Desperately Engaging Audiences for Innovation Journalism
Innovation journalism stories do not always reach audiences. However, the ultimate goal of journalism is not only to reach audiences and stakeholders, but also to engage them in a public and meaningful debate – in this case – about the new value of innovations.
Public broadcasting seems a good place to start a public debate, especially when it produces programming for both radio and television. Ironically, this is only the case of a bigger public broadcaster where the odds of producing one content brand for all of the platforms are low. They too work in silos.
This is where KQED is unique. Science oriented program of Quest was the first example of bringing similarly branded content to all of the available platforms. Quest is reaching radio, television, Internet and school audiences. Furthermore, co-promotion events such as Science Café might be considered the fifth platform for communicating the new value of innovation, and another tool for strengthening the brand that communicates it.
This proves that the question of “How do we get people to listen to the radio again?” is asked incorrectly. Regardless of primary platform, whether it is radio or television, the right question is: do we understand how to reach audiences where they are today? Then: do we know how to involve them in a constructive dialog?
Though more than 3 million iPads were sold worldwide in less than 2 months, that does not necessarily mean newsrooms should be starting to invest time and money in their iPad applications yet. First, they need to have a strategy and to understand the entire set of available tools. We have learned that mainstream media still dictate much of the news; but the social media are where the echo and the debate happen.
Adding Facebook code to a news website might help not only to spread/share the stories, but might also raise the chances of a higher quality public debate. Considering that news comments rarely reach a constructive level, adding names to comments and banning anonymity probably is a step in the right direction. Understanding computer programming and the spread of memes throughout the networks might also help both journalists and editors.
Since the business model for public broadcasting is still somewhat sustainable (both in U.S.A. and Europe) and there are no pay walls for the content, the reach and the chances for the public debate we struggle for are optimized. Public broadcasters must not fight to control content but must allow its free distribution in social media.
We cannot completely agree as to whether YouTube channels strengthen the brand of a public broadcaster. In the case of Quest it appears that it does. The use of other social media tools must be considered. Bloggers and newspapers are free to embed Quest content to their websites. Paul Rogers, KQED called it the ‘dandelion effect.’ It also describes the struggle of innovation journalism.
Spread the seeds of innovation stories wherever possible (or reasonable) and start counting on a meaningful debate!
Welcome to InJo Fellow!
Hello,
I am happy to introduce you to my new blog, a result of attending Innovation Journalism Fellowship at Stanford University and being hosted by KQED radio in San Francisco. My interests as a journalist relate to the collision of technology with the human environment at levels from individuals to cities to nations, involving a broad range of circumstances. These are the things I will report about while working at KQED.
My global perspective is this: 250,000 years of collective learning have brought the environment of our species to an intriguing level of complexity. Now is the time to promote an era of ‘collective innovation,’ but this must be communicated by competent journalists. Volkswagen calls it the ‘Fun Theory’ and one can only agree: innovation is fun everyone should have. It should be fun to collect garbage, to recycle, to use the public transport. In too many cities public transport is just funny, not fun. Trains rarely get the chance, buses are slow, cars are everywhere and mostly empty and cyclists rarely get priority. If public transport is a problem, why are so few thinking about useful solutions? Public transportation is surely a field for innovation. Technologies such as GPS systems are helping users plan and predict journeys, but have not yet reached their full potential. After decades of cities’ transportation-industry attention, passenger safety is still at risk. Reducing this risk at a minimum is something a collective innovation could solve and deserves reporters’attention.
In short, I see excellent potential in reporting on new public-service initiatives that will save cities and taxpayers a lot of time and money. And I remind myself constantly that such innovations must meet the basic criterion of cost-effectiveness or they will not be adopted.
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