The document summarizes changes in journalism and news consumption habits. It notes that news consumption is no longer confined to fixed times of delivery and that users now expect to access content through different devices. It recommends that news organizations personalize content, make it easy to download and share, and take users on a content journey across multiple platforms to better engage audiences. It also stresses the importance of quality journalism and adapting to the constant evolving news cycle.

1. Journalism @ 2014
Shaun Milne : @milnemedia
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Edinburgh Napier University : MA in Journalism
Guest lecture, Merchiston Campus, January 22, 2014
NB: Presentation & opinions are those of the author & independent of his employers

2. Here is the news …
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News hasn’t changed - the customer has
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Their needs, demands & consumption habits have altered
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Users have a greater power of choice
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Fixed times of mass news delivery no longer exist - we are
in a constant rolling cycling of peaks & troughs
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We are in an era of discoverable news
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We must woo customers with outstanding journalism

3. One size doesn't fit all
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Responsive design is a vital tool for serving online audience
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Users expect to access content when they want & how they want it regardless of device
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If content is King, personalisation will be Queen - stop using algorithms to
guess habits. Allow self selection & learn from it
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Finders, keepers - content should be downloadable, viewable offline &
easy to share in one click
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Gamification of news is here. Give loyal customers something back
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Join the dots - take the user on a content journey
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Invest in content, you have nothing without it

4. Responding to change
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Ad supported spin off sites can provided extra value content with real time
news, competitions & UCG
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Use your core sites to concentrate on journalism, long form, lifestyle &
exclusives. Bake it into subscription models if you have any
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Geolocation is your friend. Let it help
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Understand the modern publishing cycle
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Newspapers should rip up the old print model & start again. Think like a
magazine
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Go agile. Move faster.
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Stop making it complicated. A good idea needs commitment not a committee

5. Kinds of content
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Breaking: headline grabbing ‘OMG you’ve gotta see’
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Live: time sensitive stories probably worth knowing
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Impact: the big hits - Snowden, MPs expenses
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Fractured: listiciles, social media, bite-sized
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Stand-out: Snowfall, iWonder, project based
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Community: engagement, news you can use, UGC
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Niche: sports, business, arts & more

6. Understand the cycle
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Customers may focus on their mobile in the morning for a first
glance at what’s going on
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They could pick up a paper or free sheet for the morning commute
or switch to a Kindle or tablet
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At work they face a desktop or laptop as well as mobile for their
lunch break
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Home may involve a smart TV but certainly a second screen
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We must now serve all these publishing windows and more
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The phrase “It’s the way we’ve always done it” has no place in
modern journalism

7. Stop Press! This just in
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Print media followed a similar publishing cycle before but have
apparently forgotten
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Evening newspapers used to roll out several editions to meet
user needs & geo-locations
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They would serve niche content too with special supplements &
separate sports editions
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Newspapers also had the original paywall - its called a cover
price
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Editors need to take a similar approach to online & realise its the
way that needs adapted, not necessarily the what

8. Don’t blame the Internet
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24-hour rolling news broadcasts have arguably had a far more
caustic affect on the print publishing & buying cycle than web
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TV responded quicker & better to changes online, seeing an
opportunity to both build new audience & breathe commercial
life into legacy content
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Sky for iPad is a thing of beauty & has set the bar in the UK
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Smart TV is here - publishers should be seeking on air content
partners or developing apps of their own
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The internet provides a bigger potential audience than ever
before - box out every day

9. Get social, media
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Every newsroom should have dedicated specialist social media
teams - journalists & data researchers
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Use it to learn from your audience - discover what content works &
when - analytics are there to educate
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Consider social media an additional online newswire you don’t need
to pay for
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Think rolodex - hundreds of PRs & contacts at the end of an instant
message
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It is a billboard, letters page, tip off line & paperboy in one
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Work at social as part of the overall picture - it’s just part of the jigsaw

10. Challenges & realities
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Resources: journalists can be multi-skilled, but not superhuman. Give them both the tools &
colleagues they need to do their own jobs well
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Specialists: good reporters can & will turn hands to anything, but specialists give you an edge on
a story & deep knowledge to exploit. Learn to work smarter & target resource to content that
builds audience & save by scrapping the vanity pieces
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If newsrooms just want to re-write wire copy, they should hire teams of talented subs. Otherwise
let journalists be journalists
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Content is your Unique Selling Point - it is the only thing that can set apart from the mundane
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We live in 24/7 live global media window. Newsrooms shouldn’t stop because of our 9am - 5pm
society. They should staff up and seize the opportunity of night audience
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Every media business has budgets to meet, but so do staff. Workers won’t do as well if they are
worrying about their bills. Colleagues perform far better & stay longer if they feel valued & are
treated with respect. The same should be true of trainees & interns
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If bottom lines don’t balance, manage expectation & don’t stretch your team thin. Focus on what
you do best, better. Build from there

11. Journalism @ 2014
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This can be one of the most privileged jobs in the world - treat it
with respect
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Make your choices wisely. People will exploit you. Decide if it’s
worth the long term gain
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Trust your gut, instincts are usually right
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Read, read, read. Learn, always
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Doing is better than talking
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Talking is better than doing nothing
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Always remember to close the garden gate

12. “aut viam inveniam aut faciam.”
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“I will find a way, or I will make one”
Follow me : @milnemedia @scotpapers @scottishmedia @scottishjschool