In addition to learning how to file open-records requests, shoot video, and incorporate data in their reporting, today’s journalism students think about innovation in product management terms.
I hope they’re working on UX and UI projects in which news and sports broadcasts go back to the future to better integrate with mobile devices — fewer cameras, simpler angles, more voice, less graphics. Mobile programmers could show live sporting events that are more organically friendly to smartphones — think billiards, not baseball. Realistically, though, most people use their smartphones to watch NFL games (optimized for 80-inch screens), when they need “live” more than “dazzling.” So instead of having to choose between one app for radio-style play-by-play (already global mainstays, especially for golf and tennis) and another for a TV feed, one app could combine the existing streams for the best experience on a smaller screen.
In line with Steven Henn’s prediction of “intelligent, thoughtful radio,” imagine streaming a newscast with a single camera of one person literally reading the news. Or a voiceover could be accompanied by scrolling text (which you could stop in order to read links). The “reader” could occasionally offer prompts for the news consumer to view graphics or images designed especially for smartphones.
Mainstream news is also ready for its Spotify-like transformation. Just as people choose music for different settings — chill workout, hardcore workout, cooking dinner, putting the children to bed — users could tailor the news content they want to hear or read based on mood or situation rather than, say, politics or locale. Weaving in complicated traffic? Just headlines. Need to cocoon from Washington? “Kathleen, here is your news without any political stories. Let us know you’re ready to be fully informed.”
Kathleen McElroy is associate director of the University of Texas School of Journalism.
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Miguel Castro The arrival of the impact producer
Susie Banikarim R.I.P. Pivot to Video (2017–2017)
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Sarah Marshall Loyalty as the key performance indicator
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Tanya Cordrey Finally, the seeds of radical reinvention
Damon Krukowski Reviving the alt-weekly soul
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Dannagal G. Young Stop covering politics as a game
Kyle Ellis Let’s build our way out of this
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Charo Henríquez Training is an investment, not an expense
Jennifer Choi Standing up for us and for each other
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Mary Walter-Brown Show a little vulnerability
Sally Lehrman Trust comes first
Daniel Trielli The rich get richer, the poor scramble
Mariano Blejman News games rule
Juleyka Lantigua-Williams Women of color will reclaim and monetize our time
Bill Keller A growing turn to philanthropy
Monika Bauerlein The firehose of falsehood
Jim Moroney Newspapers have to be good enough for readers to pay for
Tanzina Vega It’s time for media companies to #PassTheMic
Francesco Marconi The year of machine-to-machine journalism
Will Sommer The year local media gets conservative
Kathleen McElroy Building a news video experience native to mobile
Rachel Schallom Better design helps differentiate opinion and news
Federica Cherubini The rise of bridge roles in news organizations
Sara M. Watson Feeds will open up to new user-determined filters
Corey Ford The empire strikes back
Jared Newman Venture funding and digital news don’t mix
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Alice Antheaume Are you fluent in AI?
Pete Brown Push alerts, personalized
Hannah Cassius The year of the echo-chamber escapists
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Caitria O'Neill The new court of public opinion
Rachel Davis Mersey AI, with real smarts
Borja Echevarría TV goes digital, digital goes TV
Edward Roussel Eyes, ears, and brains
Julia Beizer A longer view on the pivot
Richard J. Tofel The platforms’ power demands more reporters’ attention
Ruth Palmer Risks will grow for news subjects — especially minorities
Felix Salmon Covering bitcoin while owning bitcoin
Ray Soto VR reaches the next level
Lam Thuy Vo Breaking free from the tyranny of the loudest
Mario García Storytelling finally adapts to mobile
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Matt Carlson Attacks on the press will get worse
Craig Newmark Working together toward sustainable solutions
Adam Thomas Sharing is caring: The year of the mentor
Marie Gilot No assholes allowed
Rodney Gibbs Tech workers turn to journalism
Valérie Bélair-Gagnon Seeking trust in fragmented spaces
Carlos Martínez de la Serna The new journalism commons
Marcela Donini and Thiago Herdy Collaboration is the way forward for Brazilian journalism
Laura E. Davis Writing answers before you know the question
Mira Lowe The year of the local watchdog
Alexios Mantzarlis Moving fake news research out of the lab
S. Mitra Kalita The arc of news and audience
Rick Berke Value is the watchword
Nicholas Diakopoulos Fortifying social media from automated inauthenticity
Molly de Aguiar Good journalism won’t be enough
Lanre Akinola Making noise is not a strategy
Jacqui Cheng Retailers move into content
Sam Ford The year of investing in processes
Corey Johnson The pro-fact resistance
Jessica Parker Gilbert Design connects storytelling and strategy
Julia B. Chan Looking for loyalty in all the right places
Andrew Losowsky The year of resilience
Amy Webb Listen to weak signals
Nikki Usher The year of The Washington Post
Nushin Rashidian Publishers seek ad dollar alternatives
Taylor Lorenz Social and media will split
Nicholas Quah Stop talking trash about young people
Dheerja Kaur Fun with subscription products
Amie Ferris-Rotman More female reporters abroad (please)
Tim Carmody Watch out for Spotify
Tracie Powell The muting of underserved voices
Rodney Benson Better, less read, and less trusted
Eric Ulken The year local publishers get smart(er) about change
Mike Caulfield Refactoring media literacy for the networked age
Monique Judge Letting black women tell their own stories
Mary Meehan Real lives are at stake in rural areas
Debra Adams Simmons And a woman shall lead them
Helen Havlak Keywords, not publishers, power the world’s biggest feeds
Basile Simon We need better career paths for news nerds
Andrew Ramsammy The year ownership mattered
Luke O'Neil The end is already here
Evie Nagy Pivot to mobile video frustration
Rubina Madan Fillion Unlocking the potential of AI
Ernst-Jan Pfauth Publishing less to give readers more
Trushar Barot The Jio-fication of India
Dan Shanoff You down with OTT? (Yeah, DTC)
Jassim Ahmad Thriving on change
Imaeyen Ibanga Longform video leads the way
Andrew Haeg The year journalists become relationship builders
Kawandeep Virdee Zines had it right all along
Niketa Patel Live journalism comes of age
Joanne Lipman Journalists inventing revenue streams
Joanne McNeil Gatekeeping the gatekeepers
Eric Nuzum Beyond the narrative arc
Matt Boggie The intellectual equivalent of the Dead Sea
Juliette De Maeyer A responsible press criticism
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Lucas Graves From algorithms to institutions
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Alfred Hermida Going beyond mobile-first
Millie Tran and Stine Bauer Dahlberg (Hint: It’s about your brand)
Jim Brady With the people, not just of the people
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Christopher Meighan Passive partnership is in the rearview
Jennifer Coogan The future is female
Kim Fox Audience teams diversify their approach