Two years ago I wrote that Canadian journalism schools should be teaching more entrepreneurial skills. We’re still not there yet. But really it’s systemic of a wider issue in higher journalism education: how can universities be learning labs for digital innovation with a largely tenured faculty, sometimes decades removed from practicing the craft? If journalism […]

This is analytics for the small newsroom. We don’t have a budget or dedicated staff to monitor the impact of our journalism or tell the story of that impact, and neither do you. We’re could all use an idiot-proof toehold on that huge stack of numbers, alerts, and charts that will make us better at […]

Austin will present a general talk around the latest media technology developments and takeaways from building and launching some of the largest news sites, such as the New York Post and The New Republic. Lots of noise has been made about “reinventing the CMS” recently. Platforms like Vox, Gawker Media, and Buzzfeed all run custom-built […]

Public Media has embarked on a new adventure. We have deployed a new digital interconnection system called the Public Media Platform (PMP). The PMP is transforming our collective digital presence, bringing new audiences to our doorsteps and making partnerships and collaborations cost effective, different and fun. This session will explain why public media felt that […]

At NPR, dozens of staffers use Agile scrum methods every day to build digital products and news apps quickly and beautifully. But scrum can be tough or scary for a news organization. It can appear too technical, too rigid or, worst, too much a departure or distraction from the hard work of journalism and storytelling. […]

How well has your newsroom helped your local community to understand and prepare for the risks of extreme weather and climate change? This half-day workshop will help you to better cover these complex issues by listening to and building engagement with your audience. You’ll get hands-on experience in how to use the tested methods of […]

Ten years ago, a short video called EPIC 2014 made waves among the future-of-media crowd for its depiction of a news universe ruled by a tech behemoth called Googlezon. It’s 2014, and now everyone’s in the future-of-media business (whether they like it or not). Over those ten years, the news industry’s outlook on the future […]

In digital news, we almost all use a CMS. Many of us hate our CMS. A few of us like our CMS. For some of us, we have a huge CMS, and we’ve spent a lot of money on it. Other times, we have a tiny CMS, and we’ve gotten it for free. Whatever the […]

Entrepreneurs know the key to designing successful companies and products is identifying big problems and inventing even bigger solutions. When done right –> disruption and changed lives. Now, ambitious journalists are adapting the basic tenets of “starting up” to move beyond simple storytelling and presentation of “the news.” We’re identifying audiences’ needs, inventing editorial projects […]

It’s an oft-repeated truisim that good journalists make shitty managers. Even more important than the policies you create is how they are articulated to the staff, how you carry yourself and manage your emotions. HR-type call this emotional intelligence, and learning about it has helped my interactions immeasurably. (Tim Armstrong could do with some of […]