Convenor: Michael Skoler

[Note: this conversation veered back into business model discussions.]

Assumptions: Mainstream journalism is worth saving Mainstream journalism can change Mainstream journalism must change

Goals: What is being done? How do we evaluate? How do we drive/support change?

Michael described public insight journalism at Minnesota Public Radio. (See )

Chris P: MSJ still have role as counterbalances to powerful forces/newsmakers in society (e.g. Karl Rove). MSJ knows it must change. I’m not sure MSJ can change.

Jim: System says certain slow deterioration is better than radical change.

Peggy: Why not do what we’re doing here in newsroom?

Staci Kramer: Has to be done right. Risk is high.

Michael S: New Tyco CEO has replaced 290 of 300 executives. That’s one kind of change.

Staci: There are ways to introduce change, and ways not to. Don’t try to undermine whatever is being done. St. Louis Post-Dispatch tried to implement too much change too fast, while still doing what they’re doing.

Peggy: Change doesn’t have to damage.

Staci: What words do you use. “Public journalism” had negative connotations. What do you want to achieve?

Michael: When I came to MPR, I said we can produce stronger journalism. Journalists in newsroom said, “We are producing good journalism.” Took a year.

Scott: I appreciate the power of mainstream journalism. MPR holds state government accountable. This is why there’s a lot worth saving.

Jim: Powerful journalism getting smaller and less effective, or co-opted.

How to change:

1. Don’t undermine people & their daily work
2. Understand human cost
3. Requires different people to do things differently (“If you can’t do it, be prepared to do something else.”)

Examples of change taking hold:
∑ Where people are asked to be part of it, not being directed to do it
∑ Book on adaptive change: Leadership on the Line, by Heifetz and Linsky
∑ Preserve the core—stimulate progress, strengthen journalism as we change
∑ Have a robust discussion among stakeholders

Jim: We need to create models. A few organizations can make transition. New York Times will end print edition someday, but everyone will read it on-line. Anticipating in newsroom organizing. Wall Street Journal, more poorly managed, is doing that too.

Staci: Look at stories about changes in Dow Jones’ organizational structure. Electronic publishing no longer separate. One brand. 761,000 paying subscribers. Barrons has 69, 000. They also have a free news site: MarketWatch. Taps into inventory of consumer advertising (so they have access to those who don’t want to pay for info). They “give away” certain stories each day, sending them to bloggers, using “tiny URL” so bloggers can link to them easily. They’ve increased their relevancy & awareness factor by making news accessible outside the wall.

They also have a free site, OpinionJournal, with political pieces.

NYT did obverse with Times Select. (Made people pay.)

Jim: They have different advertising models.

Staci: WSJ making great use of targeted advertising.

Chris: Those aren’t local media, but niche markets.

Peggy: They know their audience, and are in service to their audience.

Staci: When you create sites with no geographic boundaries, you attract surprise audience. There are newspapers with pay-only audiences on-line. (It didn’t work in Atlanta, it did in Milwaukee/Green Bay, with sports package.)

Chris: You need passionate following.

Michael: More than half of our online audience at MPR is outside our region. (They find it through search engines.) Demands a shift in perspective in what we cover, but we haven’t done much of that.

Scott: What if they want what you’re already doing?
Staci: What if you’re a Midwest paper, and lots of your audience goes to Florida in winter? Advertisers don’t want to pay for that.
… How do you capture search engine visitors? (Trend toward Amazon-style, “If you liked this, you might like this.”)

Chris: Have you monetized the Internet?

Staci: Can you bring in additional income based on ROI (return on investment)?

Michael: Does serving outside online audience attract from or contribute to mission?

Rich: Can you allow that audience to shop in your community online? Support journalism that way. (Hasn’t worked yet, but I think it will.)

Michael: My favorite “what not to do” story is MSNBC citizen journalism page. “Runaway bride” stories. CNN: what readers are doing about high gas prices. (Feels better)

Jim: Newspaper ad people don’t think in terms of targeted audience. Can there be a way to extract targeted audiences from newspaper databases?

Staci: We need to be able to pay for journalism that matters.

Linda: Is this a publisher’s conversation or a journalist’s conversation? We need to have both.