Innovators in Digital News

Description

News organisations are struggling with technology transitions and fearful for their future. Yet some organisations are succeeding. Why are organisations such as Vice and BuzzFeed investing in journalism and why are pedigree journalists joining them? Why are news organisations making journalists redundant but recruiting technologists? Why does everyone seem to be embracing native advertising? Why are some news organisations more innovative than others? Drawing on extensive first-hand research this book explains how different international media organisations approach digital news and pinpoints the common organisational factors that help build their success.

Lucy Kung is a Research Fellow at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford. She splits her time between researching strategy, innovation and leadership in the media and working in the industry. She is Professor of Media Economics and Management at the Universities of Jonkoping, Sweden, and Oslo, and sits on the supervisory board of SRG, the Swiss public service broadcaster. She holds a PhD from the University of St Gallen, Switzerland and is the author of Strategy in the Media - From Theory to Practice and Inside the BBC and CNN - Managing Media Organisations.

"What can news organisations learn from the digital innovators? And how is news changing in the age of the algorithm? This well-researched, clearly argued book identifies crucial lessons for news executives and journalists. Through a series of case studies Lucy Kung has distilled the experience of those at the leading edge of digital news for the benefit of others still catching up. Newsrooms may know the theory of success in the online social environment - but implementation is hard and the risks of failure high. Here, key steps by those who have succeeded are identified and analysed. Anyone with responsibility for managing media operations will benefit from this book." - Richard Sambrook, Professor of Journalism, Cardiff University; former Director of BBC News; "Lucy Kung's book provides lucid analysis based on detailed inside looks at five of the world's most interesting news organisations. Everyone in the news business should read it." - Tom Standage, Digital Editor and Deputy Editor, The Economist; "With Innovators in Digital News, Lucy Kung takes us on a revealing tour of some key contemporary transformations in the making of news in America and the United Kingdom. The accessibility of her writing style and the diversity of case studies will make this book particularly appealing to practitioners." - Pablo J. Boczkowski, Professor and Director, Program in Leadership for Creative Enterprises, Northwestern University