There are many things newer and smaller media startups are doing that are almost too daring for a legacy publisher. The new platforms that have opened up have certainly impacted this shift. Many startups also branch out and relay on other agencies to support their publishing journey so as to stay within their fixed budget unlike legacy publishers who would rather build their own solutions inhouse.
The first distinction appears here. Smaller publishers often use tech stack provided by technical experts who join a dedicated team of developers and design solutions for a larger clientele which forces their products to be flexible, reliable and constantly on the brink of brutal evaluation. This is a massive factor inhouse solutions missed out on - you don’t know how it would compare in the market. Smaller publishers are able to get access to a stack of products that not only fit their budget but also are constantly updating to keep up industry standards. They can drop in requests and suggestions and the tech company will handle it entirely for them saving a ton of money and time.
A rising concern for the major newsrooms is the threat to content online and the sources. Journalists fight everyday to bring about authentic stories which are then circulated across borders. There are mails and requests coming in through readers who take the route of mobile journalism to share a story of importance. Smaller reports spread across countries, writing back to a small publishing house, that’s how we know most of our viral news stories today. The inside scoop as one would call it.
So what should journalists focus their attention on in their newsrooms? Here are some things smaller publishers have started doing that big media can learn from.
It all begins from the moment you start to cover a topic. As editors, one can guide journalists where to go and what to look for to gain the most precise and relevant coverage. This also means giving the right digital tools to sort through piles of fake or exaggerated content available online. Having a short guide as one sets out to draft a story can largely impact how the story turns up and the level of reviewing that would be needed.
As mentioned before, your technical stack is the backbone of all your publishing endeavors. You need software solutions that not only fit your budget but also the ones that are most suited for your specific kind of reporting. Bigger media groups may tend to lean towards the very same solutions, this must be avoided. Look into your personal competitors and your own goals. Choose a tech stack that is ever-growing and one that would work around your needs. Hiring an experienced tech company who specializes in the industry would help much more than hiring each individual developer.
For ensuring content security and information justification, your content needs to go through clear review cycles. Once you’re happy with your content, don’t shy away from involving the legal team to look into articles that you think might cause some level of concern once it’s published. For bigger media companies this may take a long time however having the right system in place will help you avoid any legal trouble while also giving you enough data to back up your data no matter the platform.
Empowering your journalists is important and one must always look into tools that will make their lives easier. This doesn't mean bombarding your team with piles of tools just because you found them. Let your team in, let them explore these tools and tell you which ones they appreciate the most. Remember that your journalists may not be tech savvy, so the tools they get, must be considerate of the same.
Security of content should be of utmost importance to you and your business. Media groups fall into legal troubles all the time. Perhaps as a bigger media group this may come as no surprise to you. But if you’re able to keep a keen eye and an efficient workflow in place, you’ll be able to avoid many of these threats. Another threat is that of content theft. This is regular and your legal team would be usually caught busy with this. It’s possible to avoid this through the right tech stack. Ensure to be on a platform that is safe, backed up and more importantly, secures your content from online attacks.