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?
Zurich University of Applied Sciences 3
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
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Trend to Generalization by New Organizational Structures
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH CASE: MULTIMEDIA NEWSROOM INTEGRATION
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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»
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Zurich University of Applied Sciences 7
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
Zurich University of Applied Sciences
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)
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Role perceptions
10
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
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Organizations are geared towards … (orientation)
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Educational Professionalization
12
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Work conditions
13
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
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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
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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
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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
Zurich University of Applied Sciences
Sample Qualitative Study
17
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)
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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
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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.“
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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
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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.”
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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
Zurich University of Applied Sciences 24
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"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.»
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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
Zurich University of Applied Sciences 26
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„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. “
Zurich University of Applied Sciences 27
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
Zurich University of Applied Sciences 28
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
„
«
"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.“
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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
Zurich University of Applied Sciences 30
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
„Sometimes I try to find a new aspect about a story which is different from the approach of the others.“
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„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“
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„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
Chance of interactivtiy?Ambivalence
V + V -
„Since it is that easy to reply, the numbers of feedbacks increased astronomically.“
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„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“
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„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
Chance of interactivtiy?Ambivalence
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.“
Zurich University of Applied Sciences 35
„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“
Zurich University of Applied Sciences 36
„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
Chance of interactivtiy?Ambivalence
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.“
Zurich University of Applied Sciences 37
„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“
Zurich University of Applied Sciences 38
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.
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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