The possibilities of innovation

There are a plethora of things that are certain. Sometimes it snows in April, headlines from NPR are guaranteed at one minute past the hour, and in the culture of journalism circa 2019, fascinating ideas are frequent.

These ideas have been a part of an effervescent drive to innovate in a time where there is equal excitement and opportunity along with equal concern and anxiety in the industry. They are hallmarks of the desire to not only propel a news organization forward, but more importantly to enhance the public good.

It was the subject of ideas that took the form of a recent article in the Nieman Lab publication, with a question that prefaced it. The ideas to innovate in journalism make headlines if they come from national news organizations. So what role do local journalists have in helping their peers in a time of flux?

The answer — plenty, yet there are questions on how it can work with available resources. However, those taking the lead, as Christine Schmidt found out, are people at the heart of any news operation, be it national or local — reporters.

At the local level, product management is still mostly done by people in non-product roles who may be overly (but nobly!) multitasking. But distinct teams have emerged in some of the local newspaper chains, digital nonprofits, and more, often driven by reporters who’ve transitioned to product roles and leadership that’s prioritized hiring for it.

An example of someone doing this was Becca Aaronson, who began as a health reporter at the Texas Tribune and transitioned to a developer and project manager role in the span of eight years. Aaronson, who now is Director of Product at Chalkbeat, which covers education policy, says it’s about bringing people together over these ideas.

Anyone in a newsroom can do product thinking. It’s really about trying to think holistically about the needs of the audience, the mission and business interests of the organization, and technically how you’re going to get things done and bringing that together in a holistic way to create a comprehensive strategy for your organization. — Becca Aaronson, in an interview with Nieman Lab

The article got the attention of Sarah Schmalbach, who also began her career as a reporter and transitioned into a product role. In a thread on Twitter, Schmalbach, who now works for the Lenfest Institute in Philadelphia, an incubator for business models in local journalism, said what is essential are not only resources, but more importantly collaboration and a desire to explore what works.

Indeed, it can be overwhelming to adapt to new ideas in a culture where elements in the culture of journalism are ingrained. This can be true when it comes to jobs in engagement journalism.

Engagement jobs often feel like a catch-all, as if all the hopes and dreams of a better audience relationship for the entire brand are described in mission-driven poetry. Too often in reality, the performance of the chosen journalist will be assessed based on some KPIs that were a small part of the job description. Or they’ll be judged based on how effectively they changed the culture of the newsroom, when that wasn’t the job they applied for. — Joy Mayer, Community Manager, Gather, from the January 30 edition of its weekly newsletter

Yet, in spite of that, Aaronson says there is potential to contribute to innovation, no matter your role in a newsroom.

I’m of the belief that this job of product thinking needs to take many shapes and forms in newsrooms, whether it’s a managing editor or reporter who approaches their work in a way where they’re thinking about it in a way that provides value. — Becca Aaronson in Nieman Lab interview

What will drive journalism forward are ideas — large or small, simple or profound. After all, anything is possible.