The Journalism Leaders Programme @ UCLAN

Spring 2011 Seminars and Workshops to focus on making, managing and monetizing data journalism projects

2011-03-15T20:58:00.007Z

Spring Seminar 2011

There was a time when the typical editor’s job was pretty straightforward: he or she had to ensure that, when the presses rolled at a pre-determined time every day, the newsroom had produced enough pre-planned stories of reasonable quality and variety on pre-determined themes to fill the pre-set space between the advertising. That’s certainly changed.

Today’s mainstream media managers are expected not only to be custodians of existing operations and to satisfy existing (often shrinking) audiences, but many are also expected to identify new opportunities to reach new users using new formats on new platforms in print, online and on mobile. Increasingly, editors are expected to innovators.

The Journalism Leaders Programme's Spring 2011 seminar, Managing Multimedia Project: delivering innovation in the Digital Age, aims to help equip entrepreneurial managers meet that challenge.

Discussion leaders include a dynamic team of industry executives and senior academics:

Tom Johnson works in the space where journalism and technology overlap. A former editor at the Scientific American, Tom is co-founder of the Institute for Analytic Journalism and professor emeritus at San Francisco State University.
Mac McCarthy is a sought-after management development consultant and senior lecturer in the School of Sport, Leisure and The Outdoors.
Katie Taylor has spent many years as a self-employed consultant specialising in enabling communication between different levels of staff, especially during times of radical change. She is now Senior Lecturer in Agile Software Development at UCLAN.
Nicola Grout-Smith is a master teacher of business accounting and finance for non-specialists at the Lancashire Business School.
Karla Geci is Strategic Partner Development for Facebook and former head of marketing for Bebo. Karla works with broadcasters, media companies and content owners who want to leverage the Facebook Platform to build social applications and experiences on their owned web properties and Facebook Pages. She will be speaking at the Digital Editors Network meeting, which is part of the week's schedule.
Jack Riley is Head of Digital Audience & Content Development for The Independent , the i paper and the Evening Standard. Jack will be speaking at the Digital Editors Network meeting, which is part of the week's activities.
François Nel is a digital media specialist and the founding director of the Journalism Leaders Programme.

For more information about the seminar, which runs from 23^rd to 27^th May 2011 in Preston and forms key part of the academic module JN4055, please download the flyer here. To participate in the seminar only, please complete this enrolment form. To find out more about how your participation can help you earn academic credit towards a postgraduate certificate, diploma or MA degree, please see the programme website and contact the programme director François Nel at FPNel @ uclan.ac.uk .

Note: This Spring the Journalism Leaders Programme and Vision+Media are sponsoring the Digital Editors Network’s two-day data journalism workshop lead by Tom Johnson of the Institute for Analytical Journalism. More information about #djcamp2011 on 19^th to 20^th May in Manchester is available here.

Research findings: Innovation at the top of the agenda for news executives worldwide

2010-12-15T11:51:00.003Z

When almost 500 newspaper owners, publishers, editors-in-chief and senior commercial managers take the time answer 21 detailed questions about the issues that face their businesses today and their plans for the future, the results are bound to be fascinating. But I believe they're also important - and give cause for optimism about the future of the industry.

The World News Future & Change Study 2010, which Journalism Leaders Programme director François Nel has been conducting in collaboration with Martha Stone at the World Association of Newspapers & News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) and Erik Wilberg of the Norwegian Management School, is the largest and most comprehensive study of its type. Nel says the findings clearly show three key points:

The impact of the global economy recession is easing. No, we're not out of the woods yet. Far from it. But a third fewer publishers (18.5 % in 2010 vs 28% in 2009) reported severe revenue declines – that is more 20 per cent. Declining print advertising revenue was the biggest driver of overall revenue decline, with more than 80% of the respondents saying they lost between 1% and more than 20% of their print ad revenue, with the most pronounced declines happening in Northern Europe and North America regions. Meanwhile online advertising revenue and content revenue did not take the same hit as print revenues, with half of the respondents reporting growth, many reporting no change, and a handful, less than one-quarter, reporting a decline in the last fiscal year.
Advertising-supported print products are no longer enough. The vast the vast majority of the world's news publishers recognise their traditional revenue sources of print advertising and newspaper subscriptions will no longer provide the financial returns of years past and, in response, the publishers are making it a top priority to diversify their revenue streams and to development new products and new channels.

Publishers are bullish about mobile.
Innovation - and mobile - are keys to future success. One question summed up the publishers’ collective desire for the future of their business, and that is, new business growth. Respondents in both 2009 and 2010 spoke loudly and clearly: the way forward is through investment in new product development for new revenues. We consider this to be one of the most important findings of the study. Other clear investments for newspaper companies were marketing and branding for newspapers, increased audience research and investment in customer relationship management. In 2009, investment in new product development was followed by marketing and branding for the newspaper, increased audience research, investment in customer relationship management and investment in editorial technologies. This year, investment in new product development was followed by marketing and branding for the newspaper, and then "mobile platforms." When asked, “Please consider which of the following platforms could be opportunities for your organisation over the next three years,” the top choices were mobile phones (58%), followed by Websites (54%) and then e-readers, such as Kindle and iPad (53%.). Clearly the emerging importance of mobile is an important take-away from this year’s study and, of course, we’ll be investigating this in some greater depth in 2011.

Innovation and growth targets might be set in the boardroom, but they're enacted by those in the newsrooms and backroom offices.

Helping build the capacity of those charged with making the future of news happen remains the focus of the Journalism Leaders Programme which, after having the winds taken out of our sales somewhat by the global economic recession, is once-again accepting applications for our innovative executive development courses that will run from after Easter 2011.

A free summary of the study is available for download on the WAN-IFRA site. And, of course, François Nel would be happy to answer any questions about the research or any other Journalism Leaders Programme activities [Twitter @francoisnel / FPNel @ uclan . ac . uk ] .

"We’re already working on the 2011 survey," said Nel, "and we're planning to expand the study to 10 languages by including Arabic, along with (in alphabetical order) Chinese, English, French, German, Greek, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish."

For academic citations of the report, please use: STONE, Martha, NEL, François and WILBERG, Erik. (2010) World News Future and Change Study 2010. Paris, France: World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).

World Newspaper Future and Change Study 2009 results previewed at #WANindia09

2009-12-05T22:31:00.011Z

The results of the World Newspaper Future and Change Study 2009 were summarised in a presentation to the 62nd World Newspaper Congress in Hyderabad.

I Tweeted (@francoisnel) a few of key points:

#waninindia09 World Newspaper Future & Change Study: only 1/3 of repondents say corps R prepared 4 changes required 2 survive, thrive

#waninindia09 WNF&C Study: Top priorities 4 training r 'new biz dev/innovation', ads sales, e-biz + management & leadership development

#waninindia09 WNF&C Study: journos & editors still reluctant 2 change. Australasians rate 'em even more resistant than printers & admin

#waninindia09 WNF&C Study: 84% say need 2 maintain or increase media & leadership training, while 1.8% will cut that & 7.3% don't invest

The study, conducted in collaboration with colleages at the World Association of Newspapers & News Publishers and the Norwegian School of Management, will also be reported in an upcoming Shaping of the Future of the Newspaper report. And, of course, the respondents who chose to add their contact details will be receiving a copy.

The next study will be completed in time for the 63rd Congress in Lebanon in June 2010.

New study to look at what laid-off UK journalists do next

2009-10-11T14:59:00.008+01:00

We've all seen the grim headlines.

These are bruising times for the newspaper industry in the UK and elsewhere. And, as cash-strapped companies scramble to drive down expenses while they scurry to find ways news revenue streams to make-up for the loss in advertising and tumbling circulations, hundreds of journalists' jobs have been lost in the fray.

Are you one of the journalists who has been laid off? Or did you leap when redundancy packages were being offered?

If so, please take a few minutes to help out researchers from the University of Central Lancashire who are working with the team at Journalism.co.uk to survey UK newspaper journalists who have been laid off, or who leapt.

We want to know how about your experiences of being laid off and how you have adapted in your personal and professional life since leaving the newspaper. We're also considering the gap in knowledge and experience you have left behind.

The survey, which draws on work by colleagues in the US, is voluntary and confidential. Results cannot be attributed to a specific individual unless the individual chooses to reveal himself or herself. You also can refuse to answer any question. The survey will take 10 to 15 minutes to complete.

If you would like to take part in the study, please click here .

If you'd like a copy of the survey results, just add your contact details at the end and we'll send the report to you.

Laura O. on Dipity.

Got questions or comments? Please contact me, François Nel, at FPNel @ uclan . ac . uk

Spring Seminar & Study Visit: Innovation in the Digital Marketplace

2009-03-17T14:54:00.021Z

Despite what the critics say, there is a great deal of invention going on in most newsrooms.

New technology is enabling new ways of building stories that aim to meet the expectations of an audience that is increasingly, if not yet solely, online.

But while invention is essential if the mainstream media is to survive in an increasingly competitive landscape, it isn’t enough.

As the Pew Research Centre's latest report on the state of American journalism points out:

The news industry does not know -- and has done less than it could to learn -- how to convert this more active online audience into revenue

What is required, then, is innovation which has two parts: (1) the generation of an idea or invention, and (2) the conversion of that invention into a business.

That will be the key focus of the Spring 2009 seminar, Innovation and the Market: Understanding Users, Delivering Value, Growing Revenue.

Lead by Jeanne Hill, an international marketing and adverting expert and Principal Lecturer at the Lancashire Business School, the five-day seminar from 11-15 May 2009 plays out in Preston, Liverpool and Manchester and is offered in collaboration with the Experian market intelligence company Hitwise.

Included in the programme is a study visit and applied workshop in Trinity Mirror’s recently integrated Northwest & North Wales newsroom in Liverpool. Facilitated by the Leaders programme director Francois Nel, participants will work with Hitwise

Robin Goad and TM executives Alison Gow and Mark Dickinson to test-drive the Newspaper Next 2.0 approach to identifying opportunities that create value for customers – and generate revenue for the organisations.

The value-packed programme also provides a chance to participate in:

Digital Editors Network Spring meeting, which features Goad, Patrick Altoft and Nick Turner.
12th Journalism Leaders Forum & networking reception, which will mark the opening of an exhibition on the history of journalism in Preston, home to England's oldest journalism course.
Key sessions of the Social Technologies Summit 2009

For more information on the seminar and to register, see the downloabable flyer and registration form on the Journalism Leaders Programme website or email Francois Nel.

Notes: For feedback on previous previous seminars also see this short video interview with Ken Oxley, deputy editor of the Sunday Sun (Newcastle).

Seminar participation is limited to 15.

Winter Seminar & study visit: Is this the UK's most radically-transformed news operation?

2009-01-16T16:15:00.004Z

Trinity Mirror, has radically restructured their Birmingham newsroom and now not only integrate the print and digital operations of three newspaper titles – but have also cut the production process from five to three steps.

Neil Benson, Editorial Director for TM's regionals division, spoke to the EditorsWeblog about the initiative and we’ll be taking a closer look - and also visit the newsroom - as part of our Winter seminar, 2-6th February 2009.

For more details and information about enrolling for 'Multimedia Content: making it, managing it, mobilizing it', see our website.

Additions to the great line up of presenters are: Mark Skipworth, Executive Editor of the Daily and Sunday Telegraph in London, Robert Peston, the BBC’s Business Editor, and Eric Ulken, until recently the Online Editor for the LA Times.

Autumn Seminar - Are your newsroom decision-makers equipped for the demands they face?

2008-08-13T13:52:00.012+01:00

Of this there’s little doubt: today’s newsroom decision-makers face unprecedented demands.

Against the backdrop of a general economic slump, traditional media managers are compelled to adapt their operations to meet shifts in customer expectations driven along by constant changes in technology, which also embolden new and existing competitors.

The result: There has never been a greater need for motivated leaders with a thorough knowledge of the opportunities of the digital age, as well as the capacity - and confidence - to mobilise creative teams and deliver results.

The five-day 'Newsroom Leadership in the Digital Age', which runs from 6-10 October 2008, aims to give participants the tools they need to address the key issues facing newspapers that operate in today's competitive, technologically-advanced environment.

Our international team of resident and visiting tutors - including Julie Martin, the Evening Gazette editor behind the multiple award-winning GazetteLive.co.uk site, scholars and master teachers - will help participants build the advanced knowledge and skills.

The programme will also include the 10th Journalism Leaders Forum and networking reception, scheduled for 7th October on the theme: “Hard Lessons: What are the tough times teaching media decision-makers about the way forward?”

Participants in the Preston seminar, which also includes a series of practical digital skill master classes, will also have the option of earning academic credit and working towards a university award.

To get more information on the 'Newsroom Leadership in the Digital Age' seminar and to apply before 30 August 12 September, please visit our website.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss this further, please don't hesitate to the programme director François Nel at FPNel @ uclan. ac. uk.

At a glance, 2008 Newsroom Barometer indicates editors may agree with market analysts on pathway to success

2008-05-07T14:55:00.015+01:00

For news executives scrambling to respond to the pressures on audience numbers and revenues, the findings of the 2008 Newsroom Barometer should be encouraging – or alarming. At first glance, editors seem to agree with analysts that future growth depends on investment.

For editors, the top concerns were people. In the survey, 35% said training journalists in new media skills would be their top priority if they were given resources to invest in editorial quality. The second most common concern was recruiting more journalists, which was chosen by 31 % of editors.

Of course, future success will not come about simply because more journalists are making more stuff, because value doesn’t simply depend on quality or even the availability. It also depends on scarcity.

Consider this example from the headline news: Clean water is important, but where it’s plentiful, it’s not considered very valuable. But, as the aid workers in Burma will tell you, the cyclone has left large swathes of the country under water – salt water – and clean drinking water is scarce and, therefore, very valuable indeed. Not surprisingly, much of the energy and relief money will be spend on just that.

Determining what is scarce in the news and information marketplace – and therefore, potentially, valuable is the first step towards growth for the industry. And that takes investment not only in growing skills of the journalists, but in the building the knowledge of those who manage the business and lead the teams.

Of course, the Newsroom Barometer question was hypothetical (editors where asked what they would do if … ) . Between the newsroom and the market are the business managers. And, for many of them, margins are still all.

But, as Deutche Bank analyst Paul Ginocchio said recently publishers make a mistake by thinking that the market cares more about margins than profit growth. "I think the market knows now that you can’t cut your way to profitability…It’s not a cost issue, it’s a revenue issue. Growth takes investment." Strategic investment (I've argued before) should prioritise building the knowledge required to make better, faster decisions, along with the skills & technologies to do things better, faster.

The global survey gathered the answers of 713 editors and senior news executives from 120 countries, and was conducted online in March 2008 by Zogby International and commissioned by the World Editors Forum and Reuters.

Other highlights:

- 86% believe integrated print and online newsrooms will become the norm, and 83% believe journalists will be expected to be able to produce content for all media within five years.

- Two-thirds believe some editorial functions will be outsourced, despite frequent newsroom opposition to the practice.

- The largest group – 44% – believe on-line will be the most common platform for reading news in the future, compared with 41% last year, while 31% cited print (down from 35%last year), 12% mobile and 7% e-paper. The rest were unsure.

Also see: Reports by the Editors Weblog , Journalism.co.uk , the Guardian, Hold the Front Page , The Geek and Reuters (video).

Investing in the news media ain't for sissies

2008-04-25T14:41:00.005+01:00

The news business ain’t for sissies.

‘It was always so,’ I can hear the hacks (and former hacks) mutter. Indeed. But these days it doesn’t only take guts to make it in the newsroom, it also takes nerve to be in the boardroom – and on the trading floor.

Technological changes and challenges that have been rocking the newspaper industry and reshaping its culture for a decade and more have combined with increasingly dire financial prognoses. In the United States, an industry whose health has been declining for years got sicker still in 2007, with circulation, advertising revenues, and profit margins all falling – and, in a spreading number of markets, taking staff size down with them; one newsroom executive ordered to plan another round of cuts described the situation as “past bleeding – we’re into amputation now”.

In Britain, the picture hasn’t been that gloomy – until recently. Consider, for example, that in 2006 profits still flowed like ink at regional newspaper giant Johnston Press, long considered the best performing amongst its peers. The picture looked rather different in 2007 and, given the general economic gloom, the forecast for 2008 isn’t any better.

Perhaps it’s not surprising that analysts at Deutche Bank and elsewhere are yelling ‘sell’ and the share prices for news media companies seem to have gone into freefall. Share prices for Johnston ( JPR ), Trinity Mirror (TNI ) and Daily Mail & General Trust, which includes Northcliffe Media ( DMGT ), have more-or-less halved over the past year. And things aren’t much better for the largest regional news group in the UK, Newsquest, owned by US-based Gannett, whose share price (GCI) closed at $27,.93 yesterday (24/04/08), down from $56.73 exactly a year ago.

So, what’s going wrong? And, perhaps more critically, what can we do about it?

That’s the focus of the 9th Journalism Leaders Forum on 29 April and a theme I’ll continue to explore this summer, thanks to some funding from the Centre for Research-Informed Teaching at the University of Central Lancashire where I work.

The issue is complex and answers aren’t likely to be simple (and comments, suggestions would be very much appreciated). Yes, the much-discussed trio of changes in technology, economy and demographics have indeed played a part. But I’d suggest that, as the folks at AA will tell you, the first step to recovery is looking in the mirror and ‘fessing up.

Sam Zell, the US real estate magnate who bought the Tribune Company and took it private late last year, thinks that too.

Speaking at an Inland Press Association meeting (reported by Martha Stone in the Shaping the Future of the Newspaper report 7.3), Zell said, “I think the newspaper industry has stood there and watched while other media enterprises have taken our bacon and run with it...It’s too much complacency… [The industry has been] standing there and letting this happen while Rome is burning.”

Of course, that’s not entirely true. Some folks have fiddled a bit (see Mark Andressen’s NYT ‘Deathwatch’ ), but others (most notably companies outside of the US, such as Nordjyke Medier in Denmark) got cracking and are coining it.

Deutche Bank senior analyst Paul Ginnocchio suggests that is't not only about what media executives are doing that is a problem - there's also things they should STOP doing. When Martha Stone asked him, "What are some of the most common mistakes publishers make that diminish their business in the eyes of analysts?," he replied:

"It's focus more on margins than revenue growth.

For a long time they thought Wall Street was focussed on margins. But Wall Street cares about profit growth, not margin expansion. I think the market know now that you can't cut your way to profitability. It's not a cost issue, it's a revenue issue.

Growth takes investment. [emphasis added]"

Investing in the news media during a downturn! Now that certainly aint' a job for sissies.

Key Journalism Leaders Programme Dates for 2008-9

2008-03-14T12:52:00.005Z

The 2008-9 academic year is already shaping up to be a busy one for the Journalism Leaders Programme team.

Along with reviewing applications to our postgraduate courses (certificate, diploma and MA), we're also scheduling a raft of bespoke training solutions for media companies in Europe and further afield. And, yes, we're also planning more open events, including the 10th Journalism Leaders Forum, which is slated for 14th October 2008. Some other key dates are below.

Of course, if you'd like more information about any of our activities, don't hesitate to get in touch with the programme director François Nel at FPNel @ uclan . ac . uk.

KEY DATES for 2008-9
Applications for academic courses are now being reviewed.

AUTUMN
9 12 September - Deadline for Late Enrolment
22 Sept-28 Nov - Autumn Block
13-17 6-10 October - Autumn Residential in Preston
14 7 October - 10th Journalism Leaders Forum
& Digital Editors Network workshops

WINTER
12 Jan-20 March - Winter Block
2-6 Feb - Winter Residential in Preston
3 Feb - 11th Journalism Leaders Forum &
Digital Editors Network

SPRING
20 April- 26 June - Spring Block
11-15 May - Spring Residential in Preston
12 May - 12th Journalism Leaders Forum &
Digital Editors Network workshops

New editorial leadership programme for Trinity Mirror

2007-09-20T13:40:00.000+01:00

Trinity Mirror Regional have chosen our Journalism Leaders Programme to spearhead their editorial leadership training and development over the next year. The tailored TM Editorial Leaders Programme will replace Today's Editor, their in-house course for senior editorial staff.

In an interview with the Press Gazette Neil Benson, TM Regionals editorial director (right), said, "We are delighted to be teaming up with UCLan, who have an excellent pedigree and a highly innovative and interactive approach."

More in the UK trade press at Journalism.co.uk and Hold the Front Page.

Together with the editorial development work we do for Johnston Press, we now provide key digital training and direction for the two largest regional newspaper groups in the UK. Other partners include the Guardian Media Group, Cumbria Newspapers and Johnnic Communication in South Africa.

Dive into digital exposes need for modern skills

2007-03-20T13:43:00.004Z

This piece first appeared in the Press Gazette's journalism training supplement:

NEL, FRANÇOIS (2006) “Dive into digital exposes need for modern skills” Press Gazette, Journalism Training 2006, pp.12-14, 27 October 2006.

Once suspicious, even hostile towards the Internet, most mainstream media groups are now diving digital. But it’s not only the industry attitude towards technology that is getting a rethink. Demand for new skills and fresh approaches have news organisations reconsidering their stance on staff development, too.

Time was when a reporter with aspirations for the top job was expected to pick up most, if not all, that was required for promotion by being resourceful and imitating those further up the ladder. In a pinch, a working hack would be sent off for few days to pick up this or that new production skill. Or, perhaps, to brush up on the latest in media law.

“There is no tradition of mid-career training in British print journalism,” Prof Hugh Stephenson of City University noted in his 2003 report for the European Journalism Centre. “Indeed, the national newspapers have in the past not been involved in serious journalism training of any kind, relying instead on being able to recruit experienced journalists from regional newspapers.”

Thus it was that editors were apprenticed and, once appointed, seldom entertained hints that there might be more to learn – especially not from outside the fraternity. While most industries came to see investment in staff development as a norm, turning MBAs into a must-have for executives and phrases such as ‘our people are our most important asset’ into clichés, journalism relied on a cliché of its own - the School of Hard Knocks.

The result: “The journalism side of media organisations are managed by people with less formal training for the task that they are expected to perform than would be found in any other comparable activity,” said Stephenson. His observations were confirmed in a study of 148 senior newsroom staff that University of Central Lancashire colleagues and I conducted last year: a small minority of respondents - four per cent – reported having any formal postgraduate qualification in management and more than 40 percent said they had had no management training at all. Indications are that is changing.

Yes, editors still like to reminisce about the days when reading newspapers was a national habit and profits flowed like ink. And, yes, some still lament the oft-repeated trio of demographic, economic and technological forces that is pushing down circulations and endangering newspapers as a vehicle for journalism.

But increasingly editors also appreciate that fending off profit-hungry investors by focussing with efficiencies - slashing expenses and firing staff – has limits. Even if they haven’t read Philip Meyer’s book, “The Vanishing Newspaper: Saving Journalism in the Digital Age,” many have heard of the University of North Carolina professor’s calculation that, at the current rate of decline, the last American newspaper reader will recycle his final paper copy in April 2040. Even those who dismiss Meyer’s premise as fear-mongering have a niggling sense that where there is smoke, there may just be fire.

Many news executives now also concede (in private, if not in public) to what Tim Porter, the associate director of the Knight Foundation-sponsored project, Tomorrow’s Workforce, calls the “unpleasant truth”: journalists - and their managers – need to share responsibility for the decline in readership and relevance of newspapers.

Why is that?

Writing in a recent edition of the Harvard University Nieman Reports, Porter doesn’t mince his words: “Risk-averse newsrooms have spent several decades with their collective heads in the ink barrel, ignoring the changing society around them, refusing to embrace new technologies, and defensively adhering to both a rigid internal hierarchy and an inflexible definition of “news” that produces a stenographic form of journalism, one that has stood still, frozen by homage to tradition, while the world has moved on.”

'Risk-averse newsrooms have spent several decades with their collective heads in the ink barrel'

Having raised their heads and come clean, media executives are now primed for change. The Big Question: “Where to from here?” Alert to the knowledge cul-de-sacs in their own organisations, they’ve gone looking for answers - and talent – elsewhere. Some have raided from old rivals - the Telegraph lured their new media director Annelies van den Belt from News International; others have hunted further afield - Johnston Press found their digital director Alex Green at the Virgin Group.

Parachuting in key expertise to help develop strategy is understandable, often essential. But it is only a part solution. The key challenge facing the industry is not simply the ability to conjure up a new multimedia formula to replace the old print ones. It’s not even to update the technologies and adapt to new work practices. It is changing the newsroom mindset. Just ask Ulrik Haagerup.

The editor-in-chief of the Nordjsyke Medier in Denmark, Haagerup was a key player in the unremarkable regional newspaper group’s transformation into a world leader of media convergence. From a single newsroom, Nordjyske Medier now tell news stories through a website, a radio station, television channel, digital notice boards, mobile phone alerts, a free commuter paper and, yes, a daily newspaper. And they’re doing it with the same number of editorial staff – and mostly the same people – that they had to start off with. In the process, they’ve reversed declining market share, re-energised the workforce, and advertising revenues are up 33 per cent from 2002 to 2005.

Not surprisingly, Haagerup and other NM colleagues are in wide demand internationally as speakers and their newsroom has seen a steady march of visitors – foreign newspaper bosses and academics (including our team at UCLan) keen to see how the Scandinavians have done it.

Some, like the Daily Telegraph, are said to have used NM’s hub-and-spoke newsroom as a blueprint for the design of their own new offices. Though it’s still way too early to judge - especially from the outside – reports suggest that the Telegraph’s implementation is especially, perhaps even needlessly, messy. Writing in the Media Guardian, former Daily Telegraph foreign correspondent and recent Harvard Business School graduate Philip Delves Broughton put it down to one thing: internal mismanagement. If that is true, it would not be surprising. And it would confirm the relevance of the advice Haagerup repeats like a mantra when asked about the key to his organisation’s success: “This is about people, it’s not about technology, it’s not about organisational charts, it’s not about money - it’s about people.” And, for that reason, staff development - ongoing and comprehensive – is non negotiable, says Haagerup.

Perhaps it’s not surprising that Haagerup is bullish about learning; after all, five years after completing his undergraduate degree in journalism he headed off to spend a year at Stanford Business School. However, it would be wrong to dismiss his comments as opinion grounded in the experiences of a single, exceptional individual. Amongst Danish journalists, Haagerup’s attitude and even his educational background is not unique.

Unlike in the UK, there has been long and strong tradition of staff development in Denmark following a 1979 agreement between the Danish Newspaper Publishers Association and the Danish Journalists Union that all journalists should have one week’s paid training leave a year, which may be accumulated for up to six years.

Yes, the British experience is very different. But the investment by Johnston Press, Cumbrian Newspapers and the Guardian Media Group in courses such as those offered by the Journalism Leaders Programme is one indication things are changing. News organisations have come to realise that to survive in this era of heady change and intense competition, investment in talent is essential. Those that aim to thrive are training their journalists. They are developing their managers. They are learning as institutions. Together they are discovering that change is a thrilling phenomenon – and learning is the oxygen for growth.

- For more from Tim Porter see this recording of the 4th Journalism Leaders Forum. There's a short and powerful interview with Ulrik Haagerup and colleagues here.
- To join in the 6th Jounalism Leaders Forum on 15 May 2007 see the latest details.
- To join the recently-established Digital Editors' Network, get hold of the initiator Nick Turner of Cumbrian Newspaper via the blog.
- If you, like The Indepedent editor Simon Kelner or The Sun managing editor Graham Dudman, you graduated from a journalism programme at Preston, link into our alumni network and you'll get information about the series of special events planned to mark our 45th anniversay over the course of the 2007-8 academic year. Yes, we've been leading journalism education in England since 1962.

Discuss the challenges of leading innovation with 'the most powerful figure in Britain's regional newspaper industry'

2006-08-21T12:54:00.000+01:00

The Independent's Raymond Snoddy wrote this today on Johnston Press chief executive Tim Bowdler:

The most powerful figure in Britain's £3bn regional newspaper industry is neither the flaxen-haired Sly Bailey of Trinity Mirror nor the curly-topped ruler of the Harmsworth press dynasty, Viscount Rothermere, but an engineer with a track record in companies that make everything from ball bearings to milk floats....
In this age of ever-increasing competition from the electronic media, Johnston, a company whose origins go back to a Falkirk printing business in 1767, still delivers hefty profit margins to its shareholders of about 35 per cent...

Snoddy’s profile of Bowdler also includes a discussion about the Johnston’s strategic partnership with the Department of Journalism in Preston, which is the hub of the company's digital innovation.

To hear more from Bowdler on the challenges of leading journalism in an digital age, join the next Journalism Leaders Forum on October 17th. Why don't you join the free global discussion in person or online?

The open forum is scheduled as part of the autumn residential week activities for participants in the Journalism Leaders Programme courses. Applications for The Principles of Journalism Leadership: Strategies for a Digital Age, which is being offered this autumn, are still being accepted. Visit the programme website or contact the director, François Nel at leaders[at]ukjournalism.org for more details.

Journalism Leaders team help Johnston Press (UK) move to multimedia

2006-06-29T15:14:00.000+01:00

In a presentation to the City yesterday, Johnston Press (UK) went public about their efforts to convert 70 traditional newsrooms into multimedia operations, starting with the Lancashire Evening Post in Preston.

Their key partner? The Department of Journalism team at UCLan.

Department head Mike Ward, author of Journalism Online and an initiator of the Journalism Leaders Programme, coordinated the team who advised on Johnston's strategy and helped refine the planning for implementation – and who continue to provide management and skills training.

Research in this area also continues with the Johnston Press Chair in Digital Journalism Development (described by Les Hinton, executive chairman of News International and a Johnston Press director, as "one the most sensible corporate investments I have seen for a long time.")

Others worldwide who also want to build the capacity - and confidence - to lead journalism in a digital age can participate in our flexible and highly-rated Journalism Leaders Programme, which is currently accepting applications for the next block. More details are available on our website .

First Journalism Leaders Programme residential gets enthusiastic 'thumbs up'

2006-02-22T17:41:00.000Z

The verdict was unanimous: The first residential week of the new Journalism Leaders Programme was a great success.

An analysis of questionnaires to participants- who joined the professional development course from news organisations in Africa, Asia and Europe - shows that everyone was ‘very satisfied’ or ‘satisfied’ with the overall experience. The key to that, according to participants, was relevant content and stimulating discussions with colleagues and presenters.

“Great variety. Huge thought gone into it. Excellent presenters,” wrote one respondent when asked what they liked most about the experience. “Discussions, sharing of experiences and ideas,” wrote another. “Leaving on a high. Privilege to attend,” noted a third.

Presenters, too, gave the programme a ‘thumbs up’. “Very lively and stimulating!” is how one discussion leader described the week, which included extensive discussion of a specially-commissioned case study on convergence at Nordjyke Medier in Denmark.

The on-campus residential week formed part of the first module of the course, which is offers modules in three 10-week blocks and blends face-to-face sessions with extensive online discussion and support.

In addition to the core faculty, participants also heard from:

Dan Gillmor, author of We the Media. A former US newspaperman, he is one of the web’s leading advocates of grassroots journalism.
Pete Clifton, Editor of BBC News Interactive, responsible for one of the web’s most successful news sites.
Cath Hearne, editor of BBC London’s nightly news programme and was at the helm on July 7th, a day in which some of the most vivid images of the London bombings were contributed by members of the public.
John Fray, Deputy General Secretary of the National Union of Journalists, which represents 35000 journalists in the UK and Ireland.
And Mike Ward, author of Journalism Online and head of the journalism department at UCLAN.

What advice do participants have for other considering joining the programme? “Read the pack [of materials sent to you before the residential session]. Be prepared to be challenged, stretched, puzzled, but over all have fun!”

Applications for the September 2006 intake are currently being accepted. Visit the course website or contact course leader François Nel at FPNel@uclan.ac.uk for more information.

Lessons from the front: Convergence at Nordjyske Medier

2005-11-02T18:08:00.000Z

Leaders are expected to look around corners, as it were, and to tell us what they see there.

The Journalism Leaders Programme team believe that sometimes the best way to map out a way forward is by looking back – at our own experiences and those of others. That’s why our course includes original, cutting-edge cases that spark lively discussions and provide lessons that participants can put into practice in their professional lives.

A key case for the Principles of Journalism module, which is offered this January, looks at the Danish company Nordjyske Medier. Described by Martha Stone of Ifra/Newsplex as the best example of a converged media organisation in the world, the group's leadership decided in 2001 to stop talking about the challenges of a digitial age. Instead, they set out to transform an unremarkable regional newspaper into a multimedia organisation that produces radio, TV, online and print media from a single converged newsroom.

We wanted to find out more about what they were doing, how they'd gone about it - and what they'd learned in the process.

So, late this summer John Drury, a Sony Award-winning TV producer who teaches in our department, headed off to North Jutland. John spent two days at Nordjyske Medier taping interviews with managing director Per Lyngby and a variety of other role players from across the organisational chart. We’ve analysed the company data, compared it to other research and pulled together a case with valuable insights for those who are keen – and courageous enough – to lead journalism in the Digital Age.

You can watch* a short preview of the video case study HERE.

Of course, we are most interested in knowing what you think. So please post your comments here or send them to leaders@ukjournalism.org.

Online applications are currently being processed for the Winter 2005-6 intake to the innovative Journalism Leaders Programme offered by the University of Central Lancashire's Department of Journalism. François Nel, the programme course leader, is happy to answer any questions: FPNel@uclan.ac.uk.

* These videos require Real Player software, which can be downloaded for free here.

Researching the training needs of editors

2005-07-14T11:28:00.000+01:00

Guy Berger , professor of journalism at Rhodes University, has been working on ways to help editors do better for some time now. His 1998 research paper, with Peter du Toit, “Exploring training needs of editors in the countries of Southern African Development Community (SADC)” still warrants a look-see (follow links to research>leadership).

More recently, the South African National Editors Forum (Sanef) published the results of a commissioned study, “Managerial competencies among first-line news managers in South Africa's mainstream media newsrooms” , which included both qualitative and quantitative approaches and a very well-constructed sample.

To help inform the Journalism Leaders Programme at UCLan, we did a little bit of research ourselves. While I’m still working on a conference paper that will report the full results, there’re a few tidbits in a piece on our website and in another one that ran in the UK Press Gazette .

What for?

2005-07-12T16:56:00.000+01:00

What's this blog for, you ask? Simply this: To gather research and information about journalism leaders for those who care, which are likely to be other researchers, students, journalists - and, perhaps, even those who lead them.

Why? The answer to this one has a few more angles. For one, I lead the new Journalism Leaders Programme at the Lancashire Business School in Preston, UK, and am keen to create a public depository of related research documents, both those that are freely available and those that are access-protected.

Another reason for this effort is that I'm also researching journalism leadership and change to inform our course and my teaching, certainly. But I'm also working on of my doctorate in journalism education at City University, London. In that capacity, I'm also keen to create a network of journalism scholars - or would-be scholars, like me - who are keen to swap ideas.

Like with other forms of journalism, this blog's success depends on the extent to which we all share. So, go ahead, send me a note at leaders@ukjournalism.org and let's get this depository - and discussion - going.