For Samford Crimson journalists

From the BBC’s Future of Journalism conference, via Paul Bradsaw:

Head of BBC Newsroom Peter Horrocks spent most of his session fielding questions from employees concerned about how their particular corner of the corporation would be affected by multimedia newsrooms. That aside, general themes from his presentation and responses to questions included:

• a need for a broader range of skills, such as information design and software development
• While strong single-platform performers will be encouraged to continue doing well on that platform, everyone else will be encouraged to work across platforms

The same will be important in newsrooms here as well. Don’t forget: even as we talk of a broad skill set the elemental foundation of quality journalism remains just as important.

Paul Bradshaw gives us plenty to think about when it comes to using social media in the practice of our journalism. He finds there is a small amount of extra work, but a worthwhile reward.

As journalists we used to be active in seeking those people out – and we used reliable, often official, channels to do that, meaning we were often too reliant on particular sources. Now sources are increasingly coming to us and the work is in making ourselves visible, accessible and trustworthy; and in filtering and verifying the information they provide.

That’s not ‘more passive’ journalism, it’s getting out of your silos and making contact; it’s moving from being a conduit to a stimulator. It’s moving from a linear production process to a networked one, and too few journalists are doing it.

The feedback, the better angles and the better reporting you can produce will be worth the effort. Doing so will also help you build a better brand for your newsroom and for yourself as a journalist.

The horrors in Mumbai reinforce a few of the things Mindy McAdams preaches about the future of newsrooms:

1. Breaking news will be online before it’s on television.
2. Breaking news — especially disasters and attacks in the middle of a city — will be covered first by non-journalists.
3. The non-journalists will continue providing new information even after the trained journalists arrive on the scene.
4. Cell phones will be the primary reporting tool at first, and possibly for hours.
5. Cell phones that can use a wireless Internet connection in addition to a cellular phone network are a more versatile reporting tool than a phone alone.
6. Still photos, transmitted by citizens on the ground, will tell more than most videos.
7. The right video will get so many views, your servers might crash (I’m not aware of this happening with any videos from Mumbai).
8. Live streaming video becomes a user magnet during a crisis.
9. Your print reporters need to know how to dictate over the phone. If they can get a line to the newsroom, it might be necessary.
10. Your Web team must be prepared for this kind of crisis reporting.

All of these things are true. You should also consider that breaking news of the chaotic sort is always difficult to sort out as it happens. Facts like fatalities, wounded or attackers are seldom as they seem during the actual event, as you might have noticed if you followed this story as it unfolded. This will require a cool head on your part and considerable editing prowess whether you are in the field or riding a desk during coverage of tragic events.