The IJ-7 Blog

Opening Keynote with Krishna Bharat (video)

2010-06-16T17:10:00.000-07:00

The opening IJ-7 Keynote with Google News Creator Krishna Bharat is now available on YouTube:

Krishna Bharat, founder and engineering head of Google News, speaks with David Nordfors, Founding Executive Director of the Stanford Center for Innovation and Communication at Stanford University, at the opening keynote session of IJ-7, the Seventh Conference on Innovation Journalism, at Stanford on June 9, 2010.

The Google News Blog coverage of the chat is here: Krishna Bharat discusses the past and the future of Google News.

[Addition June 21] - here is some external coverage of the chat:

Google News founder highlights risks of personalised news feeds - Rachel McAthy, Journalism.co.uk
The creator of Google News on how journalism will change in the next 5 years -Zee, The Next Web
Futur du journalism: Ce qu'en pense le createur de Google News - Owni Digital Journalism
Google News ' can be a good filter' - Direct News
Google News Creator Says Journalism is here to stay - Everything PR
Los cinco cambios que marcarán el futuro del periodismo - ABC.es
‘Google News’ apuesta por medios de pago y que usen redes sociales - NOTICIAS - Hoxe en Xornal de Ga

CNET@IJ-7: Journalism vx Intellectual Property Rights

2010-06-09T17:00:00.000-07:00

CNET/CBS has published three videos from the IJ-7 INJO/CBS keynote panel "Journalism vs Intellectual property.

Here goes:

"Gizmodo raid: Crimefighting, or journalistic threat?"

(click here to see it on CNET's website)

A police raid of a Gizmodo editor's home as part of an investigation into Apple's missing prototype 4G iPhone raises questions about trade secrets, journalism, and the First Amendment. CNET correspondent Declan McCullagh, center, moderates panel at Stanford University's Innovation Journalism conference on June 7 asking whether Gizmodo, Apple, or law enforcement crossed the line. Panelists from left to right:Paul Saffo, technology forecaster; Roger Myers, media attorney who represented CBS Interactive in effort to unseal Gizmodo documents; Jennifer Granick, Electronic Frontier Foundation attorney; William Coats, litigator who has represented clients including Lucasfilm and DVDCCA on intellectual property cases. Introduction by David Nordfors, Executive Director InJo Stanford;

(18 min 53 sec)

"Is Wikileaks the future of journalism?"

(click here to see it on CNET's website)

Wikileaks brags that it's produced more scoops in its lifetime than the Washington Post has in 30 years: is this the future of journalism? CNET correspondent Declan McCullagh, center, asks this question at Stanford University's Innovation Journalism conference on June 7. Panelists from left to right: Paul Saffo, technology forecaster; Roger Myers, media attorney who represented CBS Interactive in effort to unseal Gizmodo documents; Jennifer Granick, Electronic Frontier Foundation attorney; William Coats, litigator who has represented clients including Lucasfilm and DVDCCA on intellectual property cases. Panel introduced by David Nordfors, Executive Director InJo Stanford;

(22 min 31 sec)

"Intellectual Property rights vs journalism"

(click here to see the video on CNET's website)

Is intellectual property protection a threat to journalism? Is journalism a threat to intellectual property protection? Audience members ask where should the borders lie at Stanford University's Innovation Journalism conference on June 7. Panelists from left to right: Paul Saffo, technology forecaster; Roger Myers, media attorney who represented CBS Interactive in effort to unseal Gizmodo documents; CNET correspondent Declan McCullagh; Jennifer Granick, Electronic Frontier Foundation attorney; William Coats, litigator who has represented clients including Lucasfilm and DVDCCA on intellectual property cases. Audience questions moderated by David Nordfors, Executive Director InJo Stanford;

(26 min 54 sec)

InJo Picks 2010: The Winners

2010-06-08T20:36:00.000-07:00


Injo Pick No 1: Mark Glaser

The winners of the InJo Picks 2010 were announced today at IJ-7, the Seventh Conference on Innovation Journalism. This years' role model innovation journalists (and the Injo Fellows who nominated them) are:

Injo Pick No 1: Mark Glaser, editor of Idea Lab and PBS MediaShift, nominated by Tanja Aitamurto for his story "Why 'TV Everywhere' Will Fail".

Injo Pick No 2: Sheraz Sadiq

Injo Pick No 2: Sheraz Sadiq, Associate Producer of Quest, KQED, nominated by Matej Praprotnik for his story "Decoding Synthetic Biology; imagine living cells acting as memory devices; biofuels brewing from yeast, or a light receptor taken from algae that makes photographs on a plate of bacteria"

Injo Pick No 3: Peter Aldhous

Injo Pick No 3: Peter Aldhous, San Francisco Bureau Chief, New Scientist. Nominated by Shehryar Mufti for his story "My 'non-human' DNA: a cautionary tale;'This is a strange question, but are you sure this is Homo sapiens?' It's not every day that an expert queries whether your DNA is human, so when I received this comment by email earlier this month I was somewhat bemused."

The whole list of InJo Picks 2010 nominees and their stories are available on the IJ-7 conference website.

Tha Shape of Things to Come

2010-06-03T15:12:00.000-07:00

The roundtable session 'Young Peoples' InJo' is, by far, one of the most exciting projects I've been involed in. Esther Wojcicki's journalism students from Palo Alto High, collectively, are a force of nature. Between Ed Madison from the University of Oregon, Tim Dickinson from Rolling Stone, and, of course, Esther Wojcicki herself, this session promises to be an eye-opener to say the least.
We all know how powerful young people are becoming, and how central a role innovation has played in that. This is the session, however, that will show you how this shift is manifesting itself.

THE IJ-7 CONFERENCE POSTER

2010-05-28T11:33:00.000-07:00

Here is the IJ-7 Conference Poster :-)

IJ-7 Keynote Panel: Journalists - From Gatekeepers to Networkers?

2010-05-22T07:25:00.000-07:00

In November 2009, the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council for the Future of Journalism issued a statement, saying that journalism needs to move from the old model - where journalists acted as gatekeepers of the news - to a networked model, where journalists use the capabilities of the Internet to bring sources and audience closer to each other, facilitating constructive interaction in society.

The full statement of the WEF GAC is here.

IJ-7 will host a panel discussing the statement. It will be moderated by members of the WEF GAC: David Nordfors, Executive Director InJo Stanford, and Guido Baumhauer, Director - Innovation and Distribution, Deutsche Welle Worldwide.

World Economic Forum Keynote Panel: Future of Media in the World

2010-05-19T15:20:00.000-07:00

Keynote panel: The Future of Media in the World
IJ-7 Day 2, Tuesday June 8, 9-10 am.

The World Economic Forum is contributing to IJ-7 by heading a keynote panel: The Future of Media in the World.

Innovation and globalization are reshaping the media landscape. It is nowadays very far from obvious what is the next big thing, and where it is happening. One thing is certain - today, the forefront of media can be anywhere. The largest growing penetrations of cell phones are in emerging economies, as are often the high profits for traditional media, such as newspapers and TV.

Diana El-Azar, heading the World Economic Forum Media, Entertainment and Information Industry partnership, will make an introduction to the topic, and then head a discussion with a truly international panel:

PANELISTS (SO FAR): Amir Jahangir, Media Developer, WEF Young Global Leader, InJo Stanford Program Advisor, Pakistan; Sara Öhrvall, Director R&D, Bonnier Corp, Sweden/Silicon Valley; Phil Bronstein, Editor-at-Large, Hearst Newspapers (prel.); Liang Shougang, Director of Programming Office, GuangDong TV, China; Esther Wojcicki, Chairwoman Creative Commons. (we may be getting another panelist from Latin America)

Desperately Seeking Audiences for Innovation Journalism

2010-05-19T13:02:00.000-07:00

Best practice group session on Monday, June 7th at 10.30am & 2.30pm

Innovation is a cultural value, while innovation journalism provides essential information about it. But innovation journalism stories do not always reach audiences. Some editors and news organizations lack interest in the broader perspective. Innovation journalism provides this vital perspective, invaluable to informed audiences worldwide.

But Innovation Journalism needs to be 'branded,' not only to provide audiences quality journalism but to address all stakeholders in creating a true innovation ecosystem. 'Innovation' must become a news beat, building trust, providing funding and reaching critical influences across a broad spectrum of interest and involvement.

Public broadcasters worldwide, as a typical example, are still struggling to compete with commercial media. Their reaction to commercial programming varies. Some consolidate identity by focusing more strongly on traditional public-interest content. Others started competing by matching commercial channels. ZDF and RAI exemplify the two different approaches: one consolidates public-broadcasting values; the other identifies with commercial competitors.

While broadcasters face declining audiences--people no longer listen to radio or watch TV as passionately and loyally--they often ask themselves the wrong question: How do we attract young audiences? The right question is also about platforms. How do we offer content attractive to all our audiences, young and old? Vs. innovation journalism: How can innovation journalism reach all innovation stakeholders? Innovation brings irreversible changes to everyone's lives, like it or not, so everybody should understand its context.

To raise science literacy among Northern Californians, KQED established a successful brand: QUEST. Unlike many public broadcasters, their audiences have been rising, thanks to an excellent audience approach. QUEST comes on four platforms: TV, radio, Internet and an educational program for schools. At my InJo 2010 workshop on Monday, Paul Rogers (AM) and Lauren Sommer (PM) will explain how QUEST was established and produced. Other speakers will include Ian Hsu, Media Outreach Director at Stanford (AM), David Demarest, Stanford Public Affairs Vice President (PM), Violeta Bulc, entrepreneur and initiator of Innovation Journalism program in Slovenia and others.

No surprise that I am nominating KQED journalist and producer Sheraz Sadiq for Best Innovation Journalist. His story on Decoding Synthetic Biology exemplifies innovation journalism--journalism that gives innovation meaning and relevance. Sheraz Sadiq excels in adding both economic and social perspective on how synthetic biology is changing the world.

I will interview Sheraz Sadiq on his approach and best practices on Tuesday, June 8th, so please join us either at 10.30 AM or 2.30 PM. Prepare for spirited discussion and an examination of all the key issues.

Paul Saffo to Head Panel of Best Innovation Journalists 2010

2010-05-18T07:10:00.000-07:00

Another Keynote update: On June 8 conference participants will be selecting the InJo Picks 10 - Role model Innovation Journalists. Paul Saffo, the Silicon Valley grand nestor of innovation storytelling, will head the panel of InJo Picks 2010 winners on the theme "How to Cover Innovation"

Nominees so far: Peter Aldhous, New Scientist; Michael Angeles,Konigi.com;Scott Harris, San Jose Mercury News;Peter Lewis, independent writer; Erik Mellgren, Ny Teknik; Camille Ricketts, VentureBeat; Sheraz Sadiq, KQED; Robert Scoble, Scobleizer; Jay Thorwaldsen and team, Palo Alto Weekly; Mikael Törnwall, Dagens Industri; Todd Woody, New York Times;

New IJ-7 Keynote Panel: Journalism vs Intellectual Property Protection

2010-05-14T05:45:00.000-07:00

I am happy to announce a new keynote panel: Journalism vs Intellectual Property Protection. Apple vs Gizmodo is yet another example of the growing clash between journalism and intellectual property protection. Is intellectual property protection a threat to the freedom of speech? Is journalism a threat to intellectual property? Where should the borders go?

The panel is a collaboration between the Research Center of Innovation Journalism and CBS. Declan McCullough, CBS, is heading the panel.

The keynote will be broadcast by CBS.

IJ-7 Keynote Day 1: Google News Founder Krishna Bharat

2010-04-26T18:01:00.000-07:00

IJ-7 Day 1 will be keynoted by Krishna Bharat, the Founder of Google News.

Krishna Bharat is a Distinguished Researcher at Google Inc. in Mountain View, Calif., and leads a team developing Google's news products. Krishna is the creator of Google News, which won the 2003 Webby Award in the news category. Also, he received the 2003 World Technology Award for Media & Journalism. In 2004 he founded Google's R&D operations in India and served as the center's first director until 2006. Before joining Google in 1999, he was a member of the research staff at DEC Systems Research Center in Palo Alto, Calif. He graduated with a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Georgia Tech in 1996.

Conference Program for Day 3 - June 9 - online

2010-04-26T17:58:00.000-07:00

The preliminary conference program for Day 3 - June 9 - is now online.

Day 3 includes: Invited Presentations and the Academic Track

You can see the program here.

Questions and answers

2010-04-13T18:09:00.000-07:00

The roundtable panel -- How to cover environmental innovation in innovative ways -- handles crucial subjects for society in our age. How we can be innovative, to transform our society so that it becomes environmentally sustainable. Clearly we need fresh thinking and advanced innovation.
Our panel will discuss whether journalism has succeeded in covering environmental problems. Evidently the coverage has been biased, and we will discuss this problem. What we should do to cover neglected areas? How can we avoid exaggerating some subjects?
In addressing these questions we will talk, for example, with the editor in chief of GreenTech Media, Michael Kanellos. He is exactly the right person to discuss these questions: in his work he covers emerging technologies and companies in the ‘green’ world.
We will also discuss how emerging technologies affect journalism. How can journalists use new technology. Computer science professor Erkki Sutinen will bring scientific depth to our discussion.
As June approaches, things are developing well, everything looks promising, and more participants will be joining our list of attendees later.

Innovations vs. journalism

2010-04-07T14:49:00.001-07:00

We're going to have a great roundtable, with several top journalists and media leaders already confirmed for the panel. All of them have different angles on innovations and media. The big question here is: innovations or journalism? I'm going to ask them if innovations aren't actually killing journalism by becoming journalism.

Think about social media innovations such as Facebook and Twitter. Think about blogging, think about the much touted iPhones and iPads, think about Google for the holy algorithm's sake. They are all consuming the same precious time that we know each of us only has 28 hours in a day. Ok, just checking you're awake. 24 hours. Future, inevitably, will be a huge battle for time.

Before our era of palm-fitting browsers and tech-savvy kids that grow up online, people used their spare time following journalism. That was the case until about a dozen years ago. They were offered a wide range of news and other stories to enjoy. Daily or weekly. Nowadays, everybody can be a presenter and everybody can be his/her own gatekeeper, editor, anchor, master and commander. Who needs responsible editors anymore? In other words, innovations are killing journalism?

Best journalism has always been in the forefront of progress, advocating for new ideas and empowering ordinary people. Why do we now feel the need to stick to the old ways of the past? Should we? If not, what do we do next? How do we keep journalism alive and start covering innovations in new innovative ways that actually match the stories we cover? To answer these questions and more I have invited to the roundtable some great journalists whose thoughts I love listening to. They all have very different backgrounds and work experiences.

Hearst's Richard Dunham has been a political correspondent and a newsroom leader in Washington for more than two decades. Kara Swisher is one of the wittiest technology writers of all times. She started her popular BoomTown column while working with the Wall Street Journal in the paper's San Francisco bureau. Now she is a co-producer and co-host of All Things Digital. Marjaana Toiminen is in charge of branding and profiling magazines for Scandinavia's biggest publishing house, Bonnier, as the company's CEO in Finland. She has just presented the publishing house's brand new mag+ reader. Martha Russell works with other prominent IT thinkers and researchers every day at Stanford's MediaX laboratory, and she is the best person to turn to for new interactive online tools. As last, Steve Katz, the current publisher of Mother Jones Magazine, has also promised to give his insight.

Other interesting participants are to follow, including YOU!

Rounding It Up

2010-04-06T15:29:00.000-07:00

My IJ-7 roundtable is moving along nicely. The conference is still a few months away, but things are shaping up. For my roundtable--Choosing What To Cover in Innovation Journalism: How Do You Know What I Didn't Write?--I am glad to announce the following, confirmed participants: Owen Thomas, Executive Editor at VentureBeat, Theodore Glasser, Professor of Communication, Stanford University, Chris Dale, YouTube PR and Donna Sokolsky Burke, SparkPR.

I am happy to see people are responding to the topic at hand, and are eager to participate. Listening to all the other Fellows' roundtable suggestions (and their suggestions for top InJo stories) today at Stanford, I think IJ-7 will turn into a fantastic conference. For my part, the hosting newsroom (VentureBeat) has proved to be an invaluable resource as far as connections and brainstorming are concerned.

All in all, things look very promising and the Spring months are rolling along at a swift pace. June is still a couple of months away, and this time will give each of us time to really focus on what we are trying to accomplish with the conference: further examination and development of innovation journalism.

IJ-7 Conference - gearing up!

2010-04-06T10:52:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the IJ-7 conference blog. The conference is well on track. This conference - organized here at Stanford by the Innovation Journalism Fellows - is organized on short notice every year, with very good results until now. You can see the previous conference here: http://ij6.innovationjournalism.org. Within the coming weeks, the conference websites for this year will develop. The links to the Main Conference 7-9 June and the IJ-7 Academic Track is here in the right column - just click on the pics.

We are working on the registration site for the conference, which will be up before long. Until then, you can announce your interest in the conference by clicking on the "registration" tab under the header of the main conference site, and sign up for notifications from there.

All the best,

/David Nordfors

Conference Chair, IJ-7

IJ-7 Official Blog

2010-04-02T16:10:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the IJ-7 official blog site