- Chapter 4 -

TRAINING PRINT JOURNALISTS FOR THE MULTIMEDIA NEWSROOM

INTRODUCTION

All major paradigm shifts require significant adaptation on behalf of those affected. Transforming your newsroom strategy to fit the digital age is no exception. Professional training is not a traditional habit of the newspaper industry, but as multimedia features become an integral part of all newspaper companies, editors and journalists need to relearn their craft. Newsroom executives must understand that preparing newsrooms for a fast-paced, non-stop news cycle that combines the best attributes of print, TV, radio and the Internet is not an option; it is an obligation.

ARTICLES

Training wheels: preparing staff for “hub and spokes” integration
The UK’s Daily Telegraph underwent what is arguably the most regarded integrated newsroom experiment during the last months of 2006, establishing a revolutionary “hub and spokes” newsroom architecture. In 2007, Australian publisher Fairfax adopted similar strategies to The Telegraph, but took a more gradual approach with its staff, allowing it to gradually acclimate to the overhaul. Not only did the speeds of their projects differ; their training programs were also distinct.

If Google can’t read your story, no one else will
At the newsstand, large type and a clever turn of phrase often made for a headline that would catch readers’ attention. But as newspapers migrate online, attracting readers often depends on showing up in a search engine’s top results. For both headlines and text, editors and journalists alike are learning the new rules for making sure good articles get noticed.

CONCLUSION

Training applied: building the integrated newsroom at the Lancashire Evening Post

In creating and implementing its ‘digital newsroom of the future’ project, the Lancashire Evening Post has worked closely with the Department of Journalism at the nearby University of Central Lancashire. The university has provided a range of dedicated training sessions for both reporters and editors, from workshops on video journalism to classes on managing newsroom change. In addition to the local journalists, hundreds of others from around Johnston Press also have participated in similar courses, along with associated panels and forums, over the past year and a half, and conversations continue on university-led blogs. Here, Jane B. Singer, Johnston Press Chair in Digital Journalism at the university, gives a detailed account of how LEP staff applied what they learned.