news matters : 

Where news is going Why news matters News organizations are under increasing pressure to cut costs. The quality of news is affected by the profit margins Wall Street expects from publicly-traded news companies. News organizations must expand and enhance coverage for an interconnected world in a troubled time. News organizations need to educate the public on the special role of the press in society, and the press' special responsibility as steward of a public trust.

New Directions for News Programs: 

New Directions for News Programs Three programs in May, August and October 2001 Enduring Values? Examining Journalism’s Foundations, Checking for Erosion The Content Connection: News in the Age of Access Paying for the Next News

Summary of NDN findings: 

Summary of NDN findings Journalistic values are still well-understood among journalists, but it is not clear who will set the agenda for the news of the future The public needs to be made aware of the history, purpose and values of journalism in a democracy

Summary of NDN findings: 

Summary of NDN findings News stories in the future will spiral from one medium to the next and will be produced for unique formats, devices and levels of interest Move from episodic journalism to guide-and-direct coverage that leads audiences through layers of information choices Audiences will contribute to storymaking – AmazonNews as a model

Summary of NDN findings: 

Summary of NDN findings News organizations will remain intermediaries of credibility, balance and fairness Technology will be used to customize to an audience of one Classic components of storytelling will prevail

Summary of NDN findings: 

Summary of NDN findings Three forces at the forefront of thinking about the future of the economics of news Globalization Information Technology Industry Consolidation

Summary of NDN findings: 

Summary of NDN findings Three key attributes to the future success of news organizations The imagination to innovate The willingness to collaborate The professionalism to perform

Summary of NDN findings: 

Summary of NDN findings News executives must become pacesetters and begin a “change journey” The era of journalist as expert is not sustainable. Audiences must have a voice. Technology is the tool The core journalistic value through which society is served and profits are made is professionalism

Summary of NDN findings: 

Summary of NDN findings Professionalism is defined as quality, accuracy and productivity How to measure such attributes in a way that matters to Wall Street? Define a news organization’s business as societal influence, not news Challenge Wall Street’s measurement of news as primarily a platform for advertising

How to Nurture Professionalism?: 

How to Nurture Professionalism? Reward risk-taking and innovation Audit and track the independence and vigor of news in each company Quantify quality as an asset that can be represented on a company’s balance sheet Develop operating plans that focus on relevance as well as revenue and cost

Training is the Weak Link: 

Training is the Weak Link Professionalism equates to journalistic competence and quality to execute flawlessly and to deliver value to ever more demanding audiences Most companies recognize the need to invest in employee training as a way to increase quality, retention and even profit News organizations are an exception

CPNJO / Knight Survey: 

CPNJO / Knight Survey Largest-ever survey of newsroom training 2,000 journalists and news executives from all media Describes myriad ways the news industry is not yet a full-fledged citizen of the “world of learning”

CPNJO / Knight findings: 

CPNJO / Knight findings 1. Training shortages concern journalists One in three journalists is dissatisfied with the job opportunities for training and development

CPNJO / Knight findings: 

CPNJO / Knight findings 2. Executives agree more training is needed Eight in ten news staffers feel a need for more training and nine in 10 news executives agree that all staff would benefit from more training

CPNJO / Knight findings: 

CPNJO / Knight findings 3. Execs say budgets are big problem Eight in 10 say lack of money limits training. Most say the maximum they can afford to spend is $500 per staffer per year. Ten percent admit they spend nothing

CPNJO / Knight findings: 

CPNJO / Knight findings 4. Time is also a problem Two in three execs say time for training is limited. On average, four or five days a year is all that can be alllowed

CPNJO / Knight findings: 

CPNJO / Knight findings 5. Training demand far exceeds supply Three broad areas of training are needed: Journalism Skills; Content Beat Areas and Ethics, Values and Legal Issues Half of news staffers say they don’t get training in any of these three areas

CPNJO / Knight findings: 

CPNJO / Knight findings 6. Training gap is widest in TV newsrooms In particular, ethics/values training and beat coverage training are seriously lacking

CPNJO / Knight findings: 

CPNJO / Knight findings 7. No trend towards higher training budgets 30 percent of execs say spending is up over the past 10 years, 25 percent say it is down, 30 percent say it is the same Just to keep up with inflation, budgets should have doubled

CPNJO / Knight findings: 

CPNJO / Knight findings 8. Most don’t have anyone on staff assigned to develop and schedule training News execs whose organizations have a training coordinator are most pleased with the effectiveness of training programs

CPNJO / Knight findings: 

CPNJO / Knight findings 9. Basic skills get the most attention One in three execs say they offer basic skills training on a weekly or monthly basis Beat coverage training and ethics/legal training is scheduled a few times a year at most

CPNJO / Knight findings: 

CPNJO / Knight findings 10. Most training is done in-house But outside training programs are more popular with staffers

CPNJO / Knight findings: 

CPNJO / Knight findings 11. Execs favor quicker, less- costly training Tops on execs’ wish list for training are distance learning programs and seminars at local journalism schools Most execs give their organizations an A or B for training

CPNJO / Knight findings: 

CPNJO / Knight findings 12. Staffers favor longer, off- site training Poynter or year-long university fellowships Half of staffers give their organization a C, D or F on training

So What and Who Cares?: 

So What and Who Cares? NDN programs outlined a connection between professionalism (quality, accuracy and productivity) and the future social and economic health of the news industry Industry leaders need to redefine their roles and operating assumptions in the new information environment