Influencing the Future of Journalism with Lead Author of Reuters Institute Digital Report, Nic Newman #26
The BBC’s coverage of news events is an institutional mainstay, and journalism would be bereft with its absence. Playing a key role in shaping their internet presence is one Nic Newman, now a Lead Author of the Reuters Institute Digital Report.
Clearly, Nic’s dedication to quality journalism delivered effectively is a trait demonstrated throughout his career, from the demanding training grounds of local radio, to playing an instrumental role in the formation of the BBC’s news website, to now heading up the world’s largest annual report in his field.
Joining Lee Cooper on this week’s Extrology podcast, Nic shares the exciting advancements that paved the way for the BBC’s digital presence, some incredible findings from his work with the Reuters Institute, and the balance to be found between technological advancements and retaining human connection.
Lee & NIC discuss:
How Nic broke family expectations to enter the world of radio
The incredibly broad skillset demanded by roles in local radio stations
Editing as a ‘lost art’
Moments of large scale change in journalistic delivery
Building the BBC’s reputation and infrastructure
Combatting the feelings-over-facts reporting currently prevalent on the internet
Links & references:
Lee Cooper: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leecooperrecruiter/
Nic Newman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicnewman/
Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism: https://www.linkedin.com/company/reutersinstitute/
Get in touch: lee@extrology.com
Episode highlights:
“I wanted to be on the radio, in any fashion really, but it was originally about music. I just loved listening to music and I loved radios themselves. The journalism stuff just came later because I realised that I wasn't probably going to ever be a DJ, and I probably wasn't going to make much money on the music side, and maybe there was a more serious career to be had in journalism.” - 1:45 - Nic Newman
“I wish I'd spent a bit more time on the studies, one, LLC, but I did come out with a degree. I did spend much of my time booking bands and taking part in the Students Union. So I did a sabbatical year running the entertainment programme, and the bar, and those kinds of things.” - 7:00 - Nic Newman
“The thing about local radio is that they just give you so much responsibility, they expect you to do everything yourself. So as a learning ground, it's just unparalleled. ” - 12:15 - Nic Newman
“You would spend a lot of time cutting up and putting words back together and splicing them physically with a razor blade and some sticky tape. You could get incredibly quick at doing it, but this is a very different way of producing stuff from what we do today. In fact, people have kind of lost the art of editing.” - 19:00 - Nic Newman
“A lot of people didn't like John Burt but I think what he did have was that long term vision, possibly because he took time out to go and talk to others and to really look at what was happening in the US. He could see that the BBC’s future wasn't really about television & radio, it was built on that mission to educate, inform, and entertain.” - 26:30 - Nic Newman
“The trick was to understand that it was about the brand and the quality of journalism, but it was also about the way we packaged it. It was about recognising that what people wanted on the internet was to be able to access it at their convenience.” - 30:30 - Nic Newman
“The Thai Tsunami was really the first time where user generated content, as we used to call it at the time, essentially was the witness, was the lead of television news bulletins, almost reversing the flow of journalism.” - 37:25 - Nic Newman
“It's cheap to do opinion. Critics would argue that what that's doing is pushing us apart, because people are drawn to television or social media where anger and strong opinions really get virally retweeted or shared more often. That's actually pushing people apart.” - 42:05 - Nic Newman
“Working with the Reuters Institute over the last 10 years, we've built up the world's biggest annual report based on a huge survey, and then we do additional focus groups on top of that. So we started with five countries, we're now covering half the world's population.” - 49:25 - Nic Newman
“I think what I worry about is that human connection. Zoom calls are all very well and they're great for efficiency, but not necessarily for creativity, or for happiness in terms of human bonding, which is a key part of work, and it's a key part of life.” - 1:00:10 - Nic Newman
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