The document discusses priorities and strategies for transforming a newsroom to a digital-first model. It recommends that leadership set the example by embracing social media and digital tools. The newsroom workflow should be changed to prioritize digital platforms, breaking news should be published immediately online rather than waiting for print. Meetings and budgets should also reflect the digital focus of collecting and reporting news. Training staff on digital and interactive tools is essential to the transformation.

1. Newsroom
Transformation
Steve Buttry
Trinity Mirror
Nov. 24, 2014
#Trinitytransform

2. Read more about it
• stevebuttry.wordpress.com
• slideshare.net/stevebuttry
• @stevebuttry
• stephenbuttry@gmail.com

3. Priorities
• Set the example from the top (change
what you do & say)
• Change how your newsroom works
• Change your meetings & budgets
• Change org, but don’t let org chart drive
the change; org should follow action
• Support change with training

4. Set the example
• Are you actively & visibly using social
media, especially Twitter?
• Are you learning along with staff?
• Do your questions & demands reflect
your stated priorities?
• Are you discussing ethical issues related
to change?

5. Change how you work
• Changing workflow changes culture
• Action (not talk or org chart) changes an
organization
• Changes must reflect clearly stated
priorities
• What do you need to stop doing?

6. What can you stop doing?
• Spell out your priorities (yours & the
organization’s)
• Analyze your workload
• What doesn’t match?

7. What should you stop doing?
• Can you just stop doing it?
• Do you need permission? Make your case
• Can you do less of it?
• Can you automate it?
• Is someone else doing? Link or partner
• Is free or cheap alternative available?
• Can you accept a lower standard?

8. What can you transform?
• Did your newsroom “bolt” digital
operations onto your print processes &
duties?
• Is digital-first operation more efficient?
• Should you “unbolt” from print processes
& culture?

9. Why “unbolt”?
• Increase digital content
• Increase digital audience
• Increase digital revenue
• Digital is the future
• Work more efficiently

10. Unbolt your newsroom
• News coverage & storytelling
• Processes
• Engagement
• Planning & management
• Mobile
• Standards

11. Unbolting news coverage
• Breaking news
• Event coverage
• Daily coverage
• Enterprise coverage

12. Breaking news
• Breaking news team completely
independent of print product, deadlines
• Publish as soon as we verify
• Update frequently
• Liveblog big, breaking stories
• Tweet, Tout & update from scene

13. Event coverage
Livetweet & liveblog everything:
• Sports events
• Meetings
• Trials
• Festivals
• Press conferences
• Need a compelling reason not to

14. Live coverage
• New Haven Register more than
quadrupled engagement minutes by
liveblogging more events
• Berkshire Eagle murder trial: 25K
engagement hours

15. Liveblogging tools

16. From live to print
• Will a brief suffice (plugging live
coverage?)
• A summary story, shorter than you’ve
been doing?
• Reporter can write faster
• Bring back “rewrite” editor?
• Should print coverage look ahead?

17. Routine daily news
• Setting early deadlines (11 a.m., 2 p.m.)
• Starting work earlier
• Write routine stories as they unfold, as
we do w/ breaking stories (initial post
followed by updates)

18. Unbolting enterprise stories
• Plan enterprise stories for digital
platforms (crowdsourcing, data, social,
video, photo, interactive, engaging)
• Publish for digital audience (during work
week)
• Sunday story (if any) comes second

19. Digital workflow questions
• Where do social media tasks fit into
workflow?
• What’s purpose of social media use by
staff?
• Where does video fit in workflow?
• Where does data analysis fit?
• How do you make stories interactive?

20. Meetings & budgets
• Is morning meeting about tomorrow’s
paper? Or today’s news-coverage plans?
• Do you critique morning paper? Or
discuss digital performance
• Do you brainstorm digital opportunities?
• Does news budget reflect digital work &
priorities?

21. Change the org chart
• New org chart won’t bring about change
but should reflect change
• Do the things you’re doing more of need
positions or teams to lead the effort?
• Who’s doing the things you’re doing less
of? What else should they do?
• Do work shifts reflect digital platforms?

22. Possible position changes
• Engagement/social media leader
• Consider breaking-news team
• Do you have data specialist, team?
• Do you have video specialist? Webcast
producer and/or anchor?
• What beats & positions need to change?
• How do editing & design need to change?

23. Training is essential
• Social media
• Video
• Data
• Interactive storytelling
• Time management
• Visual journalism
• Writing & editing

24. Training is essential
• Staff members train colleagues
• How-we-did-it brown bags
• Share online tips & tutorials
• Send staff to conferences & seminars
• Make them debrief w/ colleagues
• Bring trainers in

25. Read more about it
• stevebuttry.wordpress.com
• slideshare.net/stevebuttry
• @stevebuttry
• stephenbuttry@gmail.com