New Times Call For New Methods

Okay, so I'm doing all my pre-graduation prepping, and keep asking myself how I am going to get a job in an industry that is everywhere shedding jobs. The best thing I can think of is to formulate a model of news format and delivery that would be most appealing and accessible to people like me.

I recently surveyed people on the Internet about news, social media, and new media. Of the 140 responses, 125, or 89% were aged 16-24, 6% were aged 25-34, 2% were aged 35-49, and 3% were aged 50+. Admittedly, the survey was directed, primarily, at the 16-24 year old age group because that is the age group that will be “tomorrow’s generation” of news consumers.

The first question I asked was how often respondents used social media such as Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Stumble, or other social media network. 98% of respondents said they used social media at least once a day, while 58% said they used social media at least five times per day I then asked the respondents’ main source of news. Seventy-seven per cent of respondents said that the Internet was their main source, compared to 19% for television, and 4% for newspapers. One person stated that magazines were their main source of news. No one answered selected radio.

The responses to these questions demonstrate that younger people are using social networking widely and the Internet is their main source of news. Although this survey represents a small sample, the results are indicative of a generally wider use of internet resources across the population.

I next asked for the respondent’s opinion on three questions:

1. Do you feel more connected to a story when it involves or is reported by someone of your age group?
2. Would you liked to be more involved in the news process, i.e. communicating with reporters and producers, suggesting story ideas, and getting feedback?
3. Would you like to see more international news (news outside of the United States) being reported?

Answers to the first question were split right down the middle, with seventy saying yes and seventy saying no. Although the quality of the reporting is definitely the most important thing to people, many young adults feel more connected to someone like Anderson Cooper and other younger reporters. Reporters that deliver quality reports, and appear to understand the issues of their audience, are likely to be more trusted, and, thus, more viewed. The second question was answered similarly -- split nearly down the middle. Seventy-six people said they wanted more interaction, Sixty-four said they did not.

The third question produced an overwhelming response. Eighty-four per cent of those polled said they wanted to see more international news reported by the American media. It seems to me that the American media, as a whole, focuses very little attention on what happens outside of the United States. This became apparent to me when I was working on the Mumbai terror story in November. At the time, when I talked to people back home, many people knew little, if anything, about it. I checked all American websites. There was little more than a headline and brief story buried among the other news items. The Mumbai attacks were one of the biggest terrorist actions in recent history. Despite the severe international implications, much of the story went unreported in the United States. I find this unacceptable and so, apparently, do many other people. Americans, I think, generally, are trying to become more educated about the world. Keen to the realization that America is not the only nation in the world that has an impact on our everyday interests, a major market exists for international news. Someone has to come up with a way to reach that market.

After offering my respondents several multiple-choice questions, I gave them an opportunity to elaborate. “What is the most important subject to you that you would like to see reported more extensively on any level (local, national, international),” I asked. 128 people responded. Forty-nine responses dealt with international news, and 17 with international conflict and war. Some of the responses:

• “International relations, putting conflicts into context and getting a real picture of how the world views America and our policies”
• “I would like to see more attention paid to international news from different perspectives, breaking from the normal American view.”
• “international affairs; human rights issues/violations; environmental advances; technological developments”
• “INTERNATIONAL NEWS PLEASE! I don't care about octo-mom.”
• “I'd like to see coverage that gave more context to stories. Covering the breaking news story isn't enough for me, I want to hear and read about the people directly affected by that news. A story becomes more real, to me, if I know how an event impacted peoples' lives.”
• “I would like to get a better insight as to how the rest of the world truly views the United States. Don't just show me protests and US flags burning, but really tell me how other people are reacting to the actions of the US”
• “Definitely the human aspect of international war.”
• “I'm no expert but I have a different sort of view on this question - if I want to read about specific international affairs issues I'll go to bbc.com, if I want a general overview of what's going on in the world I'll go to cnn.com, etc. I'm a fan of news sources that find their niche and do an outstanding job covering that subject matter.”

The way I see things, and my findings support this, there needs to be an Internet platform for in-depth, quality international reporting. There are few, if any, places on the web that combine all aspects of journalism in one place to make a product that can appeal across generations and hit all the demographics of news users.

I have also noticed that many in the generation that did not grow up with the Internet are following the lead of the tech-savvy generation and working hard to learn what is going on with all this “new media”. In the last few months, 12 of my aunts and uncles have signed up for Facebook, as have both of my 53-year old parents, my 80-year-old grandmother, and my 84-year-old great aunt. People are realizing how much the internet is being used for everything these days, and are starting to catch up with the times.

Therefore, how do we in the media take advantage of this phenomenon? After scanning news sources all over the Internet for years, and even more since I was with CBS last fall, I noted the best of what I found, and came up with a website plan. This online-only news website would feature original video content in the form of pieces and extended interviews, original photos, AP-style original web stories, a blog platform for producers, correspondents, and others involved, a microblog (like Twitter), and the opportunity for users to interact with producers and correspondents in real-time.

The focus of this site’s media would be on the most important international news of the time. Budget restraints could inhibit the site’s coverage at first, but I think properly launched and managed, an audience would quickly grow. To tell the best story, reporters and producers need to be on the ground in those locations. On the other hand, an interactive technology-enriched audience could be groomed as contributors when having someone “there” just is not possible.

Humanization is the key to this project, which is why I think that all aspects of journalism need to be incorporated. Original video puts people there, seeing what is happening in “real time”. Photos capture a point of time and emotion that sometimes tell the best stories. Including a typical AP-style story will appeal to readers. A blog platform (think World Watch) helps humanize producers and reporters by giving them the ability to voice emotion they might not typically include in a regular story. They can also use this to update people on what they are currently working on, or even solicit input on trends, events, or possible stories. The microblog allows instant communication with a Twitter community that is hungry for the humanized correspondent. Journalists are already seeing increases in their appeal through this form of new media. Here are some relative examples:

Rick Sanchez
Richard Quest
Terry Moran

Claire McCaskill, one of the senators from the state of Missouri, and a rising star in the Democratic Party, is on Twitter. In a recent “tweet” McCaskill reported, “CBS just wanted to know if tweeting was a fad or here to stay. I said here to stay. Easy, fun, and helps me stay connected to people at home.”

The plane crash in Amsterdam was first reported on Twitter.

And here is a story about the growing need for newsrooms to keep pace.

At my current station, an NBC affiliate, and the number one station in the market, we are already putting much of this into place. Except for our news director, assignment editor, web editor, and senior producer, students run the station nearly completely. As a reporter, I pitch three or four stories each morning for my shift. Usually, I am assigned one of those. I then have until 5 P.M. to shoot my video, arrange and perform my interviews, write and edit my script, record voice-overs, edit the video and voice-overs into a piece, and prepare for live or on-set shots. Stills from my video are used for our website. I also write a web story different from my television package, and the TV hit (with piece) is uploaded to the web with “web extras”, such as extended interviews or extra information not included in my piece. We are encouraged to use Twitter throughout the day to keep viewers updated on what we’re working on for the evening news. It all seems to be working. KOMU was the first station in mid-Missouri to go 100% high definition. Each year brings several Emmy’s, Peabody’s, and Hearst awards. The station is currently getting a new set, complete, so I've heard, with touch-screen technology, new green screens, and other technologies that many top-20 markets do not yet have.

Now, what about the money? Obviously, the biggest question in these times is how something like this could be funded. First of all, there would be a lot of multi-tasking by the staff. A skeleton crew would, initially, do it all. With limited newsroom support, this could even be one person. Travel costs necessary to put someone “on-the-spot” would be limited. Producers and reporters might often be the same job, and sometimes producers may have to shoot and reporters edit. Sometimes a cameraman would be paired up with a reporter/producer. Everyone would have to learn to edit, write, shoot (both video and still), and learn how to use the web efficiently. This would be a small-time operation at first and would require a lot of work and dedication by those who were doing it, but what is the point of putting out a product produced by non-dedicated people?

Then comes the question of revenue generation. Marketing would initially focus on a readily available existing base of readers: the Internet. Facebook currently has 175 million active users and is growing quickly. Three billion minutes are spent on Facebook worldwide each day. Each user has an average of 120 friends. The fastest growing demographic is aged 30+. If there is a larger platform for marketing and advertising, it is difficult to imagine. And the best thing…it’s free! Twitter has millions of users and is growing quickly. Links and word of mouth could do much of the marketing for the product by itself, for free. The expanse of social media is the perfect platform for advertising and marketing. For a generation with an ever-shorter attention span, they want news a simple click away.

The growth of social media is just starting to blossom and people are beginning to realize its possibilities. The stories on this site could easily be linked to my anyone with a blog, Facebook, Twitter, or Digg, which are things that I believe soon many people across the globe will be using as a normal part of life. Also, with the growth of multi-purpose mobile phones, people can get their news at hand at any time. They don’t want to sit through commercials or carry around a gaudy paper when they can sift through what interests them with a small device in the palm of their hand, and share those things instantly with other people.

The idea behind all of this is that once a group of people find out about a good idea on the Internet, it spreads like wildfire. Likewise, with the growth of the Internet, new news can become old news in a matter of hours, and often times, people want information before the Evening News starts. No one has yet found a great new way of doing the news. Once someone does, they are likely to be the leader in tomorrow’s news generation. A multiplatform news source would appeal to all users (television, print, radio) because it would include all of those things. The idea, after all, is to get viewers to consume our product, no matter how they access it.

People are catching on quickly. CNN might be the current leader, but has yet to pull it all together. Other organizations have pieces in place, but remain behind. Company leaders should realize they need to put faith in a younger generation’s ideas. In a business that has forever put the most glory on those journalists that have the most experience, while I realize that the experience these journalists have is very important, must realize changing times call for changing methods. Journalism is an inherent part of society that cannot be marginalized or sacrificed. Finding the means to put out a superior and competitive product is necessary. Sitting idly by worrying who will have a job tomorrow is not acceptable. A bold and active approach is demanded. I have found out in my short life that the worst that can happen in any situation is someone will tell you no. For something in which I believe, I would take a million no’s for that one yes. If this plan can help me get a job, it can also offer further security to other journalists while bringing a new and exciting model of news delivery to the world.