MANAGING DIGITAL Leadership Expectations

for Newsroom Supervisors

Handout from presentation for Mid-America Press Institute

With Joe Hight, Director of Information and Development, The Oklahoman/NewsOK.com

Leaders inspire or expire

40 Inspirational Speeches in 2 minutes

Multimedia examples • nDepth• ‘know it’ online

communities• wimgo.com• MLK Jr.

• Static• OSU plane crash• Alternate Crop

• Newspaper co-ops• Downtown• Memorial Marathon• TAILGATING University

Other examples on NewsOK.com’s main page. Scroll down right-hand side.

The changes mean we must ...

• Be more flexible in story forms and design.• Reach readers in multiple platforms throughout

the day and night. Find common interests in topics and locations.

• Experiment more and have more creativity with multimedia, from blogging to social media to audio to video.

• Provide and promote quality content and items that are of interest, both in print and online.

What remains the same …

• The need to break news, be a watchdog of government and tell good stories.

• Accuracy, ethics and standards. (Our News and Information Center has a Standards Team with representatives from every department and team).

• Need for training.

Effects on YOU • Leading news/information on

multiple platforms.• Changing readers’ expectations:

Listening to their demands and providing different platforms.

• Creating ways to become a one-stop website for news and information.

• Providing more on-demand video than most news websites.

• Navigating and motivating through sometimes difficult changes for your staff.

• Keep learning and encouraging learning (For example …)

Types of field video

Tier 1: Short Interview/video only (no b-roll or graphics).Tier 2: Short Interview/video with pics and/or graphics.Tier 3: A Vignette with 2-4 shots of b-roll and interview.Tier 4: Reporter on-cam.Tier 5: Longer narratives, collaborative effort.

New mindset for leaders ...• Know models change every six months. Audience

changes, too.• System Coaching vs. Now Coaching: New stars emerge.

Embrace them. But don’t forget the experienced stars, too.

• Find new ways to collaborate internally and externally.• Know print-online content vs. revenue-centric content.

(Certain content can be sponsored.)• Learn social media as a promotion tool.• Gadgets don’t have to be expensive. Find them.• Find new ways to train, and encourage training outside

of the norm. Train for 2011 and not 2001. (See next slide.)

Newsroom training in 2011• Form diverse newsroom training

committee.• Understand power of one: Small

groups great; champions important.

• Target audience: Who needs to be there? What is mandatory?

• Time: Must be shorter unless skills-oriented.

• Surveys: Short ones to gauge issues and train accordingly.

• Collaborate to bring trainers and high-profile journalists to your newsroom.

• Do internal auctions to raise money for scholarships for students and grants for outside training. Ask staffers to give back with training for newsroom.

• NIC Academy: Quarterly workshops over multiday period, with multiple 30-minute sessions. Topics have ranged from Flash to Wolfram Alpha to blogging to Internet research to details in storytelling to who is our audience to cultivating sources to better visual presentations. Goal: Create quick sessions to help staff improve their job performance or inform them on topics to do their jobs more effectively.

• Multimedia Showcase: A series of monthly or twice-monthly discussions about planning for and implementing successful multimedia stories or projects. The format provides for a 15-minute presentation, followed by 15 minutes of questions and discussion. Usually held after morning planning meeting.

• The Oklahoman’s NIC also brings in outside speakers and partners with other journalism organizations for training. It invites journalism/communication professors and instructors whenever possible.

• Best of Month provides incentives for great work and provides examples.

• Online Newsroom: Workshop notices, tips, praise, links, directories, handouts, etc.

WILL YOU …

INSPIRE or EXPIRE?

More information: jhight@opubco.com