Be innovative in online storytelling, media told

Research Associate at Reuters Institute, Mr Nic Newman, speaks to journalists at Nation Centre, Nairobi, on September 4, 2017. He said making the switch to digital has had its share of challenges. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Media houses must also consider what storytelling techniques need to change to adapt to digital platforms.

Media houses need to consider the use of new technology and find innovative ways to engage with their audiences in order to be successful online.

According to Mr Nic Newman, a Visiting Fellow at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, making the switch to digital has had its share of challenges.

Speaking during a session with journalists at Nation Centre on Monday, Mr Newman, a digital strategist who played a fundamental role in shaping the BBC’s Internet services, focused on how multiplatform digital journalism is changing the future of news.

He expounded on the three ways in which media companies need to change.

CHANGE

On a strategic level, he said, companies need to reconsider their investments.

Media houses must also consider what storytelling techniques need to change to adapt to digital platforms.

Finally, Mr Newman said, outlets need to consider the use of new technologies.

“The biggest problem is the culture of change in the people,” Mr Newman said, adding that accessing technology and having proper leadership are also significant factors to consider.

JOBS
Mr Newman said despite the advantages, it is very hard to make money out of digital journalism.

“You’ve got printed newspapers that have had a very secure business model and people want to hold onto it because it gives them a living. It’s a genuinely difficult problem,” he said.

Mr Laban-Cliff Onserio, a business news anchor and reporter with NTV, said many people want change, but don’t know how to go about it, fearing that the move to digital journalism will lead to job losses.

But Mr Newman said these challenges will resolve themselves in the long-term, noting that media houses will find their own funding models that balance reader payment, advertising and sponsorship.