What can entrepreneurs teach journalists about journalism?

More than you think, argues podcaster Kristofor Lawson

Chantelle Bringas
Aug 26, 2017 · 1 min read

Google, Facebook and other giants on the media innovation landscape are less of a threat to journalism than journalists who refuse to innovate.

So said Kristofor Lawson at a Storyology lightning talk in Brisbane. He’s a journalist and co-host of Moonshot, a podcast about the practical application of big scientific and technological ideas.

“For too long, we have not been innovative enough as an industry,” Lawson says. “We need to be thinking about the technologies that are affecting us now.”

Kristofor Lawson, cohost of the podcast Moonshot, is also working on a podcast recommendation bot that won innovation funding from the Walkley Foundation in 2017.

Robots, 3D printers, and various digital payment systems might not seem obviously useful to journalists, but Lawson has a different view.

He believes such ideas need to be covered given their modern-day relevance, but also because the creative process of the inventors and entrepreneurs behind these innovations could help journalists improves their craft.

“When we look at all the people we’ve been interviewing [technology entrepreneurs], there’s actually a bunch of things we could learn and apply to journalism,” the podcaster says.

“If we learn and experiment with ideas, we can use those tools to tell better stories.”

Inside the Australia and New Zealand media – stories by and for journalists.

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Chantelle Bringas

Written by

The Walkley Magazine
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