SXSW: Join innovators from the BBC and Quartz Bot Studio
How can news organisations prepare themselves for a conversational future?
Big news organisations are still geared towards the one-way interaction models of broadcast and print media. But they are increasingly experimenting with new formats to engage with viewers and readers more directly.
News Labs and BBC R&D have organised our own event at South by Southwest to explore how news publishers can change their relationships with their audiences.
This session, with experts from the BBC and Quartz, will outline how we can prepare ourselves for a conversational future. How can we break news into more digestible pieces, each one containing just one key aspect of the story — exactly like a good conversation?
With richer metadata, these ‘atoms’ could help you find exactly what you want, when you want it.
The experts will also open up a discussion about the problems of this approach. How can we tell emotionally engaging and accurate stories if we leave them in pieces for the audience to explore? How do we avoid confirmation bias, where the audiences only consume the parts of the news that they already agree with?
The session is introduced by BBC News’ Controller of Mobile and Online — Fiona Campbell — who will reveal how the BBC is reaching new audiences.
The event will be held at the British Music Embassy on Tuesday 13 March 2018. Here’s the schedule:
2:00–2.25pm: Reaching news-needy audiences
Talk and Q&A with Fiona Campbell, Controller, Mobile & Online, BBC News
2.30–3.30pm: How to make the news fit you
Panel discussion with:
- Emily Withrow, Quartz Bot Studio Editor
- Barbara Zambrini, Senior Producer at BBC R&D
- Robert McKenzie, Editor of BBC News Labs
There won’t be any music for our sessions, but there will be plenty of thought-provoking conversation.*
You will need to be a SXSW badge holder or a SXSW artist to get in. The address is the British Music Embassy in Latitude 30, 512 San Jacinto Blvd, Austin, Texas 78701.
*(But do be sure to check out the fabulous music organised by the BBC at the festival).
