Journalists discuss the newsroom of the future

“CUTE CATS”, robots and “numbers people” will play key roles in newsrooms in the years ahead, the Media Future conference in Dún Laoghaire heard yesterday, as journalists from Ireland and abroad discussed how their companies were adapting to the digital era.

News organisations have figured out the advantages of using digital features such as interactive graphics, video and databases but they have yet to fully execute on their promise, Raju Narisetti, managing editor of the Wall Street Journal Digital Network, said.

“The bad news in my mind is that we are still pretty bad about taking all this and turning it into an amazing experience [for readers] every day.”

Kevin O’Sullivan, editor of The Irish Times, said 2012 was the year that digital would be brought into the core of its journalism. This will follow the replacement of a 10-year-old content management system with a new publishing platform that will help the company integrate its print news desk with its online operation, he said.

“I genuinely believe there is a place in the digital world for a modern, well-resourced newsroom,” said Mr O’Sullivan, describing himself as an optimist in relation to digital revenues. “In a world of white noise, you need insight and trust. The big question is how we engage with our audience. We believe a considerable amount of change is required.”

He said that digital developments did not mean abandoning print and added that web expansion would coincide with enhancement of the newspaper and improving its readability.

Bilal Randeree, social media and web editor for Al Jazeera English, told the conference that attempts by regimes in some parts of the world to close off access to social media are usually counter-productive because of “the cute cat theory”, he explained.

“People like to share pictures of cute cats on social media. When you block Facebook for 10 days, you’re basically pissing these people off. They get upset because they can’t share pictures of cute cats any more, and they get politicised,” he said.

Media outlets are now trying to figure out the best ways to get audiences to spread their journalistic content as instinctively as Facebook users share cute cat pictures.

Laura Evans, chief experience officer at the Washington Post, said newspapers should not wait for “the perfect time” to make strides in digital. Though newsrooms are staffed by “words people”, “numbers people” can help journalists with audiences.

Whether machines can replace journalists was the subject of Wired.co.ukassociate editor Olivia Solon's presentation. Robots are already generating sports and financial reports, she noted. "But I'm not sure a robot would be able to come up with headlines for the Sun."