Dr. Mario R. García Hearst Digital Media Professional-in-Residence, Columbia Journalism School CEO/Founder, García Media @DrMarioRGarcia
MULTIPLATFORM STORYTELLINGTWO TEMPOS FOR THE DIGITAL AGE
The news cycle, then
The news ran on a schedule:
We read the morning newspaper as our breakfast ritual.
We listened to radio in the car.
We seldom missed Walter Cronkite at 6 p.m.
If we were late to bed, we could catch the 11 o’clock news.
In between, the news largely left us alone …
… except for emergencies.
Technology limited the pace of news.
When printing a newspaper on a mass scale, for example, you could not update an edition every five minutes to accommodate the latest news.
Most news sources appeared in regular editions, allowing for intensive editing and, eventually, art direction.
Not so today.
The news cycle, now
Things began to change in 1991, with the arrival of the World Wide Web.
www
Today, the media quartet
We are connected and addicted.
The more pings we get, the happier we seem to be.
It is just as easy to put out a tweet about breaking news as it is a massive, year-long investigative report.
Both appear instantaneously, at the click of the “submit” button.
If the default “then” was an edited package of news at a specific time, the default now is a second-by-second update.
24/7 curated
That is to say, we observe two tempos:
a constant flow of information
edited & art directed packages
Constant coverageTHE HARBOR LIGHT THEORY
There is an increasing appreciation for the role both tempos can play in a news organization’s offerings.
Let’s examine the legacy and startup news organizations doing interesting work with each tempo.
24/7
Interruptions and “everywhereness” Speed with accuracy Short over long Facts more than analysis
Breaking News Breaking News curates the latest pieces of news around the world, providing brief and fast updates. They combine these updates into topics, allowing users to be alerted to new information about their favorite topics or mute those they are not interested in. The creators came to the conclusion that focusing on the consumer goal of “time saved” trumps the newsroom goal of “time spent.”
Breaking News Breaking News curates the latest pieces of news around the world, providing brief and fast updates. They combine these updates into topics, allowing users to be alerted to new information about their favorite topics or mute those they are not interested in. The creators came to the conclusion that focusing on the consumer goal of “time saved” trumps the newsroom goal of “time spent.”
Circa Atomic units of information
Circa Editors who rework the top stories of the day—quotes, photos, maps, facts, background. Users can follow topics they’re interested in and get updates on new developments. Circa doesn’t show you an entire news article, the way a mobile news app from the New York Times or some other traditional outlet would: instead, it breaks the news down into its “atomic units,” which consist of a series of news facts, background information and other elements (photos, quotes, etc.) A user can then choose how many of those atomic units to read at a given time.
Google Glass Bringing technology closer to your senses
Smart watches Computer on your wrist
Tempo 2 Curated content
Maybe the question could be the interplay between the 24/7 and the curated. Has curated been the realm of only print for too long? What are the possibilities for curation in digital products? And, that critical question: How do you ensure that you're not over-extending and fragmenting your resources by having separate 24/7 and curated products? Why is this better than working on a single comprehensive 24/7
Curated content has always been the foundation of printed journalism.
So, what is the interplay between the 24/7 and the curated. What are the possibilities for curation in digital products?
Gulf News At the beginning: 2010, thinking curated edition in Dubai
Bollywood stars arrive Cannes Film Festival
Ash cloud is moving fastA fresh cloud of ash rises from the volcano under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in Iceland. Parts of British airspace might have to close from Sunday until Tuesday because of a fresh cloud of ash. Airlines had to cancel around 100,000 flights last month.
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NYT Now Hand-picked stories
Hook them, create new addictions
New York Times Today New York Times Now
NYT Now featuring curated content from the Times, and unlike the publication’s current algorithm-powered mobile app, it will have a dedicated staff responsible for hand-picking stories and repackaging them for consumption on your phone. NYT Now will consist of headlines and short summaries taking readers to full Times articles. A “morning briefing” and an “evening briefing” — presented in a conversational voice.
Yahoo! News Digest Combines algorithms and hand picked stories
Yahoo! News Digest Yahoo selects stories for the digest using a combination of algorithms and human editors, and sends you a push notification when your digest is ready. It is also one of the best-looking newsreading apps. I personally look forward to it when it comes twice a day.
There’s no personalization, no limitless stream of other stories they could read. Just a list of around a dozen stories and you’re done.
Cartoon Network Anything Cartoon Network will release an app later this year that will deliver original 15-second content bites — videos, games, polls, and trivia — solely to mobile devices.
The Guardian’s #Open001 This one is a PRINTED newspaper that knows what stories you share! Algorithms based on what your social-sharing activity. Sorry, no room for serendipity.
Breaking News Breaking News curates the latest pieces of news around the world, providing brief and fast updates. They combine these updates into topics, allowing users to be alerted to updates on their favorite topics or mute those they are not interested in.
Esquire Weekly When an iconic monthly turns weekly
The Atlantic Weekly A highly curated lean back experience to “let the mind roam”
Paris Match Weekly in print, nightly on smartphone
Doing print happily Printed newspapers were the first curators
5 takeaways
1) Make sure to have a clear philosophy in place for the flow of a story—how it evolves from the first tweet to a retrospective analysis.
2) Consider curated digital editions, which can allow for a different editorial perspective along with a clear start and end for users.
3) Mobile is certainly extraordinary for breaking news, but consider curated editions as well. But keep it short and sweet.
4) Do print happily, connecting the dots for readers. Give printed edition its place within the media quartet.
5) Today we are not in an environment conducive to solo performances. Emphasize interdisciplinary teams, bringing design, tech, business, editorial together to conceive these products.
6. The industry needs well-trained mobile editors who can tell stories across platforms. In fact, two years from now, a person who can’t work across platforms won’t find a job in media.
These are the best of times to be a storyteller.
Email: [email protected] Twitter: @DrMarioRGarcia Daily blog: garciamedia.com
Thank you!
Dr. Garcia is the 2014 Hearst Digital Media Professional in Residence at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism
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