Media is transforming; journalism education needs to change too

THE Business Times (BT)‘s audience team is undergoing a rebuild to replace colleagues who have moved on to seek new challenges.

Sifting through the resumes sent in response to one of our job advertisements, it became increasingly clear to me that it wouldn’t be an easy task to find a suitable candidate to fill the position.

One of the reasons is likely that audience-related roles in a digital newsroom are still not well understood by people, both inside and outside of it.

As a horizontal function that straddles editorial strategy and operations, product development and the subscriptions business, the audience field is rapidly evolving. Its job scope is not fixed and often tailored according to organisational needs. This can make it difficult for potential recruits to get a good sense of what the work fully entails.

It doesn’t help that we are competing directly with many consumer companies for highly sought-after skills in areas such as user research, data analytics, cross-functional project management and partnerships.

In the last few months, the challenges of recruiting the right people to staff our audience team have made me reflect: How can we build a pipeline of talent to ensure that audience knowledge and capabilities are up-to-date, institutionalised and sustained?

In-house and on-the-job training is obviously useful and important. But media and journalism schools are also an important part of the equation. As traditional sources of newsroom talent, they have a critical role to play in preparing their graduates to be part of a transformed media landscape.

In order to stay relevant, they have to answer a broader set of questions: Does the curriculum need to be updated? What is the “product” of journalism – is it still all about articles and stories? Are the students taught the right skills to prepare them for a long and varied career in digital media?

As a recruiter of next-generation newsroom talent, the conclusion is not in doubt: Journalism education needs to change. We all know that the craft is no longer just about how to interview sources and write stories, getting drilled in inverted pyramids, or learning about the proper placement of punctuation marks.

It is time students learn about the disruptive forces at play in the digital transformation of media, and educators should help them find their place in it.

We at BT see the value of having a well-developed, multi-disciplinary digital-first curriculum catering to students who seek to pick up employable skills in a news industry that is hungry for diverse talent.

The exposure these students get and the training they receive should go beyond news gathering and digital storytelling skills. It should also prepare them to take up emerging roles in the wider newsroom, which include roles in audience functions.

A well-rounded modern journalism education can even make them adaptable enough to take on job titles that don’t yet exist. It will expand their employment options in the media and also the digital economy.

There are many jobs across different industries that require people who can understand audience needs and how information is distributed, and translate this understanding into the design and management of digital consumer products.

News is one such product. Our audiences, in particular our paid subscribers, seek to get the best-in-class user experience that cuts across our content offerings, product features and customer service.

The rise of “bridge roles” in newsrooms that operate at the intersection of various disciplines and connect newsrooms with different departments is a reflection of the expanding scope of work required to develop and maintain a top-notch digital news product.

Such roles also mean there are now many ways a journalism graduate or media professional can contribute to a digital news product beyond traditional journalism.

Other than audience roles, another in-demand skill set is found in the role of the product manager. Digital product management is now firmly established as a career path in many media companies. As these companies progress in their digital journey, there are plenty of opportunities for business-minded, tech-savvy individuals with media sensibilities to combine the work of product development and journalism.

To cultivate these talents, media and journalism programmes in schools will need to make a culture shift towards developing audience-centric, product thinking mindsets and digital product management capabilities in students.

The new curriculum should incorporate the teachings of product development methods such as design thinking and the making of minimum viable products. It should also include courses on how to work and present using data.

Students will also have to learn about communication and leadership, collaborative problem-solving, and strategy – highly sought-after skills critical for stakeholder management in a cross-functional environment.

Elective modules in media economics, digital marketing frameworks, digital business models and the subscription economy can also be offered to impart knowledge about the latest industry trends and business viability.

Unlike other digital industries with strong growth prospects, we are mindful that attracting and retaining talent in the news media is an uphill task. But we hope there will still be talented people who believe deeply in our public mission and see themselves forging a career in the local media industry.

Providing aspiring journalists and media professionals with a solid foundation across disciplines through a revamped educational approach will set them up for long term success and give them the best possible head start in their fledgling career.

Off The Record is a monthly column by BT’s editors on the modern news industry from an insider’s perspective. We welcome feedback and suggestions at btnews@sph.com.sg.