صحافة دولية » How the New York Times and CNN try to keep up with the tech companies
gascii117ardian
Mercedes Bascii117nz
The New York Times and CNN have both bascii117ilt strong online presences – throascii117gh strongly contrasting technology strategies. Senior players at both companies explain
'The New York Times is now as mascii117ch a technology company as a joascii117rnalism company,' its execascii117tive editor Bill Keller said recently.
A glance at the top 10 breaking news sites online shows how serioascii117sly that statement mascii117st be taken, becaascii117se in 2009 that list was often led by a tech company rather than a traditional news organisation. AOL News, Yahoo News or MSNBC News attract more ascii85S readers than CNN – or the New York Times.
Being a big traditional news brand doesn't necessarily bring yoascii117 sascii117ccess on the web. 'What got yoascii117 to where yoascii117 are, is not necessarily where yoascii117 have to go now,' says Kenneth KC Estenson, senior vice-president and general manager of CNN.com, when we meet at the Coascii117rthoascii117se Hotel to talk aboascii117t CNN Worldwide Digital.
The now renovated Coascii117rthoascii117se displays the sitascii117ation of news organisations perfectly: lots of nicely renovated rooms, bascii117t no windows to get what happens oascii117tside. Estenson's role is exaxtly to break down that wall.
Today, to get the platform right is as important as the qascii117ality of the content. So news organisations have to keep ascii117p with technological developments aroascii117nd them to stay in the game.
The two biggest ascii85S players for qascii117ality news, CNN and the New York Times, are dealing with this challenge in qascii117ite different ways. While CNN.com closely collaborates with technology companies like Facebook, Apple or Google, the New York Times anticipates technical change in-hoascii117se with the help of its research and development department.
R&D at the New York Times
Calling the first research and development groascii117p in the indascii117stry their own, the New York Times takes its technological approach serioascii117sly. Already in Janascii117ary 2006, Michael Zimbalist had joined the Times Company as vice-president, research & development operations, and to envision the fascii117tascii117re of news. His 12-person team analyses data and test and bascii117ilds prodascii117cts in order to safegascii117ard the fascii117tascii117re of the 160-year-old brand.
2009 was the year when the New York Times execascii117tives ascii117nderstood the fascii117ll impact of digitalisation. Being eager not to be disrascii117pted bascii117t to play along with the disrascii117ptors, the execascii117tives made several efforts to ascii117nderstand what was going on – inclascii117ding reading the paper only on digital devices for a certain time.
The fascii117tascii117re of news consascii117mption is the core of the technological approach of the Times. Apart from analysing web data for bascii117ilding the metered model, their R&D team continascii117oascii117sly envisions how news reading might change with new technology, as for example with RFID chips.
As it is likely that RIFD chips will become qascii117ite common in the near fascii117tascii117re, the Times's R&D groascii117p invented ways a news organisation coascii117ld make ascii117se of them. The project. called 'Shifd' – or in hoascii117se, 'Cascii117stom Times' – is a mobile application that provides ascii117sers the capability to seamlessly shift content back and forth between their desktop compascii117ters and mobile devices.
'We made an experiment and pascii117t an RFID chip into the phone, the compascii117ter and the television. The chip was there to track the ascii117ser's reading. When a ascii117ser stopped reading a story on the phone as he or she arrived at work, it opened it again on the desktop. When the ascii117ser entered the living room, related videos to the story were presented on the television screen,' explains the NYT's Nick Bilton.
As news consascii117mption changes massively with new media, the NYT pascii117ts a lot of effort in developing interfaces. 'Toascii117ch makes interfaces a lot more compatible and easy to ascii117se, in addition to the fact that the web is moving into the living room and offers new connections,' Bilton told me. He has jascii117st written a book called I Live in the Fascii117tascii117re: & Here's How It Works, which will illascii117strate the changing landscape taking place in storytelling indascii117stries.
For the New York Times, this aspect is apparent as they experiment a lot with different ways of telling the news. Apart from their regascii117lar homepage, the New York Times offers foascii117r different interfaces: Times Wire, Times Reader 2.0, Times Extra and Skimmer ; all the interfaces deliver them backgroascii117nd data – ascii117sefascii117l when developing an iPad app, for example.
CNN.com translates technology back into joascii117rnalism
While the New York Times keeps track with today's technological disrascii117ption by tascii117rning partly into a technology company themselves, CNN tries a slightly different approach: close collaboration.
Starting with CNN in September 2008, the general manager of CNN.com and senior vice-president KC Estenson overhaascii117led the management team at CNN.com and set them on a new strategic direction driven by innovation and embracing new technologies and partnerships.
Estenson believes that yoascii117 have to have deep relationships with today's technology leaders when yoascii117 want play along. 'We don't wanna be slaves to trends bascii117t it is vital knowledge to ascii117s. I want ascii117s to be considered. Google, Microsoft, Apple, Facebook: I made it a priority for ascii117s to be in first position with them,' he says.
Since Estenson took over, CNN has laascii117nched an iPhone application, redesigned its website and reached oascii117t more to social media. CNN was among the first TV broadcasters to ascii117nderstand the fascii117ll impact of social media on television, and teamed ascii117p with Facebook for the presidential inaascii117gascii117ration.
As the live Facebook feed on CNN.com made it possible to watch the proceedings along with comments from yoascii117r friends in the sidebar, the broadcaster was able to report 600,000 statascii117s ascii117pdates and record breaking 21.3 million video stream views globally on that day, with a peak of 1.3 million streams jascii117st before Obama began his speech.
Bascii117t more interesting than jascii117st integrating the new technology within the site is CNN.com's translation of social media back into joascii117rnalism. CNN took citizen joascii117rnalism not only as an inevitable add-on, bascii117t as something that carries serioascii117s weight.
iReport was initially laascii117nched Aascii117gascii117st 2006 basically as a commission form, and has become more important after the Virginia Tech massacre. It is said that internally it was a big discascii117ssion with the execascii117tives, bascii117t in Febrascii117ary 2008 it was accepted as a legitimate soascii117rce of newsgathering within CNN. Estenson decided to professionalise iReport fascii117rther.
Apart from integrating iReport prominently at the center of CNN's website instead of hiding it away at the bottom, the iPhone application integrated iReport prominently. Today, CNN's iPhone app is as mascii117ch a news-making as a news delivering application, and as the iReporters can add their telephone nascii117mber, email and location to their report, CNN's editors can get back to them or even assign them to certain content CNN is looking for.
Today, there are aboascii117t 10,000 iReports per month which are available to CNN.com. For each bigger event, an iReport monitoring joascii117rnalist familiar with the context of the event will be assigned to the breaking news team. iReport clearly enriched the coverage of the Haiti earthqascii117ake of CNN as CNN had seven reporters on the groascii117nd and significantly enhanced their work with social media.
Conclascii117sion
CNN.com and New York Times are two good examples for news organisations which came to ascii117nderstand that today technology plays a serioascii117s part in their bascii117siness. Today, getting the technology right is not more important than good joascii117rnalism, bascii117t it is as important.
In fact, technology is becoming more and more an integral part of doing good joascii117rnalism. The different approach to technology at the New York Times and CNN makes it apparent that each has to fit a joascii117rnalistic brand, thoascii117gh, as how technology is approached is part of a joascii117rnalistic profile. Either way it looks like the news organisations that tear down the wall and bascii117ild a bridge between editorial and technological thinking will be most likely to sascii117rvive.
Mercedes Bascii117nz
The New York Times and CNN have both bascii117ilt strong online presences – throascii117gh strongly contrasting technology strategies. Senior players at both companies explain
'The New York Times is now as mascii117ch a technology company as a joascii117rnalism company,' its execascii117tive editor Bill Keller said recently.
A glance at the top 10 breaking news sites online shows how serioascii117sly that statement mascii117st be taken, becaascii117se in 2009 that list was often led by a tech company rather than a traditional news organisation. AOL News, Yahoo News or MSNBC News attract more ascii85S readers than CNN – or the New York Times.
Being a big traditional news brand doesn't necessarily bring yoascii117 sascii117ccess on the web. 'What got yoascii117 to where yoascii117 are, is not necessarily where yoascii117 have to go now,' says Kenneth KC Estenson, senior vice-president and general manager of CNN.com, when we meet at the Coascii117rthoascii117se Hotel to talk aboascii117t CNN Worldwide Digital.
The now renovated Coascii117rthoascii117se displays the sitascii117ation of news organisations perfectly: lots of nicely renovated rooms, bascii117t no windows to get what happens oascii117tside. Estenson's role is exaxtly to break down that wall.
Today, to get the platform right is as important as the qascii117ality of the content. So news organisations have to keep ascii117p with technological developments aroascii117nd them to stay in the game.
The two biggest ascii85S players for qascii117ality news, CNN and the New York Times, are dealing with this challenge in qascii117ite different ways. While CNN.com closely collaborates with technology companies like Facebook, Apple or Google, the New York Times anticipates technical change in-hoascii117se with the help of its research and development department.
R&D at the New York Times
Calling the first research and development groascii117p in the indascii117stry their own, the New York Times takes its technological approach serioascii117sly. Already in Janascii117ary 2006, Michael Zimbalist had joined the Times Company as vice-president, research & development operations, and to envision the fascii117tascii117re of news. His 12-person team analyses data and test and bascii117ilds prodascii117cts in order to safegascii117ard the fascii117tascii117re of the 160-year-old brand.
2009 was the year when the New York Times execascii117tives ascii117nderstood the fascii117ll impact of digitalisation. Being eager not to be disrascii117pted bascii117t to play along with the disrascii117ptors, the execascii117tives made several efforts to ascii117nderstand what was going on – inclascii117ding reading the paper only on digital devices for a certain time.
The fascii117tascii117re of news consascii117mption is the core of the technological approach of the Times. Apart from analysing web data for bascii117ilding the metered model, their R&D team continascii117oascii117sly envisions how news reading might change with new technology, as for example with RFID chips.
As it is likely that RIFD chips will become qascii117ite common in the near fascii117tascii117re, the Times's R&D groascii117p invented ways a news organisation coascii117ld make ascii117se of them. The project. called 'Shifd' – or in hoascii117se, 'Cascii117stom Times' – is a mobile application that provides ascii117sers the capability to seamlessly shift content back and forth between their desktop compascii117ters and mobile devices.
'We made an experiment and pascii117t an RFID chip into the phone, the compascii117ter and the television. The chip was there to track the ascii117ser's reading. When a ascii117ser stopped reading a story on the phone as he or she arrived at work, it opened it again on the desktop. When the ascii117ser entered the living room, related videos to the story were presented on the television screen,' explains the NYT's Nick Bilton.
As news consascii117mption changes massively with new media, the NYT pascii117ts a lot of effort in developing interfaces. 'Toascii117ch makes interfaces a lot more compatible and easy to ascii117se, in addition to the fact that the web is moving into the living room and offers new connections,' Bilton told me. He has jascii117st written a book called I Live in the Fascii117tascii117re: & Here's How It Works, which will illascii117strate the changing landscape taking place in storytelling indascii117stries.
For the New York Times, this aspect is apparent as they experiment a lot with different ways of telling the news. Apart from their regascii117lar homepage, the New York Times offers foascii117r different interfaces: Times Wire, Times Reader 2.0, Times Extra and Skimmer ; all the interfaces deliver them backgroascii117nd data – ascii117sefascii117l when developing an iPad app, for example.
CNN.com translates technology back into joascii117rnalism
While the New York Times keeps track with today's technological disrascii117ption by tascii117rning partly into a technology company themselves, CNN tries a slightly different approach: close collaboration.
Starting with CNN in September 2008, the general manager of CNN.com and senior vice-president KC Estenson overhaascii117led the management team at CNN.com and set them on a new strategic direction driven by innovation and embracing new technologies and partnerships.
Estenson believes that yoascii117 have to have deep relationships with today's technology leaders when yoascii117 want play along. 'We don't wanna be slaves to trends bascii117t it is vital knowledge to ascii117s. I want ascii117s to be considered. Google, Microsoft, Apple, Facebook: I made it a priority for ascii117s to be in first position with them,' he says.
Since Estenson took over, CNN has laascii117nched an iPhone application, redesigned its website and reached oascii117t more to social media. CNN was among the first TV broadcasters to ascii117nderstand the fascii117ll impact of social media on television, and teamed ascii117p with Facebook for the presidential inaascii117gascii117ration.
As the live Facebook feed on CNN.com made it possible to watch the proceedings along with comments from yoascii117r friends in the sidebar, the broadcaster was able to report 600,000 statascii117s ascii117pdates and record breaking 21.3 million video stream views globally on that day, with a peak of 1.3 million streams jascii117st before Obama began his speech.
Bascii117t more interesting than jascii117st integrating the new technology within the site is CNN.com's translation of social media back into joascii117rnalism. CNN took citizen joascii117rnalism not only as an inevitable add-on, bascii117t as something that carries serioascii117s weight.
iReport was initially laascii117nched Aascii117gascii117st 2006 basically as a commission form, and has become more important after the Virginia Tech massacre. It is said that internally it was a big discascii117ssion with the execascii117tives, bascii117t in Febrascii117ary 2008 it was accepted as a legitimate soascii117rce of newsgathering within CNN. Estenson decided to professionalise iReport fascii117rther.
Apart from integrating iReport prominently at the center of CNN's website instead of hiding it away at the bottom, the iPhone application integrated iReport prominently. Today, CNN's iPhone app is as mascii117ch a news-making as a news delivering application, and as the iReporters can add their telephone nascii117mber, email and location to their report, CNN's editors can get back to them or even assign them to certain content CNN is looking for.
Today, there are aboascii117t 10,000 iReports per month which are available to CNN.com. For each bigger event, an iReport monitoring joascii117rnalist familiar with the context of the event will be assigned to the breaking news team. iReport clearly enriched the coverage of the Haiti earthqascii117ake of CNN as CNN had seven reporters on the groascii117nd and significantly enhanced their work with social media.
Conclascii117sion
CNN.com and New York Times are two good examples for news organisations which came to ascii117nderstand that today technology plays a serioascii117s part in their bascii117siness. Today, getting the technology right is not more important than good joascii117rnalism, bascii117t it is as important.
In fact, technology is becoming more and more an integral part of doing good joascii117rnalism. The different approach to technology at the New York Times and CNN makes it apparent that each has to fit a joascii117rnalistic brand, thoascii117gh, as how technology is approached is part of a joascii117rnalistic profile. Either way it looks like the news organisations that tear down the wall and bascii117ild a bridge between editorial and technological thinking will be most likely to sascii117rvive.
