ISOJ 2022 Takeaways
Good to be back to journalism conferencing for the first time in more than two years
On April 1 and 2, I finally broke out ye old carry-on bag and headed back to my favorite journalism conference, the International Symposium for Online Journalism in Austin, Texas.
It was both strange and invigorating to be talking to people in person, instead of squares on a Zoom screen. ISOJ always helps me stay up to date on what’s going on in journalism and has connected me with so many smart people in the academy and the industry over the years. And of course, I always enjoy a pilgrimage to the Texas Chili Parlor and the Dive Bar.
My friend and co-author Jonathan Groves sums it up well here, and you can follow his excellent thread for lots of info on the different sessions:
I haven’t been blogging much lately, so I thought I would break the drought and share just a few quick takeaways that have kept me thinking.
- Journalism professors working in more conservative parts of the country reported hearing much more hostility from parents and others who ask students if they are “majoring in lies” or “training to be an enemy of the people” or similar. Journalists working at metro dailies also reported an escalation in threats and harassment for simply doing their jobs. While this isn’t necessarily surprising (unfortunately), the level of vitriol is striking and helped give me some needed perspective as someone who teaches in New York City — we aren’t immune from these kinds of attacks by any means, but generally we are more insulated from them than some colleagues are. My colleagues and students and I often critique the mainstream press for many things, including both-sidesism, focusing on the horse race, failing to adequately challenge official sources, and more, and rightfully so. But I was reminded anew how much attacks from the right on journalism are affecting students’ and reporters’ safety and ability to do their work.
- Richard Gingras, global vice president of news for Google, noted that he still, in the year 2022, talks to top editors and publishers who report doing little to no meaningful, in-depth audience research. Sigh. In 2008 I was never surprised to find this in my research in newsrooms, but today? Uff. He also noted that many legacy publications don’t like it when Google gives money to emerging players, which gave me a little chuckle. So many newspapers still want to blame tech giants for all of their problems, and while that is fair to a point, years of failing to innovate or adapt their products or business models to the digital era sure played a role. Supporting legacy media is fine, but let’s also help upstarts who are serving communities in new ways!
- Keith Woods, chief diversity officer of NPR, noted that people don’t leave jobs, they leave bosses (and, I would argue, work cultures as a whole.) Good point. He also said to treat people who leave like alumni, not traitors. You can’t keep everybody, but by treating them well you can open an opportunity for them to one day come back.
- A local news success story to watch is Village Media in Canada. According to CEO Jeff Elgie, they currently have publications in 16 cities and are launching in two new ones in May. They are larger in newsroom size and digital reach than many of their daily newspaper counterparts. They are service journalism focused, have doubled since the start of the pandemic. Their local markets are almost all profitable, and they are growing. They rely on a diverse revenue mix that includes advertising and licensing their platform.
- Another organization to watch is Word in Black, a national newsroom powered by a collaboration of the nation’s leading Black publishers. Managing director Liz Dwyer talked about how it aims to be the most trusted news source for, about and by Black people and the importance of challenging how objectivity norms upload white supremacy. From their website:
Word In Black promises to confront inequities, elevate solutions and amplify the Black experience by reporting, collecting, and sharing stories about real people in communities across our country. We believe that by joining forces and providing a platform to examine these experiences in one place, we can shape how the nation understands and addresses systemic issues of race, justice, and equity. It is through collective understanding that we bring about collective impact.
6. Press freedom around the world is under tremendous threat. As he often does, conference organizer Rosental Alves brought together a international panel of journalists that awed us with their courage. Some folks to follow: Bao Choy, independent journalist, Hong Kong, Fu Ting, correspondent, Associated Press, Thailand Pranav Dixit, tech reporter, BuzzFeed, India, Jorge Caraballo Cordovez, journalist, Colombia, María Lilly Delgado, independent journalist, Nicaragua, Patricia Laya, bureau chief, Bloomberg News, Venezuela, José Luis Sanz, correspondent, El Faro, El Salvador, Natalia Viana, cofounder and executive director, Agência Pública, Brazil
7. Nina Gregory, head of news and media publishers at Clubhouse, reported that news was their stickiest content. Interesting!
