2011 05 09_saxer_stiftung

Zürcher FachhochschuleZurich University of Applied Sciences

IAMInstitut für Angewandte Medienwissenschaft

1

Between news, networks and news desks – processes of change in the journalistic news production

Vinzenz Wyss

Future Workshop 2011: Media Change as a Chance and as a Challenge

May 8/9, 2011

USI – Università della Svizzera italiana, Lugano

Zurich University of Applied Sciences 2

Questions

• What are the consequences of the implementation of (integrated) newsrooms for news production?

• What is the impact of the Internet on research and production processes in newsrooms?

• Given the trends of digitalization: do we need new concepts of media self regulation?


Assumption

role perception, values

educationalprofessionalization,

activities

trends:

concentration, convergence & cross-media,

commercialization, new technologies,

macro

meso

microdemographic

composition

organization of media production,

cooperation in newsroom

organizational resources & routines


Trend to Generalization by New Organizational Structures

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH CASE: MULTIMEDIA NEWSROOM INTEGRATION

Zurich University of Applied Sciences

Conflicting goals

• Improve quality by inicreased cooperation

• Potential to reduce editorial costs by synergy

• Problems:

– Difficulty to coordinate

– Resistance of the journalistst

– Scale of the merging is considerable

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Integrated Newsroom of «Blick-Gruppe»

6


Assumption



activities

trends:



macro

meso

microdemographic

composition





Quantitative Data (surveys contribution 2008)

Private Broadcasters

SRGPrint /Online

Quantitative Survey

MethodOnline Survey

Printed questionnaire

Time of data collection

Winter 2006/7

Fall 2007

Summer2008

Population1’ 100 1’ 800 7’ 300

Sample 449 610 1’ 403

Return rate 39% 33% 19%

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Role Perception (Mean; Scale: 1=very important, 6=not important at all)

9

year 2008 1998tendence

+ more important/ - less important

Orientation 2008 (counted)

Neutral reporter 1,55 1,77 + FCTSAnalytic 2,19 2,20 = FCTSGuide 2,46 2,61 + FCTS

Watchdog 2,49 2,38 - PUBLIC INTEREST

Service provider 2,79 3,12 + MARKET

Commentator 2,84 2,74 - PUBLIC INTEREST

Intermediator 3,03 3,01 = PUBLIC INTEREST

Advocate 3,39 3,11 - PUBLIC INTEREST

Animator 3,63 3,74 + MARKETCost-conscious information broker 4,18 4,24 + MARKET

Efficient salesperson 4,87 4,78 - MARKETCreator of suitable advertising environment 5,08 5,13 + MARKET

(Quelle: Journalisten-Enquête 1998, Journalisten-Enquête 2008)


Role perceptions

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1 = very important6 = not important at all

Media type Special cases long term compar.

SRGPrivate

BCPrint

Paid media

Free newsp.

Online 1999 2008

Neutral reporter 1.6 1.7 1.6 1.5 1.4 1.7 1.8 1.6

Analytic 2.2 2.9 2.1 2.1 2.3 2.3 2.2 2.2

Watchdog 2.7 2.7 2.5 2.2 2.5 2.7 2.4 2.5

Service provider 2.6 2.5 2.9 3.0 2.6 2.8 3.1 2.8

Efficient salesperson 5.3 4.6 4.9 5.0 4.1 5.0 4.8 4.9

Creator of suitable advertising environment

5.6 4.8 5.0 5.2 4.4 5.2 5.1 5.1


Organizations are geared towards … (orientation)

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Educational Professionalization

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Work conditions

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Media Type special cases Long term

SRG Private BC Print free

newsp.Online 1999 2008

Permanent employment (%) 94 74 75 80 74 80 78

Certainty concerning job(1= satisfied. ; 6= not satisfied)

2.3 3.5 3.5 4.0 4.2 2,3 3,2

Career opportunities (1= satisfied. ; 6= not satisfied)

3.5 3.4 4,1 4.3 4.2 4.2 3.9

Working at this place exklusively (%) 81 59 60 63 58 - 64

Income (monthly, brutto)(Mean, 1000 CHF)

6.8 4.3 6.5 6.6 5.2 6.3 6.4

Job-Satisfaction regarding income(1= satisfied. ; 6= dissatisfied)

2.9 3.9 3.5 3.2 3.8 2.7 3.4


Research Preconditions

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Only editors Media Tye Special cases in total

SRG Private BC Print Free

Newspaper

Online 1999 2008

Approximation of time for research (time in %)

31% 22% 37% 40% 26% - 33%

Always check of forwarded information (%)

60 39 34 40 24 - 41

Satisfaction regarding time for reserach(1= satisfied. ; 6= unsatisfied)

3.1 3.4 3.0 3.1 3.5 - 3.2

Working in ressorts/ ed. Departements (%)

65 44 75 72 44 - 71


Assumption



activities

trends:



macro

meso

microdemographic

composition





Methodological Design

Qualitative Interviews (guided) from about an hour

•with 48 professionals (8 f, 40 m; 40 gs-CH, 8 fs-CH)

From 12 different editorial offices

•7 print, 2 private-TV, 4 online-based (10 gs-CH, 2 fs-CH)

•The sample contains full integrated Newsrooms (Blick, AZ) as well as «stand-alone-editorial departments» (Le Nouvelliste, Schaffhauser Nachrichten)

One day observation processes of the editorial offices with main focus on: editorial meetings & research activities to validate given statements


Sample Qualitative Study

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Typ A Typ B Typ C

Type of

news

room

independent editorial

office

little connection

Cross medial editorial

structures

complete Integrtion

Features

seperate editorial

sections, exchange of

contents

multiple use of digitalise

material and steeringof

platforms e.g at the

newsdesk (close

cooperation between

editorial sections)

multimedial work by teams working on

topics or with individual journalists

Examples

Offline -

Online

Schaffhauser

Nachrichten

Le Nouvelliste

20 Minuten

20min.ch

TeleZüri

Tele M1

Tages-Anzeiger,

Newsnetz

24 heures

Blick-Newsroom

(Blick, Blick am

Abend,

Sonntagsblick,

blick.ch)

AZ-Medien

(Aargauer

Zeitung,

azonline.ch ohne

Tele M1)


Findings I: Processes

stand-alone editorial

departments

Schaffhauser Zeitung,

Le Nouvelliste, Tele Züri

Online channel does

its own research

Exchange occurs rarely, parallel production

Editorial offices with an

online branch

(20Min.ch newsnetz, Tagi)

Convergent Newsrooms

(Blick, AZ Medien)

Online channel

publishes articles

from the print branch

in a reduced &

acuminated way

Possibility of diversity

in different branches No diversity on

different channels


Findings II: Separation and Stratification

„We“ and „the guys overthere“

“They (online channel) just write their stories without talking to us (Tages-Anzeiger). At the time they put it on the site we (Tages-Anzeiger print edition) can see what they are busy with.”

„Each information we (20 Min. print edition) give to the online branch means a loss for our paper. We are interested in keeping news as long as possible to ourselves. We use our time to investigate the story profoundly so we can bring the scoop the other day.”

„If they (online channel) want to get better, we do not hold them back.“


Stratification

Stratification: „The decline“

•„Our generation (experienced, older professionals) thinks about the printed edition. Even if we write something for the online channel at the first place we still “do” print. Many of us do not feel comfortable about it.”

•„Because of economy measures a lot of journalists have now to write for the online paper instead of the printed version. That means a professional decline because the online channel has no positive image yet.”

•„At one hand they underline the importance of the online channel, at the other hand you can find there a lot of bad paid and unqualified people.“ (Aargauer Zeitung)

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«Online is …«

… „appetizer“

… „crispy title“

... „not careful“

… „marginal“

… „not taken seriously“

… „without experience“

… „fault-resistant “

… „without respect“

… „embarrassing“

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„You can’t give the same title for an online article as for a printed one. To less pointed out, to less „tabloid“, they don‘t get you curious, are boring. You always have to adapt them, to reformulate them or to sharpen them.”

“With the „click-rating“ you can directly see which story is successful. We know, that titles from the print edition will not be successful.”

journalists who write for the

print edition ein Onliner


Findings III: Sources

The Internet offers a lot of new sources

Possibilities :

• Access to new

sources has become

much easier (the

most important

websites: Google,

smd, governmental

pages)

• Admission to new

groups (players)

1) More information, easy to acces

more diversity

2) More Information, worse quality

A challenge for the journalist

1) Everyone looks at the same

Less diversity

„Before I would have to stay at the library for days to get the same amount of information.“

“You don’t know anymore where

an information has its origin.”

“Exclusive stories have become more and

more important.”


Findings IV: Other Media – Co-Orientation

The Internet as a resource which brings forward co-orientation

Easier access to online media (foreign titles too)

Efficient way to find new topicsPotential accumulates by quantity

Exclusivity V+ +Reproduction

Addition

V- +

V- -

Reduction of complexity

Concentration

New aspect / redraw old stories

Increase of quantity

Stop

New search for topics







Addition

V- +

V- -


Concentration



Stop

New search for topics"As it is like that, I stronlgly observe the work of the others.“

„It is normal to check what other journalists already have produced about the same topic.“

„If I read a story in a local paper, I know that nobody in Zurich read about. I take the idea and create a story for our readers.»







Addition

V- +

V- -


Concentration



Stop








Addition

V- +

V- -


Concentration



Stop

New search for topics„If you try to work in a different way than others you will have a chance to reach more diversity. I think we try to be more exclusive than before because our readers have the possibility to easily compare our paper

with others.“

„It happens that we can’t publish a story because it is already written down from another paper and there is nothing new to say about. An exception would be a big story where you just add some paragraphs

and that’s it. “







Addition

V- +

V- -


Concentration



Stop








Addition

V- +

V- -


Concentration



Stop


„

«

"If our print branch publishes a great interview, we take it for our online channel too. In that case we play the part of a middleman who sums it up

for our reader. Not a real journalistic task.”

„On the first view it can be said that we have more diversity than before because you can take out more information. But if we are honest everybody

look at the same so we are in a big danger to end up with a pabulum.“

„We follow the pack.“







Addition

V- +

V- -


Concentration



Stop








Addition

V- +

V- -


Concentration



Stop


„Sometimes I try to find a new aspect about a story which is different from the approach of the others.“


„orientation“, to know the audience, seismograph, „democratization“

„source of inspiration“ „personalization“

„more sources“, „pictures“„Scoop-machine“

more contact, „motivation“ less inhibitions

„controlling possible“ barometer „source of inspiration“„ideas“, contact with the audience

Findings V: Audience

Publikum

Chance of interactivtiy?Ambivalence

More contactingbecause of email

Posts/comments

„Click“-reference

Social Media /„Facebook“ etc.

„less fruitful“,„time consuming“

„User generated content“

„intensive“, „excited“, „no limits“, „reflexes“, „affect„ „gossip“

V + V -

„garbage“, questions about valence, „time consuming“

Interaction stays one sided, potential of the inclusion is not exhausted

Higher need of resources, bigger challenge on a professional level

„peer pressure“„dangerous instrument“ leveling

„time consuming“, „80% trash“ „high effort to control“


„I need to draw a line. I don’t want to be a clown to some people who think they could meddle into my job. “

Findings V: Audience (Statements I)

Audience


V + V -

„Since it is that easy to reply, the numbers of feedbacks increased astronomically.“








Publikum



Posts/comments






V + V -







„It is always an imprudent way of communication.“

„In forums you quickly find agitators and so you can easy tell that there is a committed discussion going on about something.“

„A calf with three legs and six tails is a curiosity but it is not a story.“

Findings V: Audience (Statements II)

Audience


V + V -

„In that way a story never ends. It is not dead the day when it is published. The response of the audience always gives me new ideas, other approaches: the

story goes on and on. “

„Readers can tell you what they think, what they are interested in and they can provide you with different inputs.“








Publikum



Posts/comments






V + V -







„It is a superficial factor. If you just count the clicks, the title and the picture is deciding. At the moment the reader opened the article it does no matter

whether he reads it or not.“

„It is dangerous because media refer to each other. One has to take care not to be led to much about online characteristics. “

Findings V: Audience (Statements III)

Audience


V + V -

„If a story does not work, when the graph does not goes up, of course we try to change that.“

„Ratings about how many time a story was clicked on is a criteria of quality. They show you if you have chosen a good picture or if you are able to sell a story in a

good way.“








Publikum



Posts/comments






V + V -







Conclusion I

• Norms:

- There is no change about norms:

one adheres to professional standards.

Actuality and exclusivity become more and more important.

Profound approach has lost its importance.

• Processes:

– Editorial organization is very stable,

innovation is rare

• Sources:

– easier access to gather information does not automatically lead to more

diversity.

Economic pressure is stronger than new possibilities.

Advancement: access to official documents easier

Contacting new actors has become faster.


Conclusion II

• Other Media – Co-Orientation:

– News value “Public Issue” / “Publicity” gains in importance

– News value “Exclusivity” / „Variation“ stays a rare exhausted potential

spiral movement

– Lack of resources (time, knowledge) forces co-orientation

(reference: online-media)

– Lack of resources forces pseudo diversity (enrichment of selected stories)

• Audience:

– Interaction with the audience stays rather one sided

– The technical and social potential for inclusion of the audience is not used

– Time consuming instruments require more resources and requirements to

“professionality” / professional standards

Zürcher FachhochschuleZurich University of Applied Sciences

IAMInstitut für Angewandte Medienwissenschaft

40

Between news, networks and news desks – processes of change in the journalistic news production

Vinzenz Wyss

Future Workshop 2011: Media Change as a Chance and as a Challenge

May 8/9, 2011

USI – Università della Svizzera italiana, Lugano

2011 05 09_saxer_stiftung

News & Politics

Transcript of 2011 05 09_saxer_stiftung