GEN Summit 2017: From post-truth to VR, navigating media’s future
At GEN, our holidays are very short. We start working on the next GEN Summit in July, just a few weeks after the end of our annual conference. So back in July 2016, it was very clear to us that the main topic for June 2017 would be related to newsbots, machine learning and automated news with a few touches of Virtual Reality, as our goal is to soon launch a VR News Challenge for media organisations starting to produce 360 videos or VR reports on a regular basis. This is why a first brainstorming session selected this headline:
From AR to VR, the new media alphabet
As September came, with the annual conference of our ONA Friends, we were comforted in this idea: everyone there seemed to be speaking about either Artificial Intelligence (AI), fact-checking or immersive journalism, no mentions of trolls, fake news and the influence of Facebook on the US presidential election.
Three weeks after the election of Donald Trump, and with the perspective of 20 general elections to come across the globe in the coming year (just in Europe, France and Germany for instance), it has become obvious that editors-in-chief want to debate on the role of legacy media and new players in our democracies: what of the irrelevance of fact-checking? Why are traditional media and millennial-oriented websites ignored by some communities in favour of disinformation websites? What went wrong in the US election coverage? How can editors avoid the mistakes US media organisations made and adjust to populist campaigns?
In light of these realisations, a major shift was needed and we changed the headline to the following:
FROM POST-TRUTH TO VIRTUAL REALITY:
NAVIGATING MEDIA’S FUTURE
Whilst the scheduled sessions and speakers have not changed, our goal remains to answer the questions our audience will raise in June 2017. If you find yourself disagreeing on our current headline and priorities, let me know, I would be very happy to discuss this with you.
The upheaval we experienced between September and November has however not changed our wish to divide the three days of the GEN Summit along three main topics:
- Wednesday 21 June 2017 will be DISRUPTION DAY, we are proud to announce that Robert Hernandez from USC Annenberg School of Journalism will introduce “immersive journalism” and its impact on editors in the years to come. A very tangible topic, and a new territory for journalists to investigate now!
- Thursday 22 June will be INNOVATION DAY, opened by Martin Baron Executive Editor of the Washington Post. It is a great honour for GEN to welcome such a forward-thinking professional and a role model for many of us.
You will not want to miss the Reuters Institute Digital News Report presentation either, a lecture by Timothy Garton Ash, Professor of European Studies, Oxford University: “Are we losing the media we need for democracy?” - Friday 23 June will be COOPERATION DAY, introduced by Amy Webb, Founder of the Future Today Institute. Amy is an esteemed “GEN Friend” and I try not to miss any of her speeches. The debate about platforms and how newsrooms can challenge social media will follow. We thank Juan Señor and the Innovation Consulting Group for their new involvement with GEN.
We have already 30+ speakers confirmed for the June 2017 GEN Summit, go to our Speakers’ page to view them all.
To know more about the 30 sessions and masterclasses we have scheduled, browse our Schedule page. I have just set up two extra lectures that I hope you will appreciate:
What about the June 2017 attendance?
In June 2016, we expected 600+ participants and got 750! You can see here the data-visualisation of our loyal and new attendants, coming from 70+ countries. So for the coming GEN Summit 2017, I will avoid any forecast, just state again that for GEN quality will always prime over quantity. We want to propose to our audience the most talented speakers and panelists, as well as offer the best opportunities for networking through memorable social events. 2016 attendants remember the incredible night we had at Klosterneuburg Monastery; rest assured that we plan on finding an equally breathtaking spot in the historical neighbourhoods of Vienna, where the souls of Mozart, Klimt and Freud are still floating in the air. There are so many palaces and hidden gardens to discover!
My last words will be for thanking the city of Vienna for welcoming us for another year, as well as our Viennese partners Eurocomm and FJUM. 2016 was great indeed, 2017 will be even better!
PS: we welcome any idea for a session, panel or speaker. The programme will be updated every month, as we are well aware that what seems a good idea in December can be less relevant in April or replaced by a new burning topic. As the producer of the event and the editorial programme, don’t hesitate to contact me, I would like to hear from you.
