THE EVOLUTION OF JOURNALISM

Evolution of JOURNALISM The Case for Meek Inventing the Future

By Hank Price

We are entering a remarkable new era in journalism. Led by empowered consumers, news is being gathered, processed, shared and even understood in radical new ways. The very definition of news is being questioned, as is the role of journalism in tomorrow’s society. This changing landscape has created a time of great risk and great opportunity.

Most of our traditional journalistic institutions, professional and educational, are understandably wary of transformational change during a time when much of the future seems unknown. That is why industry has taken a conservative approach, expanding news products onto digital platforms, delving into such things as mobile apps and even accepting some input from users, but not doing anything that might risk current business models. A cautious response is understandable because it allows us to do what we do best, produce traditional news stories, then repurpose them for new media. What it does not do is invent the future. That role is being left to the consumer and new media players.

Ceding radical innovation to others creates a different kind of risk, one that could potentially put many of the things we hold dear – ethics, fairness, balance – in danger. This is not surprising since the current reinvention of communication is being driven not by journalism, but by two great social tsunamis, consumer choice and consumer connectivity. Choice has moved power from traditional media to the consumer. Connectivity has created an activist consumer who now demands a role in the news process. This reality of consumer power will continue to grow and assert itself in ways we cannot presently imagine.

Since we cannot control this process, we must make a decision. Will we continue to react to change or will we partner with the consumer to invent the future?

If we choose to partner and invent, we must first understand that the future is not about technology. Technology is merely the enabler. The future is about content. Content that addresses the fundamental needs and interests of human beings. One of the most basic human needs is to know truth from fiction. It is in this quest for truth that our paths align.

No one wants to get up every morning and figure out the world by themselves. Everyone wants a trusted source they can believe in. If we can become the consumer’s trusted source for news and information, she will reward us with her two most important assets, her time and her money.

In the past, being a trusted source meant producing news stories that were accurate, fair and balanced. In the new world it also means helping the user sort through massive amounts of information, much of it produced by consumers themselves, to get at the truth. It means bringing context, challenge and listening to what is now a two-way conversation. It means every point of contact must be transparent and build trust because any failure on our part will bring an end to the relationship.

Becoming the consumer’s trusted source will not be easy because it requires tearing down our internal cultural walls. But tear them down we must. Today’s consumer has already moved past platform centric journalism to become purely content centric. Those who see Twitter as their chief source of breaking news only care if the information is correct, not where it came from.

We are at a time that requires great leadership. The field is open. The opportunity is clear. Who will have the guts to seize it?

The Meek School of Journalism and New Media is already growing a reputation for innovation. The Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics, the Magazine Innovation Center, the IMC program and the growing outreach to the professional community all mark an organization that is looking forward. Meek is well positioned to become a national leader in future thinking.

Here is a place to start. Create a partnership between educators, professionals and consumers with the specific goal of inventing journalism’s future model. Educators are important to the mix because they add context, organization and advocacy of journalistic values. Professionals are essential because they will build future media businesses. Journalism students may be the most critical partner of all because they embody the reality of the new media consumer. Today’s students are the empowered users who will choose how media works in the future.

For 30 years I’ve heard television people ask “How can we get young people to watch television news?” I finally know the answer. We can’t. Perhaps it is time to find out what they are interested in.

Top tier educators and consumer/students are of course already present at Meek, but the third partner, professionals, will need to be recruited and Meek has the perfect opportunity to do that. Media companies are notorious for throwing new managers into the water and finding out who can swim. Mid-level professionals have few options for management training. By filling the mid-level management training void, Meek can gain access to future industry talent at a time when they are still young enough to embrace new ideas.

Simply putting these three key groups together will not be enough to create the future. They must be challenged, pushed and probed to take calculated risks and to actually lead change.

In his “on the record” blog, Dean Will Norton recently wrote that if Al Neuharth was leading a media giant today he would gather his trusted lieutenants, go to a secluded spot, and create a bold new vision for media. Having worked at Gannett during Al’s era, I know this to be true.

I also know how difficult it is to change culture in today’s media companies. Al understood this, which is why he called for bold, visionary leadership in journalism education. Now is the time for The Meek School of Journalism and New Media to become that visionary leader.

The author is president and general manager of WXII-TV, Hearst Television’s NBC affiliate in Winston-Salem/Greensboro, North Carolina. He is also senior director of Northwestern University’s Media Management Center where he teaches in both the Executive Education Seminars and the Kellogg Media Management MBA program. Much of his teaching and writing at Northwestern concentrates on the future of electronic media, especially the development of dominant and alternate local news brands.