Transforming Press: Canadian Innovation Week 2018
Canadian Innovation Week got off to an amazing start with the Digital News Innovation: Transforming Press event featuring representatives from each of the five companies participating in the Digital News Innovation Challenge (DNIC).
Moderated by Garrick Tiplady, managing director of Facebook Canada, the panel discussion was held at Facebook Canada’s Toronto office.
To discuss the evolution of digital news and the changing journalism landscape, Tiplady was joined by:
- Ellen Hyslop — cofounder of The Gist, a female-focused sports newsletter and online resource.
- Jeremy Klaszus — founder of The Sprawl, a “pop-up” journalism publication covering local news in Calgary.
- Armel Beaudry Kembe — founder of Trebble.fm, a content-sharing platform for smart devices.
- Jamil Dib — head of sales and growth at Readafined, a content analytics tool.
- Sukth Singh — CTO and cofounder of Ground [link], a news-gathering and verification app.
Klaszus, the only journalist on the panel, noted how scarce local news publications have become in the digital age.
“The local news landscape is totally eviscerated,” said Klazsus, adding that in bygone days, reporters felt the need to work for traditional journalistic publications.
“Once you let go of that idea of having to be at some great journalistic institution, you can be small, you can be nimble,” pointing to The Sprawl’s brand of in-depth but small-scale coverage as a prime example.
Social media has complicated the traditional role of journalists as well, added Singh, since reporters are rarely able to break the news ahead of social media users.
“The role of journalists needs to elevate,” said Singh. “They need to focus more on context and continuity, the type of things citizen journalists won’t be able to do.”
Towards the end of the panel, the conversation shifted to what Canada, as a nation, can do to aid tech innovation across the country.
Both Kembe and Hislop agreed Canada should start by integrating the use of technology and problem-solving skills into the education system.
“The education system… needs to bring in a way to make problem-solvers,” said Kembe. “Being able to infuse a problem-solving mentality is the best way to [drive innovation].
“Entrepreneurship and innovation are on the back-end of things” in the school system, added Hyslop. “It needs to come into the forefront”
To watch the Digital News Innovation: Transforming Press panel in full view the DMZ’s stream here.
Article written by Michael D’Alimonte
