Desperately Seeking Audiences for Innovation Journalism

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!