Media strategist Steve Yelvington looks back over newsroom integration

Posted by Helena Deards on April 7, 2009 at 11:53 AM

Newsrooms that integrate their online and print coverage have become common, if not commonplace, on the media landscape in recent times. Now that many have made the leap to an integrated newsroom, media strategist Steve Yelvington has spoken with editors and journalists who made the jump - and revealed his thoughts looking back.

He writes that, ultimately, merging print and online staff is and was "the right thing to do", and that if anything it should have happened sooner - perhaps moving faster would have lessened the divide which developed between print and online reporters in the interim period.

Not everyone agrees, however - Norway's success story Verdens Gang maintains its online and print staff as separate entities. Espen Egil Hansen, editor-in chief of Verdens Gang Multimedia explains "I am generally sceptical of the idea of one media house, one newsroom. When was the last time anyone won both the 100 meter dash and marathon during an Olympic game?"

Yelvington also points out that the move must be a complete overhaul, and that "moving the chairs around isn't enough". It's a sentiment which the Guardian seems to have taken literally, moving nearly all London-based employees from five offices into one. Paul Johnson, Guardian Deputy Editor and overall head of news at the publication emphasised that the Guardian "couldn't make the big leap until we moved to the new building."

Marcelo Rech, general product director at the Brazilian RBS Group which runs newspapers including Zero Hora, said that he believes "the first task of a journalist is being relevant - being read, watched or listened by the highest number of people, and making a difference. When our journalists realized they were becoming more relevant due the internet, they largely volunteered for work with the digital side on a routine basis."

Yelvington, however, warns that one of main problems in integration processes can be the divide which exists between online and print journalist; combined with the stereotypes and preconceptions of the other party's medium of work. He also writes that "understanding the online medium isn't just a matter of technology." Newsrooms must focus on their employee's strengths and offer multi-platform on-the-job training for both journalistic skills and digital thinking.

Dennis Joyce, senior editor at the Tampa Tribune, whose integration process was much reported on and looked to as an example, explains "the crucial principle underlying the changes is the separation of content generation and distribution within the newsroom structure, while eliminating duplication in both reporting and delivery of news." Yelvington believes that these strategic reasons must be strongly emphasised to everyone involved in the process, to produce a strong sense of direction and teamwork.

Yelvington comes to the overall conclusion that integration of print and online processes has been essential to modern newsrooms. However, he makes it clear the change "is a journey, not a destination", and that no newsroom integration is finished. With the ever developing role of the Internet and multimedia in news reporting, it is clear that the process itself must continue to self-evaluate and evolve.

Source: Yelvington