Takeaways from world’s first constructive journalism conference

Constructive journalism is about reporting problems – like traditional journalism – as well as providing solutions that inspire readers to take action rather than leaving them feeling hopeless. The movement is growing and had its first international conference in the Netherlands, last Friday 2 December.

Why business people should lead media data teams

Data. Data. Data. Big data. Small data. Too much of it. Not enough of it. Making sense of it all – in terms of context, content, and business – has been a struggle for most publishers. Xavier van Leeuwe, director of data & marketing at NRC Media in the Netherlands, can attest to that. His solution? “Simply” put the company’s business brains “behind the wheel” to drive its dedicated data teams. Using that approach, NRC is not only making sense of its data and other insights, it’s creating real customer relations – and dollars.

Greater protections demanded for women journalists

WAN-IFRA, in conjunction with the FOJO Media Institute, are calling on media worldwide to support stronger protections for women journalists in a text released to mark the 250th anniversary celebrations of Sweden’s ‘Freedom of the Press Act’, the first of its kind in the world.

Here is the answer newspapers are not looking for

The Information, a tech newsletter devoid of advertising, carries numerous lessons for newspapers – more than are first apparent, contends guest poster Colin Morrison. Publishers ignore those lessons at their peril, he warns.

In USA, farmers market and car show flourish after adoption by newspaper

When Banks Dishmon, advertising director for the Sentinel-Tribune of Bowling Green, Ohio, attended a meeting of the town’s Downtown Business Association last February, he had no idea that his newspaper was about to enter uncharted territory.

Is the events business right for media companies?

The answer, says guest poster Steve Gray, is yes – with qualifications. Gray describes numerous lessons from his own experience as a news publishing executive and from attendance at a leading conference.

Reuters study: News alerts have great potential

The lock screen on smartphones might become the next competitive sphere for publishers. A new report by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism illuminates the potential for news alerts to reach a variety of audiences and what publishers can do to improve users’ engagement with their content.

World Editors Forum President reflects on five Brazilian colleagues killed in plane crash in Colombia

The chartered plane carrying 81 people that crashed outside of Medellin, Colombia claimed the lives of at least 75. Players of the Chapecoense de Brasil soccer club and more than 20 journalists were en route to cover the final of the Copa Sudamericana tournament. Marcelo Rech, Editorial Vice-President of RBS Group, President of the Brazilian Newspaper Association and President of the World Editors Forum, lost five RBS Group colleagues and reflects on this tragedy.

The power of push notifications

New mobile user research reveals effective push notification strategies for the news media industry, says Peter Marsh, VP Marketing, Newscycle Solutions, in this guest post.

Cracking the engagement nut at the Financial Times

News publishers around the world are working hard to improve the metrics they use to measure and understand their digital reach and performance. One of the most high-profile examples is the Financial Times, which developed in-house an engagement metric to measure its audience size and behaviour online.