Mastering Leadership: A Conversation with Business Day's Steve Matthewson

For those involved in the Journalism Leaders Programme, there has been much to celebrate in 2012.

Since the Leaders programme was established in 2006, we've engaged with hundreds of editors and senior journalists from many of the UK's leading media houses, including Johnston Press, Trinity Mirror, Guardian Media Group and Cumbrian Newspapers, as well as others around the world through a wide variety of activities - from non-academic workshops, conferences, seminars and training courses, to postgraduate certificates and diplomas.

But this December five talented editors from South Africa, Bulgaria and the UK became the first to earn the Master of Arts in Journalism Leadership award from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston, home the UK's oldest journalism programme.

Steve Matthewson

Paddi Clay, Dilyan Damyanov,  Alison Gow, Laurice Taitz-Buntman and Steve Matthewson  (left) were the first ones to have pressed through to the end.

François Nel, the programme's founding director, wanted to find out about just why they invested in the experience. Here's what Steve Matthewson, Managing Editor: News, BDlive and Business Day in South Africa, had to say:

Traditionally, journalists have moved up the career ladder by learning all they can from the person on the rung above. Why did you choose to participate in the Journalism Leaders Programme?

Very simply, the sea changes that have occurred (are still occurring) in the traditional media space mean that conventional wisdom and institutional experience within media companies is less useful than it might have been 10, 20 years ago. There may be routines, approaches or philosophies that older, more experienced leaders may be able to share but because the business of media is changing so quickly and the role of professional journalists in society is shifting, such experience appears to be less relevant. In fact, to some extent, there are fewer "greybeards" around anyway so more of the learning would have to come from outside the newsroom.

Work-based experience seems to be about continuity; reproducing, perhaps more efficiently or in one's own style, the same products for which the previous generation was responsible.
The Journalism Leaders Programme forced me to think critically about the business itself on a much more existential level (that is, why do we do, what we do, at all).

Another key thing is that much journalism education is self-reinforcing whereas this programme consistently forced participants to look completely outside the industry for solutions and ideas.

Balancing the demands of editing a newspaper with the academic activities - residential weeks in Preston and applied projects - could not have been easy. What kept you going?

It was extremely demanding. However, the fact that the programme was a blend of practical application and high-level, theoretical thinking about leadership and strategy, meant I was able to feed back much of what I learnt directly back into my work during and after every module. That gave me personal satisfaction and also made up for the absence from work. My employer gave me all the backing I needed as well as time to complete my studies. Also, the support I received from my fellow JLP students throughout the programme and the informal support network we created was really helpful in completing the course.

The Journalism Leaders Programme offers non-academic routes for those who just want to attend residential sessions, as well as an academic route with exit points at postgraduate certificate, post graduate diploma and Master of Arts levels. Why did you keep going to the end – including writing a research dissertation?

On one level, it was the ambition to complete a proper post-graduate qualification which would have serious long-term value to my CV. I've done a number of short courses in leadership, newsroom management as well stated-based unit standards in assessment etc and, while empowering, these never had the same gravitas as a proper academic course.

On another level, I just enjoyed each module so much so having completed three I really wanted to do the next three because they covered other areas in which I was interested in. And having finished the modules, it just made sense to do the dissertation. The dissertation was the hardest bit though.

How did your company benefit from your participation?

Since I became a more confident, mature and thoughtful leader, Avusa (now Times Media) were able to - and did - promote me several times during the course of the programme. I took on much greater responsibility not just in terms of the number of people reporting to me or the size of the budget which I worked with, but I now work much more across traditional boundaries within the organisation and I am not just limited to an editorial role. I think I (and other editorial leaders) are of neccessity having to take on those roles anyway, but my participation in the JLP prepared me better for this new kind of leadership role. In addition, I would say the JLP was fairly cutting edge in exposing participants to key trends in the industry,  new technologies and the challenges of managing creative individuals in changing environments so having someone like me to launch and run new "stuff" I think has helped the organisation move forward.

How would you summarise your JLP experience?

Challenging, academically rigorous, well-structured, always current and absolutely relevant to my career.

• Earlier we also posted conversations with  Alison Gow , editor of the Daily Post in Wales, and Dilyan Damyanov,  Editorial Director of Information Services at AII Data Processing in Sofia. We plan to post conversations withthe other graduates over the coming weeks. 
• The first and only programme of its kind in the UK, the Journalism Leaders Programme continues to work with leading publishers from around the world, such as News International, to provide custom courses that help equip exceptional talent for leadership. For more information, contact François  Nel at FPNel @ uclan.ac.uk .

Mastering Leadership: A Conversation with Dilyan Damyanov

Today is a Red Letter Day for the Journalism Leaders Programme.

Five talented editors from South Africa, Bulgaria and the UK will be the first to earn the Master of Arts in Journalism Leadership award from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston, home the UK's oldest journalism programme.

In the seven years since the Leaders programme was established, we've engaged with hundreds of editors and senior journalists from many of the UK's leading media houses, including Johnston Press, Trinity Mirror and  Guardian Media Group, as well as others from around the world through a wide variety of  activities - from non-academic workshops, conferences, seminars and training courses, to postgraduate certificates and diplomas.

Dilyan Damyanov

But Paddi Clay, Dilyan Damyanov (left),  Alison Gow, Laurice Taitz-Buntman and Steve Matthewson will be the first ones to have pressed through to the end.

François Nel, the programme's founding director, wanted to find out about just why they invested in the experience. Here's what Dilyan Damyanov, Editorial Director of Information Services at AII Data Processing in Sofia, had to say:

The media landscape in Bulgaria is very different from the UK, why did you choose to enrol in the Journalism Leaders Programme?

UCLan's Journalism Leaders programme was, and still is, one of a precious few academic programmes that teach strategic leadership in the ever changing media environment. Back when I enrolled, it was so novel and ahead of its time that there simply were no other options on the market, especially programmes that are flexible enough for a professional to be able to balance them with their work and social life. There is certainly nothing like it in my country and, to the best of my knowledge, it's a one-of-a-kind deal across Europe.

Unlike most academic courses, the JLP comprises a series of modules that can be taken in any order on a pay-as-you-go basis. What kept you coming back to Preston?

I kept coming back to Preston for two reasons. One was the opportunities presented by the programme to build a network and learn not only as part of the scheduled academic activities but also on the sidelines of the modules, in a fun and engaging setting. The second reason was that the dedication and passion of everyone involved with organising and teaching this programme always meant I had access to relevant, up-to-date, useful information and tools. Thank you!

How would you summarise your JLP experience?

The Journalism Leaders programme had a profound impact on how I see the media industry and how I approach strategic challenges. I met inspiring people, made great friends and had some of the most fun times of my life.

• Earlier we posted a conversation with Alison Gow,  editor of the Daily Post, and  plan to post conversations with each of the other graduates over the coming weeks. 
• The first and only programme of its kind in the UK, the Journalism Leaders Programme continues to work with leading publishers from around the world, such as News International, to provide custom courses that help equip exceptional talent for leadership. For more information, contact François  Nel at FPNel @ uclan.ac.uk .

Mastering Leadership: A conversation with Daily Post editor Alison Gow

Wednesday, 5 December 2013, is a milestone for the Journalism Leaders Programme.

It's been almost seven years since we welcomed the first cohort to Preston. Since then, we've engaged with hundreds of editors and senior journalists from around the world through a wide variety of  activities - from non-academic workshops, conferences, seminars and training courses, to postgraduate certificates and diplomas.

But the five editors from Bulgaria, South Africa and the UK who earn their Master of Arts in Journalism Leadership awards next week, will be the first cohort who have pressed through to the end.

We wanted to find out about just why they invested in the experience. Here's what Alison Gow, editor of the Daily Post in North  Wales, had to say:

Traditionally, journalists have moved up the career ladder by learning all they can from the person on the rung above. Why did you choose to participate in the Journalism Leaders Programme?
 

Daily Post editor Alison Gow

I joined the Leaders Programme in 2007 under a Trinity Mirror initiative, along with 12 other colleagues from the regional editorial teams. The course made me ask myself a lot of hard questions about my perceptions of journalism, storytelling, audience, management and - not least - where I wanted to go in my career. I also emerged with a post-graduate qualification, but I really felt that I wanted to be pushed further in my thinking, so when François [Nel, founding director of the programme] said there was an opportunity to continue, and work towards an MA, I knew I wanted to do it.

It's very easy to get complacent when you've been doing something for a long time. I like being out of my comfort zone and having what I might consider accepted norms challenged, but learning new things (including quite practical things, like financial planning) it also helped me frame and articulate my own ideas around Journalism. It was like having a tool-kit of practical and theoretical methods, and that has been invaluable.

Balancing the demands of editing a newspaper with the academic activities - residential weeks in Preston and applied projects - could not have been easy. What kept you going? 

Practically, there is a lot of support from tutors during the residential weeks and via distance learning, so that network was vital. I'm indebted to them all for their assistance. I also enjoyed a lot of the readings (less so the ones about budgeting...)

My course-mates were brilliant, funny and clever - I consider them my friends now, so that was a rewarding aspect. I also had great support from Alan Edmunds, my editor-in-chief while I was at Media Wales, who was unexpectedly cool with the idea of me heading off to Preston in work time to do academic 'stuff'.

But mostly I think what kept me going was that I enjoyed learning new things, sharing and getting feedback on ideas with likeminded people,learning from amazing guest lecturers, talking through industry disruption, innovation, people management - things that impact on us working in the Press every day.

 The Journalism Leaders Programme offers non-academic routes for those who just want to attend residential sessions, as well as an academic route with exit points at postgraduate certificate, post graduate diploma and Master of Arts levels. Why did you keep going to the end – including writing a research dissertation?

 I went straight into local newspapers from school, aged 18, and my last qualification was the NCE. So although that was right for me then, I had reached the stage where I wanted to learn more. I would never have had the discipline to do it on my own, but I also wouldn't have wanted a career break to achieve a qualification - the Leaders Programme was the perfect fit. The MA gave me a goal to aim for, and focused my attention on investigating something that really mattered to me as an editor - namely, how was the role changing, and what was it becoming.

How do you think your company benefitted from your participation?

 Without the original leaders course I would never have specialised in digital journalism, and I think the knowledge, enthusiasm and - probably - blinkered fixation on online storytelling I gained as a result of that - benefited TM.

Although I self-funded my MA aspect of the course, TM continued to support me in practical ways, and the benefit for the company is, I think, that I am a more effective leader and manager as a result. My studies helped me gain a better understanding of Journalism, innovation, industry disruption, strategy - and practical things such as project management, financial planning and marketing. It sounds simplistic but I interviewed a lot of editors for my dissertation research and the overwhelming feedback from them was that they wanted and needed more training and development to do their jobs more effectively.

What advice do you have for companies and individuals considering investing in further professional education?

It involves time, commitment, money and determination, but the rewards are immense.

I verbally signed up for the leaders course as I drove back from a job interview for an editorship - 2 weeks later I was in charge of my first newspaper and website, and on a study programme working towards an MA. It would have been easy to say I had too much on and back out, but there never is a good time, is there? If you feel it's important, you just have to jump.

Most of the people TM put forward for the first J-Leaders Programme back in 2007 have now significantly advanced their careers, either within the company or externally, and I don't think that's a coincidence.

Can you summarise your JLP experience?

Rewarding, exhausting, challenging, essential, fun. I laughed a lot, learned a lot, made good friends and got to know all the good pubs in Preston. Plus next Wednesday I graduate - something I would have thought completely beyond my grasp as an 18-year-old trainee journalist. It's been life-changing.

• Also graduating with MA degrees will be Paddi Clay, Dilyan Damyanov, Steve Matthewson and Laurice Taitz-Buntman. We plan to post conversations with each of them over the coming weeks. 
• The first and only programme of its kind in the UK, the Journalism Leaders Programme continues to work with leading publishers from around the world, such as News International, to provide custom courses that help equip exceptional talent for leadership. For more information, contact François  Nel at FPNel @ uclan.ac.uk .

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

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

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:

1. 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.
   
   
2. 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.

   
   

3. 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

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

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

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 UK 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?

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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 into 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.